Two NES classics in one convenient package for the Game Boy Advance

Author's Rating:

Pros: Two classic RPGs on one cartridge; still fun after all these years

Cons: Games are primitive by today's standards; some exhaustive dungeons

The Bottom Line: 
RPG fans, these classic titles are for you!

Author's Review
The Final Fantasy series has become legendary among RPG fans, and with good reason -- Square has spent a good deal of time and effort on each title, so the series has enjoyed a long life. Of course, the first installment of Final Fantasy appeared for the Nintendo Entertainment System way on back in 1990. The game has a well-deserved reputation of being fantastic, but there's just one problem with it -- the original is rather expensive compared to other NES titles. As for Final Fantasy II, that one was released for systems in Japan and Europe (or, so I understand), but it finally showed up for the Super NES in the U.S.

Now, it's easy for Game Boy Advance owners to see what all the fuss is about, thanks to the 2004 release of Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls. Yes, that dandy title contains both Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II with some updated graphics that take advantage of the 32-bit Game Boy Advance (of course, the original NES was an eight-bit machine powered by the same CPU that was under the hood of classic computers such as the Apple 2, the Atari 800, Commodore 64 and etc.) I never played these titles on the older systems, so I'll have to just assume the graphics are updated as claimed.

Great graphics or not, these titles are fantastic and contain the very elements that are common in RPGs these days. In both, the player controls a party of characters that are on a mission to save the world. Along the way, players will get the thrill of fighting nasty monsters with weapons and spells, trudging through dungeons, fighting bosses at the end of those dungeons and trying to figure out what the heck to do once a mission is complete. Fun, fun.

In Final Fantasy I, the player compiles four characters from six different classes (Warrior, Thief, Monk, Black Mage, Red Mage and White Mage) that each have various attributes. The goal is, of course, to build a party that blends those attributes into a cohesive, powerful unit. For example, two Warriors, a Black Mage and a White Mage will result in a party with two characters that can handle weapons well, one that casts necessary healing and defensive spells and one that throws powerful fighting spells. The party advances in levels and grows stronger with each mission.

That's pretty typical, but what sets this series apart from others is that it the game advances in a logical manner. Other titles leave the game to wander around trying to figure out what to do next, but Final Fantasy I features a rather organic storyline -- by the outcome of one mission, it's fairly clear what must be done next as items are recovered, bad guys will drop hints and there are always people wandering around who will help steer the party along the right path. Also, dungeons are never so long and confusing as to be discouraging, so the player is encouraged to bump along until the end of the game. Great stuff.

Final Fantasy II, although it contains the "let's go save the world" theme that we've come to expect, is quite a bit different. For one thing, there's no rigid class system to follow -- all the characters in the party can be fighters if you want, and the you can let one or two develop some magical skills if you choose (indeed, some magic skills are necessary to complete the game, really). Another huge difference is that the party isn't static -- you've got three core characters, and the fourth slot is subject to change. During the adventure, you'll meet players that will join up for your party for a time, and then leave when a mission is finished. That keeps things rather interesting as the new characters have their own attributes to bring to the table.

Also, in Final Fantasy II, the characters don't "level up" in the traditional sense. The more a character uses a spell or a class of weapon such as a sword or spear, the more skilled he'll become in that area. That allows for some great customization. In my party, for example, I had a character who was great at swinging swords, one that concentrated on healing spells and offensive ones and another that was good at both healing and fighting.

And, another difference in Final Fantasy II is that it's kind of on rails. You can wander around the world if you want to, but there's a particular princess who tends to tell you where you need to go next to advance the story. The only complaint I have about Final Fantasy II is that some dungeons are downright confusing, and I found myself wandering around without a clue in a couple of them. The right path can be found eventually, but it can get frustrating when you're rather loss and random battles are popping up every time you take a couple of steps.

All in all, these two titles are classics that are sure to please RPG fans. While you don't get the snazzy, three-dimensional graphics of newer titles, these overhead, third-person adventures are still a lot of fun so long as the game is solid. Both of the titles included in Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls are quite entertaining, indeed. Sure, there's not much in the way of character development and the games seem horribly dated by today's standards, but I spent a couple of weeks enjoying the heck out of them both. Heck, I'll probably run through them again as I'd like to see how my party fares with different character classes in Final Fantasy I and it would be dandy to develop some other attributes for characters in Final Fantasy II. If you like RPGs and have a Game Boy Advance, you simply need this title.