The first Final Fantasy is a novel game to go back to and the modern accessibility features of the Pixel Remaster make it easier than ever to do so, but the game doesn't have too much to offer beyond historical value.
The gameplay is very simplistic and the story is near nonexistant, but it's fun to see how much of what would become the series long-running DNA was already around as of the first game.
The gameplay is very simplistic and the story is near nonexistant, but it's fun to see how much of what would become the series long-running DNA was already around as of the first game.
Despite what the not-so-flattering 5/10 might seem, I actually enjoyed my time with FF1. It's such a simple experience that it's hard to really hate, the score is mostly due to the opposite, there's very little the game does well.
The vast majority of this game will be spent spamming the same attacks against what feels like the same enemies for a dozen hours. There's basically no story to follow, and no gameplay elements outside of the combat, but the combat itself is extremely shallow. Some enemies have elemental weaknesses, but unless you have more than one black magic-capable mage, this won't come into play very often. Plus, since recovering magic can be pretty expensive until about the middle of the game, you will be spamming melee attacks for a VERY long time.
The one point of praise I can give this game is the unique magic system (at least unique to most RPGs). Like DnD, spells work on a charge system rather than drawing on a universal magic resource like other games. This means that once you start to learn different levels of spells, you can spend charges from a level without letting it affect how you treat the other levels. At the same time, having two spells that you use a lot on the same charge level will make you put more thought into how you use your spells in any given situation. If the game had more complex enemies, this system could easily skyrocket the score. Alas, the remaster of a JRPG from the 80s can only do so much for design sensibilities.
The vast majority of this game will be spent spamming the same attacks against what feels like the same enemies for a dozen hours. There's basically no story to follow, and no gameplay elements outside of the combat, but the combat itself is extremely shallow. Some enemies have elemental weaknesses, but unless you have more than one black magic-capable mage, this won't come into play very often. Plus, since recovering magic can be pretty expensive until about the middle of the game, you will be spamming melee attacks for a VERY long time.
The one point of praise I can give this game is the unique magic system (at least unique to most RPGs). Like DnD, spells work on a charge system rather than drawing on a universal magic resource like other games. This means that once you start to learn different levels of spells, you can spend charges from a level without letting it affect how you treat the other levels. At the same time, having two spells that you use a lot on the same charge level will make you put more thought into how you use your spells in any given situation. If the game had more complex enemies, this system could easily skyrocket the score. Alas, the remaster of a JRPG from the 80s can only do so much for design sensibilities.
the monk has got to be top 5 worst party member OAT
I mean it's alright
Fun way to discover how it all began, definitely the best way to experience this game, as the music and graphics are great while you can disable encounters at pleasure allowing for a more satisfying exploration. The game is very simple and it can be quite cryptic but it was still a fun time thanks to the improvements of this version
four heroes must stop a time loop and KILL CHAOS
Bit the bullet and officially started the FF series with the first pixel remaster. I don't play many JPRGs so even if it wasn't daunting it also wasn't something i'm particularly well versed in. With all that said, I had a great time! I found myself enjoying it way more than I anticipated. It was a nice fun time and I found myself having way more fun than I would have figured, and I kind of forgot I like needlessly grinding in games from time to time. Ended the game around level 50 and still had a good challenge with the final boss. Lookin forward to what the rest of the series has in store for me! :]
(This review was made shortly after writing Strangers of Paradise's as well. Read that review first if you want to go through my FF reviews in order)
The game that started it all. A fantasy that was the final chance for one man to make the game he wanted.... And he did.
Final Fantasy 1 is an amazing game. Has an easy to follow story, a great collection of enemies with some of this best art used to bring them to life, and some of the best music that still gets new renditions to this day. It's been many years since this game first came out and thanks to Square Enix with the Pixel Remasters... this and 2 through 6 have a chance to easily bring in more fans in.
