Final Fantasy Retrospective – Part 1: The Game That Defied Its Name

In the late 1980s, long before the infamous in-game currency system of “gil” was ever a concern, a small Japanese game developer named Square was facing a more pressing problem—financial collapse. By 1987, Square had been struggling after a series of unsuccessful titles, including Cruise Chaser Blassty, Alpha, and King's Knight, alongside a failed side-scrolling shooter. Even North American releases like Rad Racer and 3D World Runner barely kept the company afloat. With their future hanging by a thread, Square's director of planning and development, Hironobu Sakaguchi, was tasked with creating one last game to save the company.

When asked what type of game he wanted to develop, Sakaguchi responded, "I don't think I have what it takes to make a good action game. I think I'm better at telling a story." Drawing inspiration from popular RPGs of the time, such as Dragon Quest, The Legend of Zelda, and the Ultima series, Sakaguchi envisioned a video game with an expansive world and a rich narrative. Believing it might be his final project, he named it Final Fantasy.

On December 18, 1987, Final Fantasy was released for the Famicom, just two days before Sega's Phantasy Star. Sakaguchi himself directed the game, while character designs were handled by rising manga artist Yoshitaka Amano. The soundtrack was composed by veteran video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, who brought his signature flair to the project, marking his 16th video game score.

The plot centered around the four Warriors of Light, bearers of ancient elemental artifacts, who set out to save the land from darkness. The narrative's focus was on retrieving four orbs rather than the later series' iconic crystals. The game saw players battling four fiends—Lich, Kary, Kraken, and Tiamat—who had plunged the world into chaos. In a twist, these fiends were part of a time loop orchestrated by Chaos, a demonic entity born from Garland, the first boss the players encountered. Once the Warriors defeated Chaos, the world was restored to peace, and the heroes returned home.

While the story of Final Fantasy was compelling for its time, the game truly shined in its deep, customizable RPG mechanics. Players could name their characters and choose from six different classes: White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, Thief, Fighter (later known as Warrior), and Black Belt (later known as Monk). This created 30 possible group combinations, allowing for various playstyles. As characters leveled up, players could unlock class upgrades—White Wizard, Black Wizard, Red Wizard, Ninja, Knight, and Master—each with enhanced abilities.

The game also introduced innovations to the RPG genre. Unlike the one-on-one battles found in many RPGs at the time, Final Fantasy allowed players to face off against up to nine enemies at once in random encounters. These battles played out in a new side-view format, where players could see their heroes on the right side of the screen and enemies on the left. The battle animations were ground-breaking for the time, featuring advanced graphical effects.

The magic system in Final Fantasy was also unique. Players could learn spells from eight levels of either black or white magic, but with only three spell slots per level, careful choices had to be made. Instead of the now-familiar magic point (MP) system, spells had charges, which could only be restored by visiting inns or using rare items like "houses."

Exploration was another key feature, with players traversing a massive overworld map divided into three large continents. Along the way, they could enter dungeons, caves, and towns, stopping to rest or shop for items. The introduction of vehicles, such as a boat, canoe, and airship, greatly expanded the world. The airship, in particular, allowed players to explore the map without facing random enemy encounters, provided they could find suitable landing terrain.

Final Fantasy also boasted an extensive musical score for its time, featuring almost 20 different tracks. Some of these compositions became iconic, such as the title screen arpeggio, the victory fanfare after battles, and the main theme that would evolve into an anthem for the entire franchise.

The game wasn’t without its challenges. Saving could only be done at inns or with specific items, and it didn't cure status effects like poison. Fallen allies could only be revived with the Life spell or at clinics. Furthermore, enemies didn’t drop items, and certain spells were prohibitively expensive. Additionally, if one character killed an enemy before another got a chance to act, their attacks or spells would be wasted. The game's difficulty level could also spike unexpectedly, making for a punishing experience. However, players embraced these challenges, and Final Fantasy became one of the most popular RPGs of the 1980s.

By the end of the decade, Final Fantasy had established itself as one of the most successful titles on the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System. It spawned a franchise that, as of last year, had sold over 180 million units worldwide. Since its original release, the game has been re-released on various platforms, including the MSX, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, mobile phones, and more recently, the PlayStation Portable.

Despite its name, Final Fantasy was far from the end for Square, marking the beginning of one of the most beloved and enduring RPG franchises in gaming history.