Final Fantasy Adventure

Final Fantasy Adventure, titled Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden in Japan, is an action adventure RPG, and the first game in the Mana Series.

Review

Good

• The graphics are wonderful for a Game Boy game, and the designers created a lot of the monster templates that would later be used in Secret of Mana.

Bad

• The fact that you interact with NPCs and objects by walking into them was a terrible design choice that causes no end of frustration throughout the game. NPCs routinely get in the way, treasure chests block your path, etc.
• I find the inventory system to be too limited. Sure, it's necessary to prevent the player from amassing 10,000 cures, but the designers could have created a cap on each item, rather than limit the slots. You end up running out of keys and mattocks requiring you to backtrack too often.
• The hit detection is a little off, and you get hit by enemies when it doesn't seem like they should be able to hit you.
• It would have been nice if the programmers didn't make you consume items when you can't use them.
• Most of the weapons are too similar. The axe is just a sword that can cut trees, and the sickle is just a sissy morning star.
• There isn't enough variety among the monster AIs.

Ugly

• Nothing really, this game is pretty solid.

Links

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Adventure - Wikipedia.
• mobygames.com/game/gameboy/final-fantasy-adventure - Moby Games.
• gamefaqs.com/gameboy/563272-final-fantasy-adventure - GameFAQS.