The story is as classic as you can get. The 4 elements are out of control and 4 brave adventures arrive with a dimmed crystal each to purify the altars of each element to restore balance and save the world. This time however, you get to chose who the heroes are between a Thief, Warrior, Black Mage, White Mage, Monk, and Red Mage. Each providing something different to the table so you gotta pick think what you'll do. (Mine was a Thief, Monk, White Mage, and Red Mage)
Combat is pretty good and was revolutionary for the time. Turned based with both the enemy party and your party on the screen duking it out. Magic works similarly to DnD with spell slots. Run out of slots and you can't cast anymore. There are tons of different spells, weapons, and armor that can change the tide of battle with even equipment not equipped having spells tied to them as a one time use so none spell casters can cast if need be.
Now gameplay for story... well if you played a game back in the 90s or have heard about how they played I sure hope you are prepared to just wonder about and write down info you see mentioned that could be important. Of course there are guides out now but if you want the original experience I recommend having a way to take notes nearby. I got lost a few times but eventually got on the right path and continued on without to much trouble. You will need to grind a few times so just be ready for that. Somethings are just vague for story but it helps with the world to an extent.
Now for additions given to the Pixel Remasters. The game has had all it's original bugs fixed, a brand new arrangement to the songs are available or you can play with the NES original version, a bestiary is included so you can keep up with all the enemies you've taken down in your journey to save the world, a Booster option to boost money or exp if you so chose or you can lower how much you get to make it harder, a music player to hear just the music from the arrangement and the original whenever you want, and my personal favorite, an art gallery that shows all the concept art for the original game including art done for anniversaries.
All in All. Final Fantasy 1 is a nice benchmark for the series and paved the way for many JRPGs to come. I highly recommend giving this game a go to see Final Fantasy's beginnings.
The game that started it all. A fantasy that was the final chance for one man to make the game he wanted.... And he did.
Final Fantasy 1 is an amazing game. Has an easy to follow story, a great collection of enemies with some of this best art used to bring them to life, and some of the best music that still gets new renditions to this day. It's been many years since this game first came out and thanks to Square Enix with the Pixel Remasters... this and 2 through 6 have a chance to easily bring in more fans in.
The story is as classic as you can get. The 4 elements are out of control and 4 brave adventures arrive with a dimmed crystal each to purify the altars of each element to restore balance and save the world. This time however, you get to chose who the heroes are between a Thief, Warrior, Black Mage, White Mage, Monk, and Red Mage. Each providing something different to the table so you gotta pick think what you'll do. (Mine was a Thief, Monk, White Mage, and Red Mage)
Combat is pretty good and was revolutionary for the time. Turned based with both the enemy party and your party on the screen duking it out. Magic works similarly to DnD with spell slots. Run out of slots and you can't cast anymore. There are tons of different spells, weapons, and armor that can change the tide of battle with even equipment not equipped having spells tied to them as a one time use so none spell casters can cast if need be.
Now gameplay for story... well if you played a game back in the 90s or have heard about how they played I sure hope you are prepared to just wonder about and write down info you see mentioned that could be important. Of course there are guides out now but if you want the original experience I recommend having a way to take notes nearby. I got lost a few times but eventually got on the right path and continued on without to much trouble. You will need to grind a few times so just be ready for that. Somethings are just vague for story but it helps with the world to an extent.
Now for additions given to the Pixel Remasters. The game has had all it's original bugs fixed, a brand new arrangement to the songs are available or you can play with the NES original version, a bestiary is included so you can keep up with all the enemies you've taken down in your journey to save the world, a Booster option to boost money or exp if you so chose or you can lower how much you get to make it harder, a music player to hear just the music from the arrangement and the original whenever you want, and my personal favorite, an art gallery that shows all the concept art for the original game including art done for anniversaries.
All in All. Final Fantasy 1 is a nice benchmark for the series and paved the way for many JRPGs to come. I highly recommend giving this game a go to see Final Fantasy's beginnings.
The Pixel Remaster of FF1 is fantastic. This was my first time fully diving into FF1 & I had a great time with it. By RPG standards, it's not very long nor is it very complicated, but I kinda love it for that. Others might say its story is too bare-bones, but I didn't mind its simplicity at all. Gameplay's solid, music is nice, graphics are appealing ---- definitely recommend it.
