It was first released in the United States as Final Fantasy III, as it was the third game in the series released in the US (II, III, and V weren't released outside Japan at the time, leaving IV as the second release and VI as the third). It was later re-released on the PlayStation 1 (1999) and Game Boy Advance (2006), in both cases using the game's original title in their English releases.
The game centers on a world engulfed in a struggle between the Gestahlian Empire, which seeks the Espers - godlike entities of pure magic - to use them to conquer the world and the rebel group Returners. Amidst the conflict, fourteen men and women are also seeking not only an end to the Empire's ambitions, but also the truth of the Espers and the world, all the while stopping Kefka Palazzo, an insane Gestahlian general, from wreaking havoc.
The game is noted for its comparatively large cast of playable characters, somewhat more complex character interactions than was typical for a console RPG at the time, introduction of steampunk elements to a traditional sword-and-sorcery milieu, a famous opera scene, and a shocking development about midway through the game in which the villain actually succeeds in his stated goal of destroying the world. The remainder of the game is spent traversing a post-apocalyptic version of the world, reuniting your scattered party members in a last-ditch effort to prevent the villain's final takeover.
