Game Review: "Final Fantasy I"
Game: Final Fantasy I (2004)
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi
Developer: Square
LB Rating: 3/5 (old rating: 7/10)
Final Fantasy I is a fantasy roleplaying game released by Square for Nintendo consoles. In the game, you control a party of four different heroes, each armed with a specific skill set. You play to lead these heroes to their quest of restoring the natural order of the world by defeating the cliche evil villain. To accomplish such quest, you participate in different other sub-quests such as saving a princess, helping a village, learning ancient forgotten language, exploring an Atlantean country, and of course, battling lots of unique monsters. The turn-based menu battle system in this game lets the player create different strategies according to the various skill sets of the heroes. The journey is accompanied by the gorgeously composed game music of Nobuo Uematsu.
Final Fantasy I is a simple game really. I was able to finish it in around six hours. It was a succinct yet sweet experience. Here are some highs and lows of that experience:
Plot - (Warning: spoilers) Final Fantasy I, though certainly is not final, is indeed fantasy. It captured the main elements of a fantasy story. However, I felt that the story isn't as immersive as most fantasy stories. I think this is due to the fact that there aren't many dialogues from characters that are meant to describe the world. Most of them are merely cues to advance the party's quest. There aren't much world-building for the sake of world-building. Such lack does not reward the ones curious about the world beyond the obvious sign post: the curiosity that encourages immersion. In addition, the plot tries to incorporate plenty of elements, such as time travel, which kind of works against its favor because it makes the story line messy. For instance, the climactic plot twist (hurr durr, it was Garland all along) was pretty interesting until his evil world domination plan was revealed (which is to maintain a time-loop paradox so he can become immortal), shit got confusing. Overall though, the plot passed minimum requirements for an engaging fantasy story. I think the other elements of the game helped magnify the story beyond its merit.
Gameplay - I think this is the selling point of Final Fantasy I. The menu turn-based party system is really enjoyable. For one, there is diversity, which is limited when you play a single character role-playing game. This diversity allows me to cook up interesting combos, itemizations, and general battle modes. It also helps that I do not have to grind to get stronger. I used to like grinding games but when I had less time, I started to appreciate games like these where getting through the random battle encounters in the overworld is enough. Technically, being so strong already does not combine well with strategic battle. There is no incentive to being strategic when you're already too strong. At many points in the game, this seemed to be the case. This is where the boss battles kick in. The boss battles are set up so you can beat them even if you do not have a ridiculously high level--you just have to make every turn count. Overall, I liked Final Fantasy I's gameplay.
Music - This element is the game's most beautiful part to the point where it deceivingly makes everything in game feel good. FFI's music worked magnificently well to uplift the entire game. The overworld, dungeons, villages, and cutscenes are all magnified through the music. The plucks and tunes made the plot more engaging than it should be. When the random encounter battles become too repetitive, the background theme eases me to play through them anyway. The victories feel heartfelt and well-earned because of the music's grandeur. The soundtrack was well-crafted, evident in how it becomes gentle or ominous whenever it suits the game. Nobuo Uematsu is a genius!
Despite its issue with lack of depth, the game is very enjoyable. Final Fantasy I has a clear direction as a game, and the solid execution never steered away from that direction. The game is pretty replayable since there are six available characters to choose from to make a four-man party. Also, there are a lot of secrets hidden in the overworld map that one may overlook the first playthrough. With the basic fantasy plot, an extremely immersive music, and a strategic battle system, Final Fantasy I delivers a full-length fantasy fiction through only a few hours of gameplay. Final Fantasy I stands to foreshadow one of the most successful game series of all time.
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi
Developer: Square
LB Rating: 3/5 (old rating: 7/10)
Final Fantasy I is a fantasy roleplaying game released by Square for Nintendo consoles. In the game, you control a party of four different heroes, each armed with a specific skill set. You play to lead these heroes to their quest of restoring the natural order of the world by defeating the cliche evil villain. To accomplish such quest, you participate in different other sub-quests such as saving a princess, helping a village, learning ancient forgotten language, exploring an Atlantean country, and of course, battling lots of unique monsters. The turn-based menu battle system in this game lets the player create different strategies according to the various skill sets of the heroes. The journey is accompanied by the gorgeously composed game music of Nobuo Uematsu.
Final Fantasy I has a clear direction as a game, and the solid execution never steered away from that direction. (Image source: Google)
Final Fantasy I is a simple game really. I was able to finish it in around six hours. It was a succinct yet sweet experience. Here are some highs and lows of that experience:
Plot - (Warning: spoilers) Final Fantasy I, though certainly is not final, is indeed fantasy. It captured the main elements of a fantasy story. However, I felt that the story isn't as immersive as most fantasy stories. I think this is due to the fact that there aren't many dialogues from characters that are meant to describe the world. Most of them are merely cues to advance the party's quest. There aren't much world-building for the sake of world-building. Such lack does not reward the ones curious about the world beyond the obvious sign post: the curiosity that encourages immersion. In addition, the plot tries to incorporate plenty of elements, such as time travel, which kind of works against its favor because it makes the story line messy. For instance, the climactic plot twist (hurr durr, it was Garland all along) was pretty interesting until his evil world domination plan was revealed (which is to maintain a time-loop paradox so he can become immortal), shit got confusing. Overall though, the plot passed minimum requirements for an engaging fantasy story. I think the other elements of the game helped magnify the story beyond its merit.
Gameplay - I think this is the selling point of Final Fantasy I. The menu turn-based party system is really enjoyable. For one, there is diversity, which is limited when you play a single character role-playing game. This diversity allows me to cook up interesting combos, itemizations, and general battle modes. It also helps that I do not have to grind to get stronger. I used to like grinding games but when I had less time, I started to appreciate games like these where getting through the random battle encounters in the overworld is enough. Technically, being so strong already does not combine well with strategic battle. There is no incentive to being strategic when you're already too strong. At many points in the game, this seemed to be the case. This is where the boss battles kick in. The boss battles are set up so you can beat them even if you do not have a ridiculously high level--you just have to make every turn count. Overall, I liked Final Fantasy I's gameplay.
Music - This element is the game's most beautiful part to the point where it deceivingly makes everything in game feel good. FFI's music worked magnificently well to uplift the entire game. The overworld, dungeons, villages, and cutscenes are all magnified through the music. The plucks and tunes made the plot more engaging than it should be. When the random encounter battles become too repetitive, the background theme eases me to play through them anyway. The victories feel heartfelt and well-earned because of the music's grandeur. The soundtrack was well-crafted, evident in how it becomes gentle or ominous whenever it suits the game. Nobuo Uematsu is a genius!
Despite its issue with lack of depth, the game is very enjoyable. Final Fantasy I has a clear direction as a game, and the solid execution never steered away from that direction. The game is pretty replayable since there are six available characters to choose from to make a four-man party. Also, there are a lot of secrets hidden in the overworld map that one may overlook the first playthrough. With the basic fantasy plot, an extremely immersive music, and a strategic battle system, Final Fantasy I delivers a full-length fantasy fiction through only a few hours of gameplay. Final Fantasy I stands to foreshadow one of the most successful game series of all time.
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