Final Fantasy
ファイナルファンタジー
- Year
- 1987
- Developer
- Square
- Publisher
- Nintendo (NA) / Square (JP)
- Platform
- FC / NES
- Hardware
- Family Computer (8-bit)
- Genre
- Role-Playing Game
- Players
- 1 player
- Controls
- D-pad + A (confirm) / B (cancel)
- Series
- Final Fantasy series
Gameplay Screenshots
About This Game
Final Fantasy was Square's last-chance project, and it invented the template the whole series still uses. Four Light Warriors carry four elemental orbs back to life, travelling a world map by foot, ship and airship while fighting in a turn-based battle system shown from the side.
Its character system was the hook: you build your own party from six classes - Warrior, Thief, Monk, Red Mage, White Mage, Black Mage - and choose their upgrades when each one promotes. Random encounters, an overworld map, dungeons with chests, a party that levels up: nearly every JRPG convention gets its first coherent form here. The time-loop story and the boss Chaos are just as memorable as the systems.
- Build-your-own party from six classes with class upgrades
- Side-view turn-based battles with weapon and magic shops
- Overworld travel on foot, by ship and by airship
- The four-elemental-orbs quest that set the series structure
Version History
- Famicom Japanese version1987-12-18
Original release - the version on this page.
- NES US version1990-07-12
Localised release; some spells and items were cut and the magic system was simplified.
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster2021
Modern re-release preserving the original design with updated presentation.
Tips & Strategy
Take a Thief seriously
The Thief class looks weak early but becomes the Ninja, one of the strongest physical attackers. Its running ability also cuts down the grind between towns.
Buy spells in bulk, not armour
Weapon and armour upgrades matter less than having every tier of Cure and a full set of elemental damage spells before each dungeon.
The Marsh Cave is the first real wall
Bring antidotes, go with full HP and clear it at a low level only if you have a Red Mage for crowd control. Most players under-prepare here.
Level up on the peninsula
The area near Pravoka, where the Pirates land, has high-value encounters. Grinding there saves time compared to wandering the overworld.
Download Resources
Resource packs for this game are provided through the button below.
⬇ Coming soon