Every storied franchise needs a starting point; a place where it walks before it can run. Without Iron Man, we never get Avengers: Endgame for example. And whilst more recent Final Fantasy games haven’t been as successful as perhaps the run from Final Fantasy VII – X was, they had to start somewhere.
That starting point is the original Final Fantasy, which arrives on Xbox home consoles as part of the Pixel Remaster series. But is it a must-play for fans of the series, or best left for later?
Square Enix’s recent recommitment to Xbox consoles was given a huge boost with the announcement of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series. This collection brings the first six mainline Final Fantasy games to Xbox, with many of these making their debut on Xbox Series X|S (both Final Fantasy I and III were previously playable on Windows Phones).
Each game in these Pixel Remasters comes with new graphics and rearranged soundtracks. They all look and sound great whilst retaining their original aesthetics. More modern features are also included such as auto-battle options, EXP buffs, bestiaries, maps, artwork galleries and more.
These releases also include the ability to change the font from the god-awful font the Pixel Remasters first launched with to something far more in-keeping with the pixelated style.
And what better place to start than with the game that started it all? Well, to be truthful, the first Final Fantasy is a bit of a hard sell. Yes, it bears the name of the series, but it doesn’t come with any of the hallmarks that have helped define the series for nearly 40 years. It’s fun, but very grindy, looks good, but is dated and despite being the first in the series, is perhaps the one you should leave until last.
If you played the more modern Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins or even World of Final Fantasy, you may be familiar with the opening moments of Final Fantasy. Four so-called Warriors of Light arrive at Cornelia Castle and are asked by the King to rescue his daughter, Sarah. After successfully doing so, the King proclaims the four of them the fabled Warriors of Light and asks them to rid the world of evil by collecting four crystals.
In a franchise known for some amazing storytelling, that’s pretty much the plot for Final Fantasy. Some loosely connected tales appear as you traverse the world map, but there is only the most basic of plot tying everything together.
You will quickly learn that Final Fantasy is a relic of the past, and it is somewhat unfair to compare to more modern games. Nowhere is that more evident than in the battle system.
Final Fantasy is turn-based in the most traditional way possible. Remember, this is before the days of even the Active Time Battle (this isn’t coming until Final Fantasy IV!) You simply choose your action for each of the four characters and watch the round of attacks unfold. MP only increases as you level up too, but that is even if you choose a magic wielder.
Before you can even walk up to Cornelia Castle, you must choose the class of your four characters. There is a Warrior, Thief, Monk, Red Mage, Black Mage and White Mage. All pretty self-explanatory, and you could attempt Final Fantasy as a team of just White Mages. But that would be ill advised.
That’s because as soon as you begin your quest, you are under-levelled and grinding is the order of the day throughout Final Fantasy. It isn’t just for the odd difficulty spike; it seems to be a constant need throughout the game. Grinding is almost a thing of the past for games today, and depending on which side of the fence you sit on for it, having a game be so dependent on grinding may be music to your ears, or the equivalent of tinnitus.
There are ways around it, with a couple of modern additions found in the Boost section of the Options. Both EXP and Gil earned can be bumped up to 4x, or dropped down to zero completely if that’s your thing. Encounters can also be turned off altogether.
Also, here you can choose to swap between the original and rearranged soundtracks. Both sound great, and it’s good to hear the Victory Fanfare even in the earliest title. But it depends on what your preference is. I opted for the rearranged soundtrack, but having both is a neat addition.
There isn’t anything particularly bad about the original Final Fantasy game on Xbox. It’s just that almost everything has been done better in subsequent games in the same series. As a result, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster feels a bit basic and antiquated, even within the Pixel Remaster games. But hey, it’s a game that released in 1987, so should that really be a surprise? Perhaps we should be celebrating the fact that a near 40-year-old game is still even relevant? And that it has just been added to Xbox?
That’s the real prize here, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is one of the seminal JRPGs. It’s just that it has, unfrotunately, been outclassed by its own peers.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, Legend of Mana, and Trials of Mana Launch on Xbox – https://www.thexboxhub.com/final-fantasy-pixel-remasters-legend-of-mana-and-trials-of-mana-launch-on-xbox/
Buy Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/final-fantasy/9P20JCF7BV93/0010
