Originally released for the
Nintendo Entertainment System in January 1987, Final Fantasy
was Squaresoft's challenge to the popular Dragon Quest Series
by Enix. Final Fantasy was a groundbreaking game and laid
the foundation for console rpg's for generations. In January
2000 the game received a face-lift and was released on the
Wonderswan Color. It was so immensely admired that when the
special edition package was released (retailing for 9,999
yen, about $100 US) it sold out instantly while Japanese consumers
rioted and plundered to get their hands on a copy. However,
with the release of the Gameboy Advance, it became apparent
that the Wonderswan Color would not reach foreign shores.
The popularity of the WSC edition of the game seemed to be
enough to convince Squaresoft that an updated version of the
game would do well on the Playstation. Thus Final Fantasy
Origins was born. Packaged alongside Final Fantasy 2, FF received
new music, graphics, gameplay, art gallery and a beautiful
computer generated introduction. Released in April 2003 Final
Fantasy Origins has proven that it has a timeless appeal that
can stand up to it's descendent Final Fantasy X in sales.
The story takes place during a time when the waters in
the lands have turned turbulent, the earth is drying up,
and the wind has stopped. Four warriors of light have appeared
to fulfill a 2,000-year-old prophecy, each of them possessing
an Orb (later changed to Crystal). While battling foes born
of hatred and restoring the Orbs (Crystals), the light warriors
find themselves stuck in an alternate world that has disturbed
the natural flow of time.
At the beginning of Final Fantasy, the player can not only
decide which party members to use, now in FFO you may decided
which mode to play in (easy or normal). Gamers who are new
to the FF world can select easy mode that has a better balance
of character status, gil, and item costs. Conversely, gamers
looking for a challenge will enjoy the difficulty of normal
mode. Characters can be selected from job classes that can
be found through the Final Fantasy series. This includes
both the popular white and black mages that can later be
upgraded to wizards. Selecting the right balance of characters
to fit your individual style can alter the gameplay considerably.
The battle system, like all FF games, is turn based and
relies on hit points. Gamers familiar with FF should not
have a problem using the battle system. This is the only
Final Fantasy game to feature a level system for magic.
There are eight levels of magic and the player can only
select three magics for each level to use. Since Squaresoft
had not yet perfected the art of being user friendly when
the game was first developed, there are no ethers or phoenix
downs in the entire game. This can be somewhat troublesome
when going through some of the longer dungeons. Also, the
player cannot save the game at anytime. You must visit an
inn or use a tent, cottage, etc. on the world map to save.
Either way, every time you save it costs gil. Saving to
the temporary memo files helps, but it can be a pain if
you need to leave the game in the middle of a dungeon.
Overall this is an experience that should not be missed.
It is not only an important piece of FF history, the game
is purely fun. With the recent popularity of Final Fantasy
Origins it proves that a great game can stand the test of
time.
