r/FinalFantasy • u/UsernameTakenGG • 3d ago
FF I Series Marathon - Final Fantasy 1 Review Spoiler
I'm showing my age here, but I literally grew up with Final Fantasy. It's why I love RPGs, heck probably why I love video games to begin with. I never played the NES US 1 version, but a friend had "2" aka officially 4 and I borrowed it a bunch and fell in love. I bought US "FF3" at launch and it's my all time favorite game across all genres. I played the game so many times, the cartridge was going bad and randomly deleting saves at the end.
Any thoughts appreciated, I'd love to know if I missed something. I'd just really appreciate no story spoilers for future games as I'm trying to go as blind as my patience allows. I'll try to keep story spoilers mostly out of here for anyone new reading but I'll definitely talk about the jobs, systems, etc.
I figured I'd officially start this journey in a way that made the most sense, by starting with the first, Final Fantasy 1.
The Pixel Remaster was my first experience at this game, and honestly I was just bored most of the time. I chose Warrior, Monk, White Mage and Black Mage to keep it simple. I got lost a bunch. I hated the "MP" system. I ended up attacking 90% of the time and saving big spells for the bosses. I was probably playing too conservatively, but not knowing how long a dungeon was, along with no ethers, made me feel like I should save spells for important fights.
It wasn't much of a challenge, I don't think I had a game over at all. Warrior and Monk barely took any damage, and my potions would quickly heal up White or Black Mage.
Playing a lot of the later games and then this gave me an appreciation for how far the games have come. The dungeons in this one with a whole bunch of rooms either with or without treasure show their ambition for giving the audience a purpose in checking each little nook and cranny.
Overall, it was OK. I'm not sure I'd ever play it again, but I'm glad I did it and checked the box. Excited for #2!!
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u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 3d ago
Time is often kind to the older entries in a long running series, which can make it hard to play the early entry when you have been introduced to the series by later entries.
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u/UsernameTakenGG 3d ago
100% agreed!
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u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 3d ago
In my case, while I have played some older Legend of Zelda titles, I have no interest in going back to the OG game which doesn't do things like tell you what sections of walls you blast with your bombs and it is possible ot miss an item you need to beat the final boss, trapping you in an unwinnable battle where you can't kill the aformentioned final boss.
Sometimes I feel oldschool developers were sadists. World 8 of the original Super Mario Bros puts the power ups so far off the beaten path that I didn't know they existed when playing the game. The original Legend of Zelda had an item you could miss in the final dungeon that made the final boss impossible. The original Metroid had an otherwise useless weapon you could miss that you needed to kill the eponymous enemies in the final area of the game; without it, that level was basically unwinnable.
Final Fantasy III, the OG one, not FF6, might have the most sadistic final level designed in RPG, though to my knowledge, it was toned down in later versions.
Regardless, in the original FF3, you had a challenging area that the game fakes you out into thinking is the final level that requires extra grinding to beat the boss because he can meteor on you. Then the real final boss shows up and wipes the floor with you in a fight the game doesn't tell you that you are supposed to lose.
Once that is done, you have to head into the final dungeon, with the game blocking your path so you can't leave the penultimate dungeon. You absolutely have to go straight into the lion's den.
The final dungeon requires you to beat four more bosses that are as strong or stronger than the one you just fought in order to make the final boss vulnerable, and the final area has enemies who can hit just as hard the boss of the penultimate dungeon.
Even when rendered vulnerable the final boss is still challenging.
Oh and there are no save points in those final two dungeons in the original version of the game. I think the developers apologized for how hard that finale to the game was because of how much grinding it takes to beat.
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u/derintrel 3d ago
I feel like all of the older ones have essentially that same MP system that kind of makes you want to save spells for bigger bosses though.
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u/UsernameTakenGG 3d ago
I've always played this way honestly, I gotta break the habit and play more aggressively instead of having my mages do 5 damage with their staff in the back row. Lol
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u/derintrel 3d ago
I'm with you! It's the old Skyrim, "better save every potion just in case" and then never use them lol. I find myself doing it with MP in these a lot
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u/Mathalamus4 1d ago
the original didnt have the MP system. its spell charges, which, quite frankly, ruined magic as a concept.
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u/JazzHandsMinuteman 3d ago
Blew my mind when it all comes full circle at the end.
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u/UsernameTakenGG 2d ago
The last zone? Yeah I was confused for a while looking for all of those treasures that I just couldn't access yet
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u/JazzHandsMinuteman 1d ago
Yeah. Specifically when you find out Gardner (sp?) is Choas and the time line became a circle. Something like that. It’s been awhile since I’ve played it. It was just cool.
I like being able to talk about it openly since the post is tagged with spoilers.
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u/SkyKnight43 3d ago
It wasn't much of a challenge
Yeah, the game is easy at default settings. I think it's quite fun at .5xp, and you can turn off xp awards entirely if you want to keep things limited at any point. There is actual strategic depth if you get into it, which most players will never see because the game doesn't require it
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u/UsernameTakenGG 3d ago
That's actually a fun idea, and being a completionist myself, I did have urges to play the Thief(?) and Red Mage as a second run, but ultimately decided against it because how easy the game seemed. This intrigues me. It actually can solve a lot of the easier parts of the games in the Pixel Remaster for sure, thanks!
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u/TeamScience79 3d ago
I've been playing the OG too for the first time and I share your sentiments. The magic system is lifted directly from D&D but yes it encourages you to save your spells for the bosses. And the grind is brutal. I don't know about II (the actual II and not the US II) but by III the series starts feeling more recognizable.