Originally released in 1987 in Japan and then 1990 in the USA, the original Final Fantasy began the series that has spawned dozens of titles. Featuring a customizable roster of characters with a selection of iconic job roles such as Warrior, Thief, Monk, Black Mage, White Mage, and Red Mage.
The original game holds something of a rumor-mill position as to its origins with stories about how it was SquareSoft’s last ditch effort to make a successful game before bankruptcy. In fact, this rumor is something of an exaggeration, as the company was doing fine but game director Hironobu Sakaguchi had decided to return to college if the game was a dud.
This also means that the accompanying story that claims the bankruptcy was the reason the game was called ‘FINAL’ Fantasy is also misguided. In fact, Sakaguchi has confirmed that they just wanted an “FF” acronym and originally pitched “Fighting Fantasy” which was already taken by a series of gaming books.
The Story
Four Warriors of Light appear suddenly in the city of Cornelia, each gripping a dim crystal in hand. From the simple beginnings of saving the princess from the Dark Knight Garland, they must journey to return the light to the four elemental crystals and bring balance back to their world. In the process they discover a plot by an ancient god-like fiend known as Chaos who has trapped the world in a 2000 year loop in a bid to become immortal.
The Characters
The Warriors of Light: The four main characters. They have no default names or roles, leaving the player to decide their identity. They all arrive in Cornelia with a dim crystal in hand at the start of the game.
Garland: The Dark Knight of Cornelia. At the beginning of the game, he has kidnapped Princess Sarah and the Warriors of Light must defeat him. However, instead of being defeated, he travels back in time 2000 years to ascend to godhood as the fiend, Chaos.
The Four Fiends: Four elementally aligned monsters that serve the god Chaos. Each one is charged with darkening one of the elemental crystals across the world. They are Lich (earth), Marilith (fire), Kraken (water), and Tiamat (air).
Princess Sarah: A minor character in the game. Sarah is the princess of Cornelia who is kidnapped by Garland and gifts the Warriors of Light an ancestral instrument that unlocks the way to Chaos’ domain.
VRYKERION 