Final Fantasy I Review 1

	Final Fantasy I Review 1 by Dark Paladin
	Member Rank: Cetra
	Posts: 2397
	Member Since: Sunday 23rd March 2003

Scores	Plot	Graphics	Sound	Game Mechanics	Replay Value	Overall Score
	4	3	4	3	3	7/10

Note: All scores on a five-point scale, with five being highest, except for the overall score, which is out of ten.

When Final Fantasy came out, it was one of the first RPGs, a genre that now dominates the gaming world. This game spawned nearly twenty games in the series, spread over six systems. The Final Fantasy Series is currently one of (if not the) most popular gaming series out there. Did the origin deserve to have this empire spring up behind it?

In Final Fantasy, you begin as the Light Warriors, a group of four individuals, each with an Orb. The Orbs are magical crystals whose powers are tied to each respective element of nature (fire, water, wind, and earth). If the Orbs grow dim, then that element begins to falter worldwide. The Orbs have already grown dim, and it is up to the Light Warriors to revive the power of the Orbs. To do so, they must hunt down and defeat the Fiends of each respective element.

As the player, you get to choose who your four Light Warriors will be. To do so, you get to choose between six well-balanced character classes (as well as having the option of having multiple characters of each class). Each character class is unique in what magic spells they can learn, what items they can equip, and what stats are favored as they grow.
The characters learn magic by going to stores and buying a spell. Each character can only "buy" a spell they are capable of casting. This causes the player to put some forethought in their spending, forcing him or her to carefully manage how they buy spells in addition to weapons, armor, and items. Spells have their own ranks depending on what it is and power. There are four spells for each level, though each character can only hold three spells per level. This adds to the challenge by requiring even more forethought on the part of the player. Each spell level has its own MP amount, and each spell casting costs one MP.
The battles are fairly basic in this game, done in a "battle sequence" style. The player inputs commands for each party member, then everyone goes at once. Kind of eliminates in-battle strategy, especially since the turn-order is seemingly random.

Final Fantasy has one side quest (one that many consider to be required). This would eliminate replay value in most games, but this is not where that resides in this game. This game's replay value lies in the party customization. There are over a thousand character class combinations in this game. Its worth is rather difficult to gauge, though. This is only good if one is willing to play the same game over and over again, each time a different way.

The plot is rather simple, in places, and isn't always present. The player spends most of the game just "bumping around" accomplishing the goals. What gives this game an above-average plot is the end, which has confused many players and caused much discussion for nearly two decades.
The graphics are above average for the time. It sometimes seems absent, though, especially in battle. In battle, the sprites do their thing on a blank, black screen, with a small strip of background graphics out of sight at the top.
The sound was placed very beautifully, and fit very well with the rest of the game, creating a wonderfully appealing atmosphere. Technically, it was fairly standard.
The Game Mechanics are rather simple, though they did a good job having no precedent to work off of, and a good job of setting the foundation for the games to follow.