Release Year(s): 1987, 1990, 2003, 2007, 2010
Rating: Everyone, Everyone 10+
Current Amazon Price:
$499.94 (NES), $9.99 (PS1), $54.99 (GBA), $9.99 (PSP), $8.99 (IOS), $9.99 (PSN)
$9.99 (Nintendo Virtual Consoles)
The Skinny:
While the original version of Final Fantasy is nearly unplayable in the modern day many of the re-releases are still extremely enjoyable and solid JRPG fun.
The Meat:
Final Fantasy as a series will always hold a special place in my heart. This is the series that originally got me seriously into video games. Final Fantasy II was the first RPG I ever played and Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time. While the series has had its ups and downs (I'm looking at you Final Fantasy III -_-) it is safe to say that this is one of my favorite series ever and has been the most influential on me as a gamer and a person. It is also debatably the most popular and well known JRPG series in existence. Most people have at least heard about Final Fantasy if they haven't played one before. Also, as you can see from the information provided at the top of the article, the Final Fantasy games have been released and remade on a staggering range of consoles over nearly 30 years. While the main series is about to see the release its 18th major, numbered game I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the one that started it all.
In the late 80s there was a small software company called Square that was the computer software division of a power line construction company called Den-Yu-Sha in Japan. In 1986 Square became an independent company. They proceeded to release a series of unsuccessful games and were in danger of going under. Then, a part time employee named Hironobu Sakaguchi had an idea to develop a role-playing game similar to the Dragon Quest series (known as Dragon Warrior here in the states) from Enix that was incredibly popular in Japan at the time. The development team raised the funds internally and had complete control over their creative product as a result. No one at the company expected the game to be popular and were all anticipating that it would be their final project before the company closed permanently. As such they decided to develop the game they had always wanted to make, not the game that the higher ups always told them to. If the game was going to bomb, why not do it on their own terms, This labor of love, the team's Final Fantasy if you will, went on to become one of the best selling RPGs of all time. It not only saved the company, it rocketed Square and Hironobu Sakaguchi to the forefront of the video game industry as the people to develop quality JRPGs. Final Fantasy has gone on to become one of the most popular and beloved series ever and the original game has been re-released countless times in many different forms. Some of these versions hold up much better than others.
Final Fantasy was first released in 1987, 1990 here in the United States on the Nintendo Entertainment system. This is the version of the game available on Nintendo's virtual consoles. The setup was simple. Players chose four heroes from a list of available classes. These classes are now known as staples of RPGs the world over. Fighter (warrior), black belt (monk), thief, black mage, white mage, and red mage. The player made party are the four heroes of light, and it is their duty to restore the power to the four crystals of earth, fire, water, and wind which are being sapped by the Four Elemental Fiends. The Fiends of Earth (Lich), Fire (Marilith), Water (Kraken), and Wind (Tiamat) serve as the games primary antagonists for the majority of the experience. While this may sound like a cliche plot nowadays, this is where it started. The gameplay is simple, party oriented, turn based combat. You select your characters actions and targets from a menu and then they carry them out according to their speed stats. Monsters are fought in random encounters that are entered while moving around the overworld map or dungeons. Since this game comes from an older school of RPGs the encounter rate is extremely high. While toned down slightly in later releases of the game, it remains quite high across all versions. These encounters are where the original version of Final Fantasy falls flat. They just haven't aged well in the slightest. Some of the mechanics are so antiquated as to be laughable. For example, if you have all of your characters select the same enemy to attack and the first character kills it, the remaining three will execute their attacks against the now empty space where the enemy was instead of switching to an available target. This wouldn't be too big of a problem if it didn't take 4000000 years for characters and enemies to execute actions. A basic encounter in this version of the game can last up to 7 or 8 minutes easily depending on the amount of enemies and how often your characters waste their time wailing on empty air. While these issues can be explained away or forgiven due to how old the game is it doesn't make them any less frustrating. Luckily, these grievances are fixed by subsequent releases of the game.
In 2003 a compilation of Final Fantasy I and II was released for the Playstation titled Final Fantasy Origins. This is the version of the game available on the Playstation Network. This compilation consisted of updated versions of both games, including improved soundtracks, updated graphics, and vastly improved gameplay. The gameplay went from being a slow plod of uncooperative mechanics to a smooth and sleek experience that is fast, fun, and nice to look at. Characters now auto acquired new targets if their current targets were already destroyed and the overall pace of combat was sped up vastly. This version of the game was a dramatic improvement in every way. The soundtrack especially is worth noting. While confined to the beeps and boops of the NES the original soundtrack was still extremely impressive. Now it was freed from the technological constraints of the NES to soar to its true potential, and its easy to see why Nobuo Uematsu, the man responsible, went on to become one of the best video game composers of all time. In my opinion he is one of the best composers period, in or out of the realms of video games. From chippy MIDI tunes to sweeping orchestral pieces and even operas he never ceases to please and amaze and later releases of Final Fantasy really showcase his early talent. While this version of the game is a vast improvement over the original, it is still far from the optimal version.
The next important North American release of the game was on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. This compilation of Final Fantasy I and II was titled Dawn of Souls. This version of the game is a blast. Slight graphical improvements over the Playstation version are nice, but the true draw of the game came from it being portable and including 4 massive bonus dungeons. These dungeons are awesome love letters to Final Fantasy fans, featuring bosses drawn from Final Fantasy III-VI. These bosses and dungeons are vastly more challenging than what is found in the rest of the game and are a blast to try to complete both for new players and especially for fans of the series. If you're looking for a good version of the game to play this is an excellent choice, however the best is still to come.
The 2007 release of Final Fantasy on the PSP is the crown jewel of the game's existence, released as a celebration of the series 20th anniversary. Featuring updated graphics, updated sound, and a new bonus dungeon in addition to the bonus dungeons from Dawn of Souls, this is the most comprehensive and complete version of the game to date. The gameplay is smooth, fluid, and the animations are absolutely beautiful. While basic, it is a supremely enjoyable and fun experience. Seeing where many accepted and familiar mechanics of RPGs began is a fun experience for game enthusiasts, and casual players will enjoy the simple yet rewarding story and gameplay. This version of the game is what can be found for apple devices from the app store. However I would caution against that version of the game as the controls are not nearly as fluid as the PSP version's.
The Bottom Line:
This one is an oldie, but a goodie. While the original NES version hasn't stood the test of time all other versions of the game are still a blast, especially the anniversary edition. If you are a video game enthusiast or an RPG fan you owe it to yourself to see how the legendary series began and experience this classic. Seeing the origins of Cid (referenced here as the ancient creator of airships long ago) and other such Final Fantasy staples is a major treat as well. However if you're jonesing for Chocobo riding you'll have to wait until Final Fantasy II.
Grant Nielsen
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