Enjoyable version, but I'd recommend GBA or PSP.
Upon replaying FFI PR with some friends, my opinion on this game has went up. Not skyrocketed, but certainly worth half a star’s boost. I don’t know if it’s something that took a bit to marinate, or there’s juxtaposition after playing FFIII/FFV/most-of-FFVI, but it became really apparent to me just how easy FFI is to pick up and play. On my second playthrough I used a different team, where I learned that the character differences are fine-tuned just enough to make it so that each composition feels unique, but nothing is detrimental and there’s a mostly-reasonable brute-force solution to everything if you need one. Probably. I’m not going to test that with four white mages anytime soon but for most party compositions I think it’s true.
And while Marsh Cave is still awful, the Pixel Remaster does have the in game map option to press a button and have a map of the entire room you’re in appear. While I did complain in my first review about dungeon design with its empty rooms and stalling so that you’re ground down with encounters being from the Fuck You era of NES game design, and I still think that’s true, you can simply just not go into the empty rooms this time around since you can see where they are, as long as you’re inside a room.
Otherwise, pretty much what I said last time. Play the FF1 Pixel Remaster, it's good.
And while Marsh Cave is still awful, the Pixel Remaster does have the in game map option to press a button and have a map of the entire room you’re in appear. While I did complain in my first review about dungeon design with its empty rooms and stalling so that you’re ground down with encounters being from the Fuck You era of NES game design, and I still think that’s true, you can simply just not go into the empty rooms this time around since you can see where they are, as long as you’re inside a room.
Otherwise, pretty much what I said last time. Play the FF1 Pixel Remaster, it's good.
Reviewing this strictly as a remaster: the graphics/remastered pixel art as well as the OST and selection of content (such as not including the optional GBA dungeons, or the MP system) are all great, but the difficulty, QoL/easy-mode difficulty adjustments and that garbage mobile game font SE keeps putting in every remaster/port really do bring it down quite a bit.
This review contains spoilers
Story-
The story of this game is definitely the worst part, it's generic at best and extremely hard to follow at worst the time loop isn't explain or hinted at whatever so ever until the very end the characters are absolutely nothing it has the framework of being something that could be passible but fails pretty hard by having no characters no plot progression and a weak villain
Graphics-
The spritework for the pixel remaster is honestly amazing there was alot of moments where I was taken aback because I wasn't expecting it too look as good as it did lufenia and the
area you fight Chaos in are highlights they look amazing
Gameplay-
Probably the most basic you can get with a jrpg except I like the way the magic system worked and how it was presented i think it's a unique way to do magic even know and wish it was something that was more common in games. the good thing with the pixel remaster is the ability to change things like the encounters and gil and exp rates because without that it would of made the game a lot more tedious and even with those boosts the boss fights were challenging enough that they were still engaging.
Music-
Great music as always the final boss theme being my favorite
World-
I feel like final fantasy had the opprotunity for a really interesting world but it doesn't get developed enough the areas in theory are cool but in pratice just feel like hallow vessels for the story to happen in
The story of this game is definitely the worst part, it's generic at best and extremely hard to follow at worst the time loop isn't explain or hinted at whatever so ever until the very end the characters are absolutely nothing it has the framework of being something that could be passible but fails pretty hard by having no characters no plot progression and a weak villain
Graphics-
The spritework for the pixel remaster is honestly amazing there was alot of moments where I was taken aback because I wasn't expecting it too look as good as it did lufenia and the
area you fight Chaos in are highlights they look amazing
Gameplay-
Probably the most basic you can get with a jrpg except I like the way the magic system worked and how it was presented i think it's a unique way to do magic even know and wish it was something that was more common in games. the good thing with the pixel remaster is the ability to change things like the encounters and gil and exp rates because without that it would of made the game a lot more tedious and even with those boosts the boss fights were challenging enough that they were still engaging.
