SquallLeonhart
Bio
Physical game collector, completionist.
I rate games depending upon factors such as my personal enjoyment, impact, other titles in the same series/genre, time of release, etc. Working on more written reviews in time!
Pfp credit to @karalija on tumblr
What my star ratings mean:
5 - Masterpiece, an absolute favorite, unforgettable experience that has impacted me greatly.
4.5 - Amazing. 5 but not as strong.
4 - Great.
3.5 - Very good.
3 - Good.
2.5 - Average; could have been better, could have been worse.
2 - Bad.
1.5 - Very Bad.
1 - Terrible.
0.5 - Unbearable. I actually hate this game.
Physical game collector, completionist.
I rate games depending upon factors such as my personal enjoyment, impact, other titles in the same series/genre, time of release, etc. Working on more written reviews in time!
Pfp credit to @karalija on tumblr
What my star ratings mean:
5 - Masterpiece, an absolute favorite, unforgettable experience that has impacted me greatly.
4.5 - Amazing. 5 but not as strong.
4 - Great.
3.5 - Very good.
3 - Good.
2.5 - Average; could have been better, could have been worse.
2 - Bad.
1.5 - Very Bad.
1 - Terrible.
0.5 - Unbearable. I actually hate this game.
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Liked
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Gamer
Played 250+ games
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Played 100+ games
Favorite Games
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Total Games Played
025
Played in 2024
089
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This review contains spoilers
Despite the things I have heard about this game from friends and other sources such as it being horrible or a "black sheep," I still tried to go in to here with an open mind. You can really tell that they went for a lot more here, but the execution truly was not the best. It flips the script from FFI and gives the player actual main characters with names, more of a story that is actually somewhat compelling and dark given the era of its original release, and a lot more customization for your party set up. The password system is cool in theory, but you definitely need a guide to know what to learn and/or ask. The game overall is average to me, despite these additions. I think the leveling system is fine, it's not the worst once you understand it and find ways to take advantage of it early game, so I really had no troubles progressing through the story and dungeons. The Blood Sword is CRAZY, though, made the final boss stupid easy. Magic is more useful than I, despite the necessary grind to level up these skills to level 16, which I only got a few to. Speaking of the dungeons, those SUCK. While I's are not too remarkable by any means, the confusing corridors with rooms that have dead ends with the already high encounter rate, the traversal through these dungeons felt monotonous to say the least. Invisible walls that are sometimes necessary to progress through said dungeon is a pretty interesting idea, too. Overall, the gameplay flow had me over it about halfway through and was eager to be done, so I wasted no time turning off encounters after being sure that I secured all new bestiary entries. I was not too big on this game's world map, either. The fourth party constantly rotating was not an idea I was too fond of because there really is no point in building characters and buying them equipment or leveling up spells. The "true" fourth party member does not join the game until way late- so what's really the point in investing in any others besides the initial three members? I like the characters and their designs, though, mostly Firion, Ricard, and Minwu, who were my personal favorites. The villain here, the Emperor is raw and his goals and what he did to accomplish his goals highlights the truly sinister theme they accomplished here. The OST is really good and a step up from I's, Pandemonium was definitely my favorite.
The opening scene is really neat, however, creating a sense of hopelessness for our party. They lost their friends and family around them, Maria loses her brother, and the first battle results in defeat. No doubt the theme of this game is sacrifice. You meet a lot of characters in your three person party that join you temporarily and die off, but most sacrifice themselves for the greater good so that the evil that our heroes are fighting are able to continue their path towards justice. I do wish the characters had a little bit of dialogue. at least after some of these deaths. It's truly amazing how dark this game actually is, after digesting the whole story and after that final boss against the Emperor, it's genuinely incredible the tone that is established here.
Overall, I want to like this game more a lot than I do, and I wouldn't even go as far to call it "horrible," but there are a lot of things I am not a fan of to even call it "good." Maybe in time I will give other versions of the game a try to see if that can change my view on this entry. It has a lot going for it, but falls short and can its systems can feel awkward and its easy to identify the issues it has. There still is a few aspects of this game I love and appreciate its existence for trying new things and what it brought to the table for future entries of the franchise.
The opening scene is really neat, however, creating a sense of hopelessness for our party. They lost their friends and family around them, Maria loses her brother, and the first battle results in defeat. No doubt the theme of this game is sacrifice. You meet a lot of characters in your three person party that join you temporarily and die off, but most sacrifice themselves for the greater good so that the evil that our heroes are fighting are able to continue their path towards justice. I do wish the characters had a little bit of dialogue. at least after some of these deaths. It's truly amazing how dark this game actually is, after digesting the whole story and after that final boss against the Emperor, it's genuinely incredible the tone that is established here.
Overall, I want to like this game more a lot than I do, and I wouldn't even go as far to call it "horrible," but there are a lot of things I am not a fan of to even call it "good." Maybe in time I will give other versions of the game a try to see if that can change my view on this entry. It has a lot going for it, but falls short and can its systems can feel awkward and its easy to identify the issues it has. There still is a few aspects of this game I love and appreciate its existence for trying new things and what it brought to the table for future entries of the franchise.
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.
I really can't believe I took as long as I did to play through this masterpiece. This game has left a huge impact on me and one of my standout experiences in 2023. One of the most unique stories in any of my JRPG experiences, a great and memorable cast, different, but fun combat system, and amazing OST ("Shevat -The Wind Calls-" always has me ascending, LOVE that track). The vocal theme puts me to tears, too, just like FFVIII's "Eyes On Me." Wasn't a fan of the platforming sections and obviously the localization is not the best by any means, but given the situation and time period, it does not take away from this amazing and one of a kind journey that we don't get anymore.