NES RPG Now on Xbox Game Pass 36 Years Later

An NES RPG from 1990 is now on Xbox Game Pass, 36 years after its original release. The new addition is available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, Premium subscribers, and via PC Game Pass as well. Those at the Essential tier, meanwhile, do not have unlimited access to a nostalgic 36-year-old NES RPG. On top of this, the game in question is only available on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, not Xbox One, so even those at any tier above will join all Essential subscribers in not being able to access this new addition if they are on Xbox One.

How long it’s going to be available via Xbox Game Pass remains to be seen, but right now, subscribers on Xbox Series X|S and PC at the tiers above can download and play Final Fantasy III, sparing said subscribers from a $17.99 purchase on the Microsoft Store. And since the nostalgic RPGs’ arrival on Xbox Series X last September, Xbox users have been enjoying the title, as evidenced by its 4.5 out of 5-star rating on the digital storefront.

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Not One of the Best Final Fantasy Games, But a Nostalgic One

Those who have never played Final Fantasy should not start with Final Fantasy III. This is not only because it is very much a 1990’s NES RPG, but because it’s not even the best classic Final Fantasy RPG. To this end, we ranked it at the very bottom in our ranking of the mainline Final Fantasy games.

If you grew up playing this RPG in the 1990s, then the nostalgia rush is worth the download. Not many check this box, though. And this is because the game was never released outside of Japan, which means not only did westerners have to import it, but they also had to speak Japanese. It was indeed popular in Japan, though.

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As you can glean from the trailer above, this is not the original NES version of the game, but the Pixel Remaster version, which means some of the nostalgia is missing, but in return, the experience is more polished and modernized.

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster was released in 2021 with new, redrawn pixel art, a rearranged soundtrack, and a variety of quality-of-life improvements that make each game in the collection feel more modern.

As noted, how long this NES classic will be available via Xbox Game Pass is not publicly available information; however, as long as it is available via the subscription service, subscribers can purchase it outright with an exclusive 20% discount.

All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.