Music-
Great music as always the final boss theme being my favorite
World-
I feel like final fantasy had the opprotunity for a really interesting world but it doesn't get developed enough the areas in theory are cool but in pratice just feel like hallow vessels for the story to happen in
It’s genuinely one of the funnest 16 or so hours I’ve spent playing video games, it’s just good ol’ fashioned JRPG
i maintain that this is one of the better titles. the dungeons are probably the best they've ever done and it has remarkable replay value. low-key a 4 black mage run is on my bucket list.
The mindless grinding is exactly my type of comfort game and this started it all of course I'm very thankful to the Grand Daddy of em all
Vanilla is a necessary flavor for ice cream, for it is a simple flavor that reminds people of simpler times. In the case of RPGs, FF1 is not much different. It's a straightforward relic made back in an era where sound level design was the main focus and the narrative was simple yet unobtrusive. Given how the past couple of years have seen a rise in RPGs with a heavy emphasis on narrative and putting multiple ice cream flavors, FF1's relevance as a game with remains just as important as it did for Square back when it seemed like this was their final product. Sometimes, to appreciate complex RPGs and avant-garde ice cream, you have to take a step back to the era where things began.
Played a good amount of it, it’s nice to see where the series started but it feels too archaic and loose, for lack of a better term, for me to feel any sense of gratification from it. There’s barely anything for me to cling onto with Final Fantasy I, the story is barebones, and the gameplay is just okay. I don’t see myself coming back to finish it honestly but I feel like I’ve played enough to cast judgement.
a pretty decent, albeit barebones, RPG. it's nice to see where the series began, i'd say this is a good starting point but keep in mind the final boss is a bit of a difficulty spike
Ele é totalmente datada mas ainda assim é um ótimo começo para a franquia. Não entra entre os meus favoritos mas é sempre bom revisitar esse game
Pretty decent rpg for its time and circumstances. The overworld exploration ended up being more fun than expected and the additions of the pixel remaster helped out with the parts of the game that aged less gracefully, like the ridiculously high enemy encounter rate. Also maybe it’s the fault of this version, but the game felt pretty easy throughout up until the final boss, which was a sudden huge spike in difficulty. Overall I had more fun than expected with it but at the end of the day it’s an old ass rpg
The most classic JRPG ever, a team of 4 heroes vs the bad guy.
Pretty basic game, lovely pixel art, it was fun to play it alongside Stranger of Paradise.
I've played numerous Final Fantasy games, and clearly one look at my favourite game list would show that, though despite being a big fan for a few years now I hadn't actually touched FF I - VI for whatever reason, so in a effort to change that I bought the pixel remaster collection for PS5 once I saw it actually go on sale, though I still hadn't really touched it. Though after finish Rebirth and being put into a FF mood I was reminded once again of how I wanted to play I - VI, so that's what this is. The reason I say all this despite dropping the game is mostly because, I very much intend to finish Final Fantasy I, just not this version. This is because from what I've played and what I know of FF 1 - 3 from being a fan for a bit now, is that they're much less story heavy than 4 - 6. and currently the game interests me though it very much comes off as being exactly what it is, a early famicom rpg, and currently I'd rather not I guess. So instead I'm going to play IV - VI on PS5 as there more story focused, and I - III on my PSP.
Also I don't even know if I want to play these versions, if I didn't already buy them I more than likely would've just played the original versions with some fan patches to fix the translation and stuff like that. Mostly because I'm not the biggest fan of the unification across all the games in this collection along with the completley new sprites from the original versions, but well I spent like £50 on this so I'm going to play these versions (Of IV - VI anyhow)
I'm also kinda wanting to play these now because of wanting to understand the references made in XIV but that's beside the point.
This review has mostly been about why I'm playing this and this version etc etc, so in the few hours I've played of FF1, Heres my brief review.
I played 3 hours and chose a red mage, black mage, knight(?) and the fist fighting one (Yes I forgot the name, woops) and combat isn't terrible... but it really isn't fun. Getting up to 6 enemies in a encounter is dreadful because especially at the start mages don't have very good spells and everyone just dies super quick because of low health. I'll admit I didn't really know anything about the classes here and which is best etc, but still I just didn't find combat fun, especially with the encounte rate being so high, which I know I can turn off but I'd rather not have to.
