Final Fantasy I
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The game that started it all in 1987. This game was actually going to be the final project for a bankrupting Japanese video game company—hence the name, Final Fantasy—but ended up being so successful that it spawned one of the most hyped series in video gaming history.
Being the first game of the series, this is the game that set the standard for all the games to follow. The basic formula of a handful of heroes setting out on an epic quest that only gets bigger as they press on
Introducing the Light Warriors!
And so begins the epic tale told in Final Fantasy. And apparently, the word is out on the Light Warriors: everybody knows about them. People in towns all over the world will refer to you as the Light Warriors. It's like they have their pictures posted in every town across the globe. "Behold the Light Warriors! They have ORBS!"
How do you get into the Light Warrior business? They couldn't have tried too hard to get those ORBS, considering they arrive in Corneria penniless, weaponless, and naked. (Really—the armor shop sells "Cloth," which the Light Warriors seem to have none of.) The first troll you run into with a pointed stick is better-armed than the Light Warriors. And they start on level 1. But that's okay—they have ORBS.
As Cunning As He Is Deadly
Some punk has managed to kidnap the princess, and it's up to the Light Warriors to stop him. Garland, who ends up being the central villain of the game, not only sucks at fighting, but also sucks at trash-talking—both of which are highly useful skills for any villain. Garland gets trounced by the Light Warriors within the first ten minutes of the game and doesn't reappear until the ending, which is a phenomenon in itself.
Really? I Had No Idea...
Characters in the Final Fantasy world have a real penchant for stating the obvious. This is a phenomenon that found its way into all of the Final Fantasy games, but none of them as bad as this first one. For example, in the quote on the right, we find out that the Light Warriors have legs.
I guess the game was trying to compensate for a lack of any character development by supplying us with random details from insignificant characters. We don't know anything about where the Light Warriors come from or why they've taken on this quest to save the world—but we're told that fire burns things. If that's not cause to save the world, I don't know what is. Also, if you were wondering what an ordinary well with no significance to the plot looks like, the game tells you.
Wait, Where Did You Say You Were From?
Magic. Swords. Dragons. Princesses. Everything you'd expect from a Medieval-themed RPG. So you take your knight into the weapon shop and take a look at their selection. There's the standard swords, knives, and the little sticks that the mages pretend are weapons. But what's this? NUNCHUCKS?? Nunchucks are being sold in a Medieval castle?!
How the hell did a karate man get caught up in this epic quest? It would be okay if there were other elements of Eastern culture in the game; but apart from the nunchucks for sale in the castle, there aren't any. It's a very stereotypical karate man stuck in a very stereotypical Medieval setting. That's like sticking Jackie Chan in a Lord of the Rings movie. Seriously... Nunchucks...
Final Fantasy Logic Score: 10
This is the game that defined Final Fantasy logic, so it gets a perfect score. Even though the whole RPG thing had been done before (most notably, Ultima and Dragon Warrior on the NES), they didn't do nearly as many crazy things as Final Fantasy did. The Final Fantasy logic took a turn for the worse in the ending, which managed to undermine any logical foundations the game may have had left by its end.
