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Few franchises have endured the test of time as well as Final Fantasy. In 1986, a struggling developer Square called a meeting to hear ideas for new games, where game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi pitched the idea for a role-playing game. If not for the recent success of Chunsoft’s Dragon Quest, later known as Dragon Warrior in the US, such an idea would not have been feasible. Developed by just a five person staff over a period of ten months, Final Fantasy was released in 1987 in Japan and 1990 in the US, where it sold over half a million copies making it a commercial success.
The game tasks the player with creating a team of four adventurers known as the Light Warriors. Playable classes include the white, black, and red mage, as well as the fighter, thief, and black belt. Class combination strongly affect the difficulty of the game as well as the approach to combat increasing the replay value and providing a customizable level of challenge. Experience points, gold, and items are rewarded throughout the journey as the story progresses.
Many mechanics introduced by the RPG are still used today. For example the concept of elemental damage, such as fire-based attacks being especially effective against ice elemental monsters. It also introduced the side view battle system, complete with rudimentary combat animations. Battles were more visually stimulating than other RPGs of the time and took a tactical approach, requiring you to engage each encounter in a more thoughtful manner.
The audio composed by Nobu Uematsu is perhaps the most enduring aspect of the game. The iconic battle victory theme and several other pieces of music have continued to be used throughout the series’ history. If you’re a fan of nearly any other title in the series, you’ll recognize earlier incarnations of some of your favorite musical moments.
Over the years Final Fantasy has seen re-releases and remasters on platforms such WonderSwan, PlayStation, Gameboy Advance, and PSP. In 2021, a full pixel remaster was released for Android, iOS, and PC.
The original Final Fantasy was a groundbreaking title upon release and saved Square from financial ruin. Play it when you get the chance and enjoy experiencing how the franchise started, even if only to foster an appreciation of how much it’s grown.