Story is non existant basically, crystal, garland etc we need to kill chaos(not yet atleast) Maybe I'd actually care more once I play the psp version and put more time in, but for now I'm not interested.
I'll get back to you one day Final Fantasy 1, but for now you rest. I'm getting right to IV though and so far I'm already pretty interested in the story and the combats fun, so there's alot of my complaints gone. (oh and also yeah the music is pretty good, amazing at how many iconic motifs were made this early, like the FF main theme and prelude both being this old and from the same game is crazy, because damm Uematsu hit it out of the park on his first try huh)
Also I don't even know if I want to play these versions, if I didn't already buy them I more than likely would've just played the original versions with some fan patches to fix the translation and stuff like that. Mostly because I'm not the biggest fan of the unification across all the games in this collection along with the completley new sprites from the original versions, but well I spent like £50 on this so I'm going to play these versions (Of IV - VI anyhow)
I'm also kinda wanting to play these now because of wanting to understand the references made in XIV but that's beside the point.
This review has mostly been about why I'm playing this and this version etc etc, so in the few hours I've played of FF1, Heres my brief review.
I played 3 hours and chose a red mage, black mage, knight(?) and the fist fighting one (Yes I forgot the name, woops) and combat isn't terrible... but it really isn't fun. Getting up to 6 enemies in a encounter is dreadful because especially at the start mages don't have very good spells and everyone just dies super quick because of low health. I'll admit I didn't really know anything about the classes here and which is best etc, but still I just didn't find combat fun, especially with the encounte rate being so high, which I know I can turn off but I'd rather not have to.
Story is non existant basically, crystal, garland etc we need to kill chaos(not yet atleast) Maybe I'd actually care more once I play the psp version and put more time in, but for now I'm not interested.
I'll get back to you one day Final Fantasy 1, but for now you rest. I'm getting right to IV though and so far I'm already pretty interested in the story and the combats fun, so there's alot of my complaints gone. (oh and also yeah the music is pretty good, amazing at how many iconic motifs were made this early, like the FF main theme and prelude both being this old and from the same game is crazy, because damm Uematsu hit it out of the park on his first try huh)
final fantasy 1 star
I love the Pomp and Circumstance of getting the Ultimate Weapon just for a better weapon to be in a chest with like 8 more damage an hour later into the game.
Was really fun to experience this game with 37 years of RPG hindsight. Above all else, this game feels like someone had a lot of fun playing Dungeons & Dragons with their friends and decided to make a video game about it.
The Pixel Remaster adds a lot of quality-of-life updates that make it much more enjoyable than the original, since the likely audience for this release are now older and have busier lives than they did back when this game first dropped. Having access to bonus features like the original concept art and a music player (original and orchestral OST's) is a nice touch, and getting to see the same pixel graphics but with crystal clarity and smooth framerates is a perfect nostalgia boost.
The story is very aged, as is to be expected of a game nearly 40 years old, but is probably the most straightforward and least-tropey of the early Final Fantasies (lookin' at you, FFIII). Because of this, the game doesn't last as long as you'd expect it to, even when 100%-ing the thing, and you might be surprised to have paid more than $10 on such a quick game if you didn't get it on sale.
Highly recommend this particular version for anyone interested in taking a peek at the origin of many things we've come to take for granted in modern role-playing games.
The Pixel Remaster adds a lot of quality-of-life updates that make it much more enjoyable than the original, since the likely audience for this release are now older and have busier lives than they did back when this game first dropped. Having access to bonus features like the original concept art and a music player (original and orchestral OST's) is a nice touch, and getting to see the same pixel graphics but with crystal clarity and smooth framerates is a perfect nostalgia boost.
The story is very aged, as is to be expected of a game nearly 40 years old, but is probably the most straightforward and least-tropey of the early Final Fantasies (lookin' at you, FFIII). Because of this, the game doesn't last as long as you'd expect it to, even when 100%-ing the thing, and you might be surprised to have paid more than $10 on such a quick game if you didn't get it on sale.
Highly recommend this particular version for anyone interested in taking a peek at the origin of many things we've come to take for granted in modern role-playing games.
