221196
The origin of a legendary series...
How much have i longed to play Final Fantasy with colors, when i was a child, playing Final Fantasy Legends I and II on my Gameboy, and beating both games without any help...
But, sadly enough, there hadnt been any opportunity for me, to play the game during its era, or the following decades. I think the first version, that i laid hands on, was the first android port, and i stopped very soon after. No dungeon-mapping and random encounters after every few steps felt like a torture, and the whole port was a major disappoinment.
Several years later, the Pixel remaster replaced the first, lazy port, and managed to catch my serious interest for Final Fantasy I:
Dungeons had finally been mapped, graphics were updated, and lots of smaller comfort-options, like faster movement, autobattle and detailed informations had been introduced.
It still was an annoying and slow experience for me, as random encounters remained, and i spent much more time fighting while finding out what to do, than anything else.
I still forced myself to beat the game, but, it honestly felt like work, and at some point, i just used a walkthrough to finish the game as fast as possible.
I would rate Final Fantasy at this point with 4 out of 10 points.
To my surprise, Square didnt abandon the project, but released a big patch in 01/2024, that added controller support, as well as adjustable boosts for experience and rewards, and, most important of all: an option to disable random discounters.
I have played this version for a couple of hours, and am impressed: The whole experience has been massively improved, and i finally felt the magic of Final Fantasy I.
And yet, one last downside remains: The level-up system.
Each time the group earns enough experience, every character has a chance of 1/8 for each attribute to increase. Which means, that developement is painfully slow.
Which hurts even more, as stat-boosters have been removed from the game. In foregoing versions, leveling up badly wasnt a big deal, as permanent upgrades could be purchased in shops, so you could really focus on the game itself.
At the same time, the difficulty remains high, and if you have chosen the wrong combination of classes, you might not be able to finish the game.
I remember, that i had played a party of 4 warriors, and needed to start from scratch at some point. There is only a singular useful weapon for warriors in the late-game, and one damage dealer just isnt enough.
In my second attempt, i saved before each level-up, and reloaded, if my party didnt receive at least 8 attribute points. Which sometimes took me hours to achieve, and i spent far more time with grinding, that with actual playing. And yet, i had to develop my party to the maximum level 50, and still barely achieved to beat the final boss.
So, as much as the game has improved with the recent patch, i still do not enjoy the experience, and rate Final Fantasy I with 6 out of 10 points.
Mentioned games
Comments
Be the first to comment.
