The Final Fantasy Legend is an ambitious early RPG that offers a surprisingly expansive adventure for the Game Boy. Players ascend a mysterious tower, recruiting a party of humans, mutants, and even monsters with unique abilities. Despite its age, the game boasts a fascinating world to explore and a creative progression system. However, combat can be brutally difficult, the story is minimal, and some mechanics are poorly explained, making it a rewarding but often frustrating experience.
Technically the first of the SaGa games, this title was brought the US with the Final Fantasy Legend moniker and in many ways plays similarly to Final Fantasy II. I really like the plot in this one because it develops a unique world with bits of Norse, Indiana, Chinese and Japanese lore serving as foundations. The ending is the most JRPG ending ever, but even the finale leaves an open-ended question for you to ponder. The combat is commendable for working on the Game Boy's limited screen space, and bares more than a passing resemblance to those silly pocket monster games still a few years out.