People say that you should respect your elders, but why would I when they’re this unoriginal and dull.
Regardless of that it was fun to see where to series started.
Regardless of that it was fun to see where to series started.
Sights & Sounds
- I can't really compare the audiovisual experience of the pixel remaster to the original NES version as I never played that title, even as a ROM. Didn't play the PS1 version either. Even though the game is as old as me, this is my first brush with it besides seeing the occasional clip. That said, I quite liked the character and enemy (especially boss) sprites
- The overworld map, while interestingly layed-out, does feel a bit barren and often featureless beyond forests and the occasional desert. I understand that there was probably some desire not to change this aspect of the game much from how it looked in 1987, but I still felt my eyes glaze over from time to time when I was walking around
- Towns are a bit better, and I thought it was pretty neat how each locale managed to feel distinct (at least visually)
- For some reason, I could not find a font that I liked in spite of the options available. They ranged from "legible but visually discordant" to "I think this is causing actual physical harm to my eyeballs"
- Final Fantasy titles have always had great music. I went and listened to some some of the original tracks for comparison, and while I love how good they sound considering what was possible at the time, I'm not going to complain about the pixel remaster's orchestral versions. They sound incredible, so I was willing to overlook the charm of the originals
Story & Vibes
- Briefly, your party of heroes (4 in total chosen from 6 classes with as many duplicates as you'd like) show up in the royal city of Cornelia with some shiny rocks in their pockets that seem to suggest that they may be the prophesized Warriors of Light. The king takes this as a cue to send you to save his daughter from one of his former knights, presumably because he's bad at leadership and problem solving. This kicks off your epic adventure to activate your rocks, which is apparently the key to stop animals from turning into monsters or whatever
- I think that the complete lack of protagonist characterization beyond "job" is probably the main tether holding this game's story down. Because every question about motivation or backstory has to be answered by "shiny rocks", there's only so much narrative bandwidth for the game to work with
- So, that being the case, the vibes are honestly a little dull. There's no humor, no relatable issues, and no takes being made. Just go to a location and beat a boss with the power of menus
Playability & Replayability
- Considering how much this game's design influenced console RPGs for decades, it's hard to really talk about any unique aspects of the gameplay. If you've ever killed a monster in a game by selecting a spell out of a menu, you'll feel immediately familiar with the gameplay here. It was interesting to play one of the early turn-based party RPGs, but they are a little bland by design
- As you may expect, the general gameplay loop involves getting a task, wandering around the map until you figure out where you're supposed to go, upgrading your gear and spells in each town, grind if you think you may be too weak to kill the boss, and then go do what you were instructed to do
- Because there's not much to talk about gameplay-wise, I'll instead point out some things I didn't expect from someone who's old enough to have played the original game on the NES as a kid but simply never did
- Although the job system has been trotted out a few times in the Final Fantasy series, I did appreciate how party composition is entirely up to you. The game may be really hard if you decide to trot out 4 black mages, but no one is stopping you
- The magic system also felt a little weird. You do have spell slots with limited usage like many table-top RPGs, but at the same time, you have to purchase your spells from magic shops in the game's various towns. Considering the amount of grinding you need to do to buy spells and the merely situational usefulness of offensive magic, I kinda feel like it's best to just play with 3 fighters and a white mage. The other classes just feel ancillary
- One QoL touch I'd like to highlight is the ability to turn off random battles. It's nice to be able to level as needed rather than be pulled into a fight when you just want to backtrack
- I don't know if I'll be replaying this game anytime soon. I'm more keen on playing my way through the series in order to play the ones I've missed through the years
Overall Impressions & Performance
- It was nice to play through this important title as a way to gaze into the past a bit, but I left my experience feeling that there simply isn't much here for the modern gamer. As a piece of gaming history, it's a nice title with some killer music and fetching pixel art, but I've gained some appreciation for how far the genre and medium as a whole have progressed in my lifetime
- The pixel remaster has certainly earned its Steam Deck Verified badge. Ran perfectly and looked great
Final Verdict
- 6/10. I appreciate this game's legacy more than the game itself. Its impact can still be seen today, which is a testament to the quality of some of the design decisions Square made. However, putting on blinders to ignore the historical significance, the experience is a little bland for someone playing games in the 2020s
