Final Fantasy I (Dawn of Souls)(GBA, 2004)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-8 Challenge-4.5 Story-4
Level Design-6 Frustration-6.5 Fun-5 Originality-4
Overall Score-5.5
+
Choose the class of each of your four characters (you'll start out with a full party of four characters, can't change classes in-game)
run button
Somewhat improved writing/translation (still keeps classic lines)
Cheaper gear/spells in the beginning
Interface improvements (item stacking and inventory sorting, optimal gear equip, shop interface, faster character creation, run from battle by holding l+r)
Characters no longer waste attacks on dead enemies
Nice spell effects
Unlockables (art gallery, bestiary, music player, time chamber - revisit beaten floors in the labyrinth of time)
Four new dungeons (unlock by beating the fiends)
Peninsula of power (tough optional encounters early on)
Hidden mini-game (simple tile switching puzzle though and it takes too long to get any good rewards)
New game+ (only the bestiary is carried over...)
Map feature
Much improved battle backgrounds
Game world gradually opens itself up (boats, airship, choose your own path through the dungeons in the second half of the game)
New enemies and bosses
Class promotion (one level per class - thief-ninja, warrior-knight, monk-master, red mage-red wizard, white mage-white wizard, black mage-back wizard)
Stat increasing items (small chance of +2 or +3)
A few memorable characters
Decent cutscenes for some major events
Elemental and weapon immunities and weaknesses on enemies (mostly minor effects)
Revive and soft potions usable in battle (not so on NES)
Some new music
Uses for equipment items during battle (unlimited use here, description hints at use)
Change gear during battle
Some non-random encounters in the bonus dungeons
Some innovative dungeon design (floor traps, lava, teleporter maze, spike floor)
Super fast overworld travel by ship
+/-
The game is easier overall (based on the Origins (PS1) version; phoenix down, ether, hi-potion, cheaper items, faster leveling etc. - some tougher bosses and nerfed treasure though) and there's no 'original difficulty' mode
Can't buy spells to memorize later
Can't run in the overworld
Can't rest in-doors (except for at inns)
A couple of new references to later games
Save anywhere (removes a lot of tension from the game)
Thief went from under- to overpowered
Unlimited inventory space
Many fetch quests
Has a very colorful and cutesy look to it (the original was a bit darker)
Tile-based movement (stiff around walls)
Can't spread out multiple hit attacks among different enemies (means you need to think about how to attack efficiently but also hinders some tactical flexibility)
Stackable stat boosting spells (Temper - rebalanced in a mod)
Can't talk to NPCs (silent protagonist, would've been useful to ask Unne about the Lufenians for example)
Only the white mage is female?
Straightforward and mostly lighthearted story with shallow characters and scenarios
Separate music for when you're in the menu
Can't cast stat boosting spells outside of battle (could've been time limited - see D&D games
Leads to some early spells not getting much use)
Different use for haste/slow compared to later games (affects no. of attacks)
Being defeated in one of the bonus dungeons sends you back to its entrance (on the other hand this is the only way to exit them unless you beat the bosses at the end, you get to keep any collected experience and loot though)
Sky palace no longer has a high tech look
Difficulty of the suggested next dungeon doesn't increase if you take a different path (for example going to the ice cavern before Mt. Gulg)?
