Hello again.
I am glad to record that I have finished yet another Final Fantasy game. This is always an awesome experience. This time, however, it is not any of the games that came after 7 (for the record I have completed 7 and Dirge of Cerberus, 8, 10, 10-2, 12 and 15), but 2.
Some of the really enthusiastic fans would know that Final Fantasy I was the last desperate kick from a doomed Squaresoft in 1987 that was on the brink of closing down due to bankruptcy. If you don't know yet who Hironobu Sakaguchi is you should really get up to date as this is the man who has not only saved a dying company with the first installment of this awesome franchise, but who has made it the greatest producer of RPG's in the world. This guy's the George Lucas of games. If you want an idea of what he is capable of take a look at what he did with Super Mario...
The game under discussion now hails from 1988. It was made for PC and the first version's graphics were really not anywhere near what we see today.
This game, however, was proof that Square was indeed saved by FFI. It also shows us in this day and age the Square had already formulated their winning recipe, long before technology would allow them to make bigger maps, get better music and get amazing cutscenes.
I honestly wonder whether any other video game manufacturer had made as much effort back then in writing a story.
Final Fantasy II has shown me that although the producers were limited by technology, there was absolutely no limit to their imaginations.
It was also interesting to see that- besides the turn based battle system and levelling up, the makers of Final Fantasy had already come up with the following iconic features that we see in FF games today:
1. Vehicles: Final Fantasy 2 has a world map with areas that are inaccessible at first, but as the story develops you start by getting a canoe with which to cross rivers and later on ships with which to cross the seas and last, but definitely not least- the Airship!
2. Cid: I have mentioned the airship, right? Well- guess who the owner of that airship is...
Nowadays it is hardly surprising. It is a nice coincidence to see that Square had introduced a Cid with the same coarse personality as the one in this game later on in Final Fantasy VII. The Cid in FFVII is playable, though, as opposed to his FFII counterpart.
Nowadays it is hardly surprising. It is a nice coincidence to see that Square had introduced a Cid with the same coarse personality as the one in this game later on in Final Fantasy VII. The Cid in FFVII is playable, though, as opposed to his FFII counterpart.
3. Dungeons: No matter what Final Fantasy I play I find the dungeons therein troublesome and a nuisance that is hard to tolerate. FFII is proof that Final Fantasy's makers were every bit as sadistic back then as they are now. It may be an 8 bit game, but its dungeons are murder. Well- at least in FFII you are able to teleport out of most of them if you get tired of getting lost for hours.
4. The story: It may be the fact that Square had overcome insurmountable odds with their first game themselves that has inspired the tales we live today. Final Fantasy stories so far have always involved a small group of individuals taking on an entire army to save their kingdom or the world. This story is no different. The main characters start off being found in a forest after having been beaten senseless. Well- after recovering at the hideout of their benefactor, Princess Hilda, some levelling up and a couple of adventures later they end up defeating the Ruler of Hell himself. Amidst it all friends die, estranged siblings meet and of course- love is in the air.
5. Those Orko-like mages: You guys know Orko from He-Man, right? Well- bear in mind that this game had come long before Final Fantasy IX and it has an entire village of sorcerers that look like Vivi! These mages look a lot like Orko, who was also at his prime back in the 80's...
6. Magic, Money, Items and Inns: Final Fantasy games are never just about moving from one plot point to another. Money is raised in battle and spent on items in each town you visit. The power of Fire, Ice and Thunder is already found in this game and yes- it has Phoenix Down and Life Magic as well...
7. Colourful characters: It is really a pity that Square did not have the technology to visually render their characters better. A lot of imagination went into these characters. My favourite is Leila- the sexy pirate captain. She reminds me a lot of Yuffie in FFVII.
One sure sign that Square still had a lot to learn is the ease with which this game gets beaten if you just grind half as much as you would do in the games of today. As a proud Jenova War Veteran I made sure that I got strong enough to effortlessly defeat the enemies of every area I visit and rich enough to buy the best weapons and magic. This got me to defeat an Adamantoise in one move and I have also made short work of the final boss.
Bosses like Paragon (FFX-2) and the Weapons (FFVII) show us that Square got onto us later on and made sure that grinding did not get us everywhere in the game so easliy again.
Now... I am going to download FFVIII to relive some memories and I am waiting for the FFVII remake. Hope you get hold of it as well.
