Producer: Square
System: NES, Playstation, GameBoy Advance
Year: 1987 (NES), 2003 (PS), 2004 (GBA)
Overview: This game is truly a legend in and beyond its own time. Granted, this game wasn’t the first RPG out there, but Final Fantasy pretty much set the standard for so many other RPGs to follow.
Story: Most FFs to follow have very deep and involved plots, but not the original. It’s very basic. Four powerful demons have taken control of the elemental crystals that bind the world together. If nothing is done, the world will sicken and die. Enter a band of four warriors prophesized to destroy this great evil, known as the Light Warriors.
Graphics: Graphics were nothing really flashy, but even today they still have a charming appearance to them that still appeals to me a lot. The later releases upgraded the graphics and sound considerably, but the classic look still looks nice.
Sound: Ah yes, don’t forget about the music. The Final Fantasy games, like Megaman, have some of the best music you’ll find in a video game. Even the first game produces a pantheon of memorable tunes.
Gameplay: If you’ve played an RPG before (and most people have), there’s little need to explain how the system works. I admit, when I first played this game, I was clueless. I was used to either platformers like Super Mario Bros. or Megaman, or adventure-style games like Legend of Zelda. When I picked up this game, I had no idea what was going on. Anyways, you start by creating your party of Light Warriors by selecting from six job classes; Fighter (lots of attack and defense power; can equip most weapons and armor), Black Belt (very low maintenance, gets loads of attack power unarmed, but can’t use magic), Thief (only good at running away; seriously), Red Mage (jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none), White Mage (excels in healing and defense), and Black Mage (excels in attack spells). From there, you are pretty much left to explore at will on your quest. The first Final Fantasy game is very non-linear, compared to most of it’s brethren, where your hand is held throughout much of the game.
Challenge: One of the hardest Final Fantasy games. There are few healing items to help you out, and equipment is expensive, requiring you to spend a while fighting monsters for cash. And for you magic junkies, there are no MP recovery items, meaning the only way to recover MP is to stay at the inn. That's also the only way to save (this was fixed in the GBA version).
Final Rating: 9/10 This game was what introduced me to RPGs, and it’s still a great game to play, whether it’s the original game, or the remade versions.
