With the recent release of the highly anticipated newest installment of the Final Fantasy franchise, it feels like an appropriate time to dive into a look at how the franchise got to where it is. In the late 1980s, Square was facing some financial difficulties as well as some burnout from designers. In a last-ditch effort, they released a fantasy RPG with all their hopes of staying afloat ridding on the reception. Remarkably, this game became a hit and spawned one of the most well-loved franchises in the RPG genre. This game was called Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy-1987
This first story was very basic, four Warriors of Light set out on a quest to restore the elemental crystals. Each warrior can be given any job you want right at the start of the game. These job classes have been a theme that continued throughout the future installments, even if not explicitly stated. You have your Red, White, and Black Mages as well as a Fighter, Thief, and Black Belt (Monk). Each class can use certain weapons and armor, with the different types of Mages also limited in regards to which spells each can use.
We are introduced to the concept of crystals and how much power they truly have over the world. We also get some franchise mainstays like Chaos and Bahamut, though Bahamut is not yet a summon. The turn-base battle system is in its very early stages at this point, with your four warriors waiting their turn to attack.
Final Fantasy II-1988
Our love of chocobos started here with their introduction. Recurring character Cid also makes his debut in this installment. Though each Cid is different, the name lives on in perpetuity. Square tried something new with this installment, by getting rid of the traditional level-up system. Instead you level up the skills you use, for instance, if you are a fighter you would want to continue to hit and be hit, in order to level your attack and defense.
The story in this chapter covers your basic evil empire trying to conquer the world, in this case by utilizing a hell-spawn army. This game does add more characters to play, in addition to the starting four, though they are only temporary. While the turn-based battle system is still in its infancy, there is now a back row that makes the character only harmed by magic or bows.
This game did not release outside of Japan for several years so many fans may have had no idea this game existed. This did cause some confusion for later games, which I’ll get to a little later. It did finally get released in the US for the PlayStation in 2003.
Final Fantasy III-1990
Another game that didn’t see a US release until 2006 for the Nintendo DS. This game brought back the elemental crystals, this time introducing the concept of light and dark versions to keep balance. We get the same turn-based fighting, but with new tweaks. This game also introduces us to the adorable Moogles that have become the unofficial mascot of the series.
The amount of damage or healing now shows up above the sprite instead of being captioned. We also finally get auto-target. If an enemy is downed, the physical attack will move on to the next available unit instead of missing. Unfortunately, magic hasn’t followed that rule, so you’ll still need to make sure there’s someone to target before you attack.
Triumphantly returning to gameplay is the experience point system. No longer must you heal a party member at full health so you won’t lose stats. Introduced in this game is the famous job system which allows you to swap out classes to match your current needs. Starting off as an Onion Knight, you unlock the classes as you play the game, making your party more versatile.
This game also gave us special battle commands to use during battle. These commands like “Steal” were connected to a specific job, further motivating you to carefully strategize your party layout. Another mainstay given to us here is the ability to summon creatures for powerful attacks. This ability has been with the series all the way up to the present installment.
Final Fantasy IV-1991
Known as Final Fantasy II for its release in North America (confusing, I know!) This game stars Cecil, a Dark Knight, as he battles a Sorcerer from using crystals to destroy the world. Unlike the previous game, each playable character has an unchangeable class. The cast of playable characters was much larger this time around, resulting in Square adding a fifth slot for a party member to play with.
The large roster, in combination with the lack of ability to swap jobs/classes, gave players a much harder time when strategizing. For instance- you may need a powerful summoner, but you may not like that character. This is also the game that introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system. This system gave players a gauge that would constantly fill up, and once full, that player could attack. The speed at which the gauge filled depended on a variety of factors, but it also meant that players could sometimes attack multiple times before an enemy could.
This gave the developers more freedom to plan their battles. Some enemies would hide their weaknesses until a certain time, and with the ATB, players could wait until that happened before attacking. This system is what the series is most known for even though it’s only been in six of the sixteen games so far.
Final Fantasy V-1992
This installment once again experienced a delayed release in the US, only released in Japan until 1999. This also happens to be in my top three installments in the series. This game takes the crystals and makes them a seal for an evil Sorcerer Exdeath’s prison. Your job playing as Bartz and the crew is to stop his resurrection from happening.
The four-player party has returned, but this game added over twenty jobs to choose from. This game introduced the Blue Mage, Time Mage, and Mime which have been used in future installments several more times. The blue magic in particular added a new wrinkle in gameplay. Instead of buying blue spells, you must be hit by an ability while being a Blue Mage or having the Learning ability equipped.
Ability Points are awarded with experience points that are exclusive to the job you had equipped during the battle. As you level up the job, you gain the ability to add different commands to another job. If you level up a White Mage enough, you can have a Knight that can cast high-level healing spells. These jobs were only unlocked as you explore the crystal’s palace to protect them.
Final Fantasy VI-1994
Set during a Second Industrial Revolution of sorts, players must stop the evil clown Kefka in his bid to destroy the world. This game took everything that came before, and perfected it. This go-around chose assigned each character a designated class, while giving you fourteen party members to choose from. You still had only four party slots, so you had to choose wisely.
Each character had a unique ability, that could shift the battle for the better. While stealing items was one ability, another could absorb magic attacks for a turn. Added to the fighting was something called a Desperation Attack, which only appeared when the character’s HP became low. This powerful attack would make its way into many more games in the series.
This game is centered around Espers and their magical abilities even after death. If you find “Magicite” you could be granted with various wonders – magic spells, summons, or and stat boosts being just some of the things these remains could bestow.
Out of these, which one is your favorite? Let us know over on our Twitter and Instagram. While you are waiting for part two, why not check out our Final Fantasy XVI release coverage?
