Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition Review

BY Nicholas Rego | POSTED: 31 March 2008

Return to the original Fantasy.



Mention the words ‘Final Fantasy’ to almost any gamer, and you will instantly be bombarded with tales of magic, heroes, and the eternal battle of good versus evil. The FF franchise has been around for nearly forever, spanning countless platforms and even producing a movie. Yet to those unfamiliar with this eternal franchise, the game can seem lengthy and rather daunting, with its endless scripts and gruelling battle sequences. Nevertheless, Final Fantasy for the PSP aims to gently introduce novice players to this fantastic world, while offering veteran explorers the chance to see where it all began.

Story wise, the game echoes the timeless fight of good versus evil. The world is shrouded in darkness (Hint: try paying your bills on time) and as if on cue, four strangers arrive to help out, each bearing an elemental crystal. There isn’t too much of a back story to our heroes, so your focus will be on ridding the world of monsters and terrible evils, while still managing to get home in time for dinner. In the tradition of Final Fantasy, you can strike a balance with your four heroes, and have a party that consists of both brute force and magic. The classes on offer in this version are Warrior, Thief, Monk, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage. The first three classes focus solely on brute attacks and melee weapons, while the other three focus on either the white or black schools of magic, with the exception of the Red Mage who can specialize in both. Each of the classes can be upgraded to a more powerful version once enough experience has been gained, and the game follows a straightforward and trouble-free upgrade process – kill monsters, gain experience, level up, repeat.

The only major flaw in the experience-gaining process is that you’re pretty much left to your own devices in the game – you will spend most of your time wandering around the lands trying to locate a key item or person to talk to, and since there is no quest log or any way to record key bits of information you’ve received, you’ll spend most of your time wandering around, only to go back to a character to try and remember what you missed out. This not only becomes frustrating in such a script-heavy game, but soon begins to drain any fun out of the gameplay. But if this wasn’t bad enough, the most irritating thing has to be the amount of random encounters you will have as you walk around the world map. Almost every third step you take has you engaging a party of monsters, and even though they initially are good for gaining quick experience, you eventually tire of all the interruptions, as not all battles give you substantial amounts of experience. Not to mention, there are plenty of battles in which you come up against a foe who is considerably stronger than your party, and you will either lose the battle entirely, or end up losing a party member or two. The battle engine itself is very simple, relying on a turn-based system to play out encounters. Simply choose an attack, defend, or magic action, and then let the AI take a hit. It all sounds a bit dull on paper, yet it’s surprisingly fun in action.

Despite the somewhat constant interruptions as you explore, the game does deliver a retro yet polished experience. The top-down 2D view is reminiscent of old Zelda games, and the graphics look exceptional on the PSP’s widescreen display. The battle sequences have minimum animation, so there’s not too much happening on-screen except a few swishes of your blade or a fireball or two. The animation effects for your magical attacks are also quite good, and retain the minimalist attitude of the game. It would have been nice if the characters had more magic slots or better weapon upgrades, since it seems that this was overlooked during the game’s development. In addition to the game’s impressive visuals, the audio is simply superb. Rather than MIDI-sounding background music, a full fantasy musical score accompanies your adventures, thus helping to complete the Final Fantasy experience.

Final Fantasy is a gentle introduction to a franchise that has won the hearts of millions of gamers. New players will appreciate the simple battle tactics presented, while experienced players will enjoy the chance to play a classic Final Fantasy adventure with a revamped attitude. Despite its few flaws, Final Fantasy is an enjoyable game for the PSP, helping to celebrate one of the most popular and loved games of our time.