-
Very frequent random encounters which can't be avoided (slows the pace considerably and causes repetition)
No difficulty options (there are mods though; one for balance and one making the game harder)
Thieves can't steal
Control/interface issues (can't determine who will strike first in a turn? (the game doesn’t show how the turn will play out beforehand – see FF10, character order doesn't matter?), curative items/spells about to be used after all enemies are dead in a battle are skipped, need to check the manual for some info (stats), no journal or notebook feature (for writing down/saving collected info from NPCs for later), commands can't be stored until the next battle (memory feature only saves the last turn's input), lacking gear descriptions (stat changes), can't check a piece of equipment's stats in a shop unless you can afford it, sometimes no indicator of an enemy or ally being affected when using spells (slow, fear; temper, elemental protection), no dungeon maps, some abbreviated spell and stat names, number of attacks and magic defense aren't shown in the character status screen (added in a mod), limited store inventories (need to memorize where some items are sold), bestiary doesn't show spell/weapon type affinities, no defend or wait commands, menu browsing via l/r doesn’t work when casting spells, can't repurchase a sold item unless the store you're at already has it in stock, )
A cure or boost spell is wasted if the target ally dies before the spell is cast
Can't teleport out of dungeons or back to a visited town (leads to a lot of backtracking (when you want to use the mystic key, going back to buy golden needles since there's no shop in Melmond, etc.)) - Exit spell is acquired pretty late and requires promotion to wizard
No ethers early on?
Characters are blank slates (no party banter, no development, no personal back stories)
Some trial & error (some status effects stay after battle while others don't, no clues to the airship location?, unintuitive town exits (easy to exit by accident in some towns))
Plot oddities (guy in crescent lake doesn't comment on you having the levi-stone, where did the light warriors come from?, Astos (evil elf king) acts as if you've already met him if you went to the marsh cave for the crown before his keep, quest related dialogue from NPCs tends to not get updated)
Monks end up not being very useful
Grinding for money leads to an overpowered party (you can skip equipment/spells and backtrack to get them later but where's the fun in that?)
Some redundant gear/spells (teleport, paralyse)
Some dead space (dead ends, empty rooms)
Palette swapped enemies
New magic point system overpowers mages
Mostly simplistic and repetitive dungeon designs
Re-used enemies in different areas makes each area feel less distinct
Less gear for non-knights in towns
No alternate solution to stuff like the gem-eating giant (makes it feel like opening a locked door instead of it being an interesting encounter)
Numerous NPCs still share dialogue with one another
Mostly poor sprite animation
Bugs:
-The Mute spell was confirmed to paralyze instead of silence characters when enemies succeeded in affecting them
-A bug with Intellect was determined in which equipment was able to increase Int over 255, overflowing its byte.
Level Design-6 Frustration-6.5 Fun-5 Originality-4
Overall Score-5.5
+
Choose the class of each of your four characters (you'll start out with a full party of four characters, can't change classes in-game)
run button
Somewhat improved writing/translation (still keeps classic lines)
Cheaper gear/spells in the beginning
Interface improvements (item stacking and inventory sorting, optimal gear equip, shop interface, faster character creation, run from battle by holding l+r)
Characters no longer waste attacks on dead enemies
Nice spell effects
Unlockables (art gallery, bestiary, music player, time chamber - revisit beaten floors in the labyrinth of time)
Four new dungeons (unlock by beating the fiends)
Peninsula of power (tough optional encounters early on)
Hidden mini-game (simple tile switching puzzle though and it takes too long to get any good rewards)
New game+ (only the bestiary is carried over...)
Map feature
Much improved battle backgrounds
Game world gradually opens itself up (boats, airship, choose your own path through the dungeons in the second half of the game)
New enemies and bosses
Class promotion (one level per class - thief-ninja, warrior-knight, monk-master, red mage-red wizard, white mage-white wizard, black mage-back wizard)
Stat increasing items (small chance of +2 or +3)
A few memorable characters
Decent cutscenes for some major events
Elemental and weapon immunities and weaknesses on enemies (mostly minor effects)
Revive and soft potions usable in battle (not so on NES)
Some new music
Uses for equipment items during battle (unlimited use here, description hints at use)
Change gear during battle
Some non-random encounters in the bonus dungeons
Some innovative dungeon design (floor traps, lava, teleporter maze, spike floor)
Super fast overworld travel by ship
+/-
The game is easier overall (based on the Origins (PS1) version; phoenix down, ether, hi-potion, cheaper items, faster leveling etc. - some tougher bosses and nerfed treasure though) and there's no 'original difficulty' mode
Can't buy spells to memorize later
Can't run in the overworld
Can't rest in-doors (except for at inns)
A couple of new references to later games
Save anywhere (removes a lot of tension from the game)
Thief went from under- to overpowered
Unlimited inventory space
Many fetch quests
Has a very colorful and cutesy look to it (the original was a bit darker)
Tile-based movement (stiff around walls)
Can't spread out multiple hit attacks among different enemies (means you need to think about how to attack efficiently but also hinders some tactical flexibility)
Stackable stat boosting spells (Temper - rebalanced in a mod)
Can't talk to NPCs (silent protagonist, would've been useful to ask Unne about the Lufenians for example)
Only the white mage is female?
