Difference between revisions of "Final Fantasy"
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| − | * For its time, ''Final Fantasy'' was a very in-depth and massive RPG. The story has a lot of interesting (if trope-heavy) elements, | + | * For its time, ''Final Fantasy'' was a very in-depth and massive RPG. The story has a lot of interesting (if trope-heavy) elements like elemental fiends, a lost technological culture, an airship, etc. The whole thing really feels like you're on an epic adventure. |
* The game's character art, designed by [[Yoshitaka Amano]], is really fantastic. The player characters, NPCs, and especially the monsters, all look wonderful. | * The game's character art, designed by [[Yoshitaka Amano]], is really fantastic. The player characters, NPCs, and especially the monsters, all look wonderful. | ||
* [[Nobuo Uematsu]] composed an amazing and expansive soundtrack. | * [[Nobuo Uematsu]] composed an amazing and expansive soundtrack. | ||
| − | * I think the game does a really good job of mixing fantasy with small elements of science fiction. | + | * I think the game does a really good job of mixing fantasy with small elements of science fiction. Something later games in the series fail at. |
* Adding things like multiple hits in combat was a neat idea. | * Adding things like multiple hits in combat was a neat idea. | ||
* The MSX2 port, though it featured weaker sound and animation, had better graphics than the original. | * The MSX2 port, though it featured weaker sound and animation, had better graphics than the original. | ||
Revision as of 11:22, 14 August 2019
Final Fantasy is a Japanese role-playing game developed and published by Square on 1987-12-18. It was first released on the Famicom, then ported to the MSX2. In 1990 is was released on the NES. Ports have also been BREW and J2ME. The game has been completely remade several times for various other platforms.
The game is set in a Medieval fantasy world which has fallen into evil and four heroes must defeat the elemental fiends to restore light to four orbs and stop chaos from destroying the world.
In sixth grade, a friend of mine and I both loved fantasy RPGs. I was playing Ultima: Exodus and he was playing Final Fantasy. We each talked about the games at length in school and eventually swapped them. I didn't have the game long enough to get very far, but I remember defeating Garland, getting the pirate ship, visiting the elves and dwarves, but then getting annihilated in the marsh cave by poisonous spiders. I haven't played it much since and never beat it, but I did watch friends play through large sections of the game when I was younger, and I once even cheated my way through the entire game it at double speed on an emulator to research it for the VGMPF. I also know most of the plot points from reading magazines and walk-throughs.
Contents
Status
I own this game for the NES, but I have not beaten it.
Review
Good
- For its time, Final Fantasy was a very in-depth and massive RPG. The story has a lot of interesting (if trope-heavy) elements like elemental fiends, a lost technological culture, an airship, etc. The whole thing really feels like you're on an epic adventure.
- The game's character art, designed by Yoshitaka Amano, is really fantastic. The player characters, NPCs, and especially the monsters, all look wonderful.
- Nobuo Uematsu composed an amazing and expansive soundtrack.
- I think the game does a really good job of mixing fantasy with small elements of science fiction. Something later games in the series fail at.
- Adding things like multiple hits in combat was a neat idea.
- The MSX2 port, though it featured weaker sound and animation, had better graphics than the original.
- The game has a fantastic manual.
Bad
- Game play is far too slow. The character moves too slowly around the map and combat drags on and on.
- Although it's more realistic and strategy-dependent, I don't like the "ineffective" hits in combat which require you to plan your strikes in advance each round.
Ugly
- The game requires far too much grinding. More experience and gold should have been awarded to speed the game along.
- The fact that you have to buy everything for individual characters (potions, weapons, armor, etc.) rather than buy them for the party and use them as needed, is extremely obnoxious. Thankfully, later games in the series and remakes fix this issue.
Media
Box Art
The original box art was painted by Yoshitaka Amano. I don't care much for it, but it does give a nice fantasy feel. The title text has a nice shattered ice quality.
The MSX2 box uses the same art, but crops more of it off. It also uses a different plainer text.
The North American box uses a fanciful sword and axe crossed behind a crystal orb with a floating castle and airship. There is a nebula-like blue cloud behind it fading into the black. The title text is modern, but with a hint of German black letters. This is my favorite box.
Documentation
English manual.
English manual (digital).
Canadian map.
Maps
Overworld, with spoilers.
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Videos
- youtube.com/watch?v=fTdlzqhSdt8 - NES longplay.
- youtube.com/watch?v=AoccumWjZkM - MSX2 longplay.
Credits
The game contains credits, but all of the names are aliases. Over time, several of those names have been identified.
| Role | Staff |
|---|---|
| Original Concept | Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Character Design, Box Art | Yoshitaka Amano |
| Programmer | Nasir Gebelli |
| Scenario | Kenji Terada |
| Music and Sound | Nobuo Uematsu |
| MSX Director | Masanori Otsu |
| MSX Program Port | Yas, Katsumi Ito |
| MSX Graphics Port | Tadahiko Watanabe |
| MSX Audio Port | Tadahiro Nitta |
Titles
| Language | Native | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Final Fantasy | ||
| Japanese | ファイナルファンタジー | Fainaru Fantaji | Final Fantasy |