- I can't really compare the audiovisual experience of the pixel remaster to the original NES version as I never played that title, even as a ROM. Didn't play the PS1 version either. Even though the game is as old as me, this is my first brush with it besides seeing the occasional clip. That said, I quite liked the character and enemy (especially boss) sprites
- The overworld map, while interestingly layed-out, does feel a bit barren and often featureless beyond forests and the occasional desert. I understand that there was probably some desire not to change this aspect of the game much from how it looked in 1987, but I still felt my eyes glaze over from time to time when I was walking around
- Towns are a bit better, and I thought it was pretty neat how each locale managed to feel distinct (at least visually)
- For some reason, I could not find a font that I liked in spite of the options available. They ranged from "legible but visually discordant" to "I think this is causing actual physical harm to my eyeballs"
- Final Fantasy titles have always had great music. I went and listened to some some of the original tracks for comparison, and while I love how good they sound considering what was possible at the time, I'm not going to complain about the pixel remaster's orchestral versions. They sound incredible, so I was willing to overlook the charm of the originals
Story & Vibes
- Briefly, your party of heroes (4 in total chosen from 6 classes with as many duplicates as you'd like) show up in the royal city of Cornelia with some shiny rocks in their pockets that seem to suggest that they may be the prophesized Warriors of Light. The king takes this as a cue to send you to save his daughter from one of his former knights, presumably because he's bad at leadership and problem solving. This kicks off your epic adventure to activate your rocks, which is apparently the key to stop animals from turning into monsters or whatever
- I think that the complete lack of protagonist characterization beyond "job" is probably the main tether holding this game's story down. Because every question about motivation or backstory has to be answered by "shiny rocks", there's only so much narrative bandwidth for the game to work with
- So, that being the case, the vibes are honestly a little dull. There's no humor, no relatable issues, and no takes being made. Just go to a location and beat a boss with the power of menus
Playability & Replayability
- Considering how much this game's design influenced console RPGs for decades, it's hard to really talk about any unique aspects of the gameplay. If you've ever killed a monster in a game by selecting a spell out of a menu, you'll feel immediately familiar with the gameplay here. It was interesting to play one of the early turn-based party RPGs, but they are a little bland by design
- As you may expect, the general gameplay loop involves getting a task, wandering around the map until you figure out where you're supposed to go, upgrading your gear and spells in each town, grind if you think you may be too weak to kill the boss, and then go do what you were instructed to do
- Because there's not much to talk about gameplay-wise, I'll instead point out some things I didn't expect from someone who's old enough to have played the original game on the NES as a kid but simply never did
- Although the job system has been trotted out a few times in the Final Fantasy series, I did appreciate how party composition is entirely up to you. The game may be really hard if you decide to trot out 4 black mages, but no one is stopping you
- The magic system also felt a little weird. You do have spell slots with limited usage like many table-top RPGs, but at the same time, you have to purchase your spells from magic shops in the game's various towns. Considering the amount of grinding you need to do to buy spells and the merely situational usefulness of offensive magic, I kinda feel like it's best to just play with 3 fighters and a white mage. The other classes just feel ancillary
- One QoL touch I'd like to highlight is the ability to turn off random battles. It's nice to be able to level as needed rather than be pulled into a fight when you just want to backtrack
- I don't know if I'll be replaying this game anytime soon. I'm more keen on playing my way through the series in order to play the ones I've missed through the years
Overall Impressions & Performance
- It was nice to play through this important title as a way to gaze into the past a bit, but I left my experience feeling that there simply isn't much here for the modern gamer. As a piece of gaming history, it's a nice title with some killer music and fetching pixel art, but I've gained some appreciation for how far the genre and medium as a whole have progressed in my lifetime
- The pixel remaster has certainly earned its Steam Deck Verified badge. Ran perfectly and looked great
Final Verdict
- 6/10. I appreciate this game's legacy more than the game itself. Its impact can still be seen today, which is a testament to the quality of some of the design decisions Square made. However, putting on blinders to ignore the historical significance, the experience is a little bland for someone playing games in the 2020s
Since I have not experienced a Final Fantasy title before VI, I thought to myself, "Why not experience the origins of this franchise that I love so dearly?" Fake fan, right? "JRPG" is my favorite genre and for the past year or so have been branching out to other franchises and origins of the beloved genre. Anyway, I am on spring break at the moment of publishing this review and bought the "Pixel Remaster" versions of I and II when they were on sale not too long ago.