Straightforward and mostly lighthearted story with shallow characters and scenarios
Separate music for when you're in the menu
Can't cast stat boosting spells outside of battle (could've been time limited - see D&D games
Leads to some early spells not getting much use)
Different use for haste/slow compared to later games (affects no. of attacks)
Being defeated in one of the bonus dungeons sends you back to its entrance (on the other hand this is the only way to exit them unless you beat the bosses at the end, you get to keep any collected experience and loot though)
Sky palace no longer has a high tech look
Difficulty of the suggested next dungeon doesn't increase if you take a different path (for example going to the ice cavern before Mt. Gulg)?
-
Very frequent random encounters which can't be avoided (slows the pace considerably and causes repetition)
No difficulty options (there are mods though; one for balance and one making the game harder)
Thieves can't steal
Control/interface issues (can't determine who will strike first in a turn? (the game doesn’t show how the turn will play out beforehand – see FF10, character order doesn't matter?), curative items/spells about to be used after all enemies are dead in a battle are skipped, need to check the manual for some info (stats), no journal or notebook feature (for writing down/saving collected info from NPCs for later), commands can't be stored until the next battle (memory feature only saves the last turn's input), lacking gear descriptions (stat changes), can't check a piece of equipment's stats in a shop unless you can afford it, sometimes no indicator of an enemy or ally being affected when using spells (slow, fear; temper, elemental protection), no dungeon maps, some abbreviated spell and stat names, number of attacks and magic defense aren't shown in the character status screen (added in a mod), limited store inventories (need to memorize where some items are sold), bestiary doesn't show spell/weapon type affinities, no defend or wait commands, menu browsing via l/r doesn’t work when casting spells, can't repurchase a sold item unless the store you're at already has it in stock, )
A cure or boost spell is wasted if the target ally dies before the spell is cast
Can't teleport out of dungeons or back to a visited town (leads to a lot of backtracking (when you want to use the mystic key, going back to buy golden needles since there's no shop in Melmond, etc.)) - Exit spell is acquired pretty late and requires promotion to wizard
No ethers early on?
Characters are blank slates (no party banter, no development, no personal back stories)
Some trial & error (some status effects stay after battle while others don't, no clues to the airship location?, unintuitive town exits (easy to exit by accident in some towns))
Plot oddities (guy in crescent lake doesn't comment on you having the levi-stone, where did the light warriors come from?, Astos (evil elf king) acts as if you've already met him if you went to the marsh cave for the crown before his keep, quest related dialogue from NPCs tends to not get updated)
Monks end up not being very useful
Grinding for money leads to an overpowered party (you can skip equipment/spells and backtrack to get them later but where's the fun in that?)
Some redundant gear/spells (teleport, paralyse)
Some dead space (dead ends, empty rooms)
Palette swapped enemies
New magic point system overpowers mages
Mostly simplistic and repetitive dungeon designs
Re-used enemies in different areas makes each area feel less distinct
Less gear for non-knights in towns
No alternate solution to stuff like the gem-eating giant (makes it feel like opening a locked door instead of it being an interesting encounter)
Numerous NPCs still share dialogue with one another
Mostly poor sprite animation
Bugs:
-The Mute spell was confirmed to paralyze instead of silence characters when enemies succeeded in affecting them
-A bug with Intellect was determined in which equipment was able to increase Int over 255, overflowing its byte.