The grand successor has cometh!!
Everything about this game is amazing. After playing it on Kongregate, I was willing enough to play it here again just for the heck of it. That, and the fact it now holds the record on Newgrounds for the Flash with the most medals in it-50 in total. The most notable addition is the ability to walk around in world that whole-heartedly makes fun of RPG over-land cliches, which is the style of humor the series is so well known for.
The change isn't for everyone, as some don't feel like walking around and doing almost pointless (yet amusing) side-quests and would rather go straight to the next battle instead, which is what the last two entries in the series did, yet the lack of a store in the middle of the games made it hard to keep going if you were in desperate need of supplies. This is why I completely accept this not-really-new way of maneuvering. You needed a very good working strategy to make it through EBF 1 and 2 alive, classifying both as hard-core RPGs despite their laid-back style. Epic Battle Fantasy 3 goes for a more accessible route and lets players get ready for the next battle and explore the numerous tasks (and medals) at their own pace, eliminating any sense of hurry, especially because the inn is free.
As usual, the graphics and sound are great, with the distinctive cutesy visual style that can make any fan recognize it as being by matt-likes-swords, besides the obvious 3 in the title. The music is top-notch, and somehow even it feels like it is making fun of the regular RPG soundtrack.
The refined skill system is great and feels even better than the ones of the last games, and learning and using a new Limit Break move is ever satisfying, though the menu does look a bit over overwhelming and cluttered to new-comers, as the symbols for each skill look a bit abstract and don't perfectly match the skill itself, though it is not a huge issue.
Battling is as fun as ever, and the fact that you know you aren't going to have to face another wave (at least, most of the time) right after is a huge relief. Bosses and enemy design alike is still great, and each variation for the same species still look fresh and cool. However, I feel a different strategy could have been used for the bosses than the regular enemies; it would have made them more epic, like if you had to find the exact place on the boss to attack, or found that healing it (like if it were a dark monster) weakens it, and then you could attack it.
Overall, I give 9.5 of 10 and 4.5 of 5. The third, and hopefully not the last, entry of EBF breathes fresh air into the series with the ability to walk around. It stills retains and hones its other facets that made it so unique from other RPG's, like proving how standing behind a pig and spamming space-bar is so funny. If you are looking for an RPG that stands out from the pack, then just click play.