After my fifteen hour journey, completing the bestiary and getting the platinum trophy, I found this entry to be really neat for what it is. Sure, it's a NES game pushing forty years old and the first game in the franchise, but it really has some neat stuff to it. Allowing you to pick four from six different classes at the beginning, in which I chose Fighter, Monk, Black Mage, and White Mage. I LOVED the Monk, which later upgrades to Master, because he hits hard and you do not need to invest any weapons in to him. The use of Magic in this game was quite interesting to say the least and was not a fan of it at first, but once everything opened up and I was able to learn higher level magic, it really clicked with me. I was fond, too, of spells like protect and saber that can stack and made certain encounters super easy. I like the range in which you can set up the different spells you want to use and are able to "forget" them in order to learn others that can prove to be more useful. The story is basic and that's fine because this a point in time when developers were realizing that video games can be used as a narrative rather than just focusing on gameplay. The journey is rather short and simple, but it's fine, and honestly a perfect palate cleanser after my one hundred plus hour grinds on Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and Rebirth. I did not take advantage of any of the boosters until late game because I got absolutely destroyed by Warmech and the final boss. I believe I was around level fifty for everyone when I got to Chaos' fight. I did some grinding, turning the EXP booster up to max, as I tried to find that dang Warmech again and Iron Golem (this one thankfully took me only a little to find), and after pretty much reaching max level with everyone, took on Chaos and destroyed him.
I think that FFI is a great title for its time and while it was not as amazing to me as it may have been to those that experienced it at its birth, it really did a lot to set up the standard for the genre and spawn of the iconic franchise. However, I have Stranger of Paradise on hold, not sure why I never got around to finishing it, but I think I will appreciate it more when I get back to it and complete it with the experience of this game under my belt now.
After my fifteen hour journey, completing the bestiary and getting the platinum trophy, I found this entry to be really neat for what it is. Sure, it's a NES game pushing forty years old and the first game in the franchise, but it really has some neat stuff to it. Allowing you to pick four from six different classes at the beginning, in which I chose Fighter, Monk, Black Mage, and White Mage. I LOVED the Monk, which later upgrades to Master, because he hits hard and you do not need to invest any weapons in to him. The use of Magic in this game was quite interesting to say the least and was not a fan of it at first, but once everything opened up and I was able to learn higher level magic, it really clicked with me. I was fond, too, of spells like protect and saber that can stack and made certain encounters super easy. I like the range in which you can set up the different spells you want to use and are able to "forget" them in order to learn others that can prove to be more useful. The story is basic and that's fine because this a point in time when developers were realizing that video games can be used as a narrative rather than just focusing on gameplay. The journey is rather short and simple, but it's fine, and honestly a perfect palate cleanser after my one hundred plus hour grinds on Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and Rebirth. I did not take advantage of any of the boosters until late game because I got absolutely destroyed by Warmech and the final boss. I believe I was around level fifty for everyone when I got to Chaos' fight. I did some grinding, turning the EXP booster up to max, as I tried to find that dang Warmech again and Iron Golem (this one thankfully took me only a little to find), and after pretty much reaching max level with everyone, took on Chaos and destroyed him.
I think that FFI is a great title for its time and while it was not as amazing to me as it may have been to those that experienced it at its birth, it really did a lot to set up the standard for the genre and spawn of the iconic franchise. However, I have Stranger of Paradise on hold, not sure why I never got around to finishing it, but I think I will appreciate it more when I get back to it and complete it with the experience of this game under my belt now.