History VideoGame / FinalFantasyI

The fighting game ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' serves as a sort of {{prequel}} which gives events in this game a bit more depth and exposition, while ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'' is another prequel spin-off to this game.

* NintendoHard: A series of glitches severely limits the damage output of every class barring the Monk, and your sources of healing inside dungeons are severely limited. Spell use is limited, and several spells literally don't work. The abundance of OneHitKill attacks (and, thanks to more glitches, a lack of ways to protect yourself from them) can make certain dungeons downright miserable. Later updates to the game streamlined the inventory and equipment systems, made certain battle commands easier, and most importantly fixed the worst of the bugs. Plus, the casting system of "limit X uses per level per day" was replaced with the familiar {{Mana}} system in remakes.
** Ironically, changing to a Mana system essentially ''depowered'' mages: in order to counter the fact that mages would be able to cast ''many'' more spells (Flare and Holy every round? '''HELL YEAH!'''), all enemies received a particularly large boost to magic defense, such that a black mage casting Flare (level 8 spell, 40 MP) is significantly less effective than a fighter smacking an enemy around with Haste (level 4 spell, 16 MP) and Temper (level ''2'' spell, ''4'' MP).

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The original NES release used different translations for many character's names, due mainly to space restrictions. The recent re-releases have changed them back, and you can generally tell how old a ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' fan is by whether they talk about "Monks" or "Black Belts".

...[[ExcusePlot and that's pretty much it]]. It was almost entirely DungeonCrawling, lifted whole-cloth from the first edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Your party go from town-to-town in order to save them from [[AdventureTowns local threats and such]]. However, the plot had more complexities than the usual [[UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 8-bit fare]]: The party learns of "Four Fiends" who are sucking the Crystals dry, [[MrExposition receive wisdom]] from the Circle of Sages, uncover a LostWorld populated by people who were driven from [[FloatingContinent their home in the skies]], and [[TimeTravel travel through time]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A keen eye might notice that the Four Fiends all possess a common visual cue: purple and gold predominantly upon their person, be it as clothing or as part of their body, [[spoiler: the very same as Garland's cape. This is because the Four Fiends originally ''spawned from him'' as incarnations of his hatred permeating the four elements of the world.]]

* BonusBoss:
** Go to the top of the Flying Fortress (that's the long narrow bridge leading to Tiamat), and there's a 3/256 chance of encountering a Warmech. If you do, you're in for a tough time; it has incredibly high stats, and knows [[NukeEm Nuclear]]/Atomize and isn't afraid to use it.
** The elemental bonus dungeons in the GBA version have [[LegacyBossBattle bosses]] from ''[=FFIII=]'' to ''VI''.
** The Labyrinth of Time in the PSP and [=iOS=] versions has Chronodia, who has eight versions, each based on the number of blue and red seals you opened in the Labyrinth.

** The remakes that include the bonus dungeons add several much more powerful weapons, which usually require beating a difficult BonusBoss. The absolute strongest weapon (in terms of sheer damage output) as of the game's UpdatedRerelease on [=PSP=] is the Barbarian's Sword, which is dropped by the most powerful version of Chronodia (herself the game's hardest BonusBoss).

* SaveToken: Sleeping Bags, Tents, and Cottages, which are the only way to save outside of an Inn. Remakes from ''Dawn of Souls'' onward avert this trope and allow you to save anywhere instead.
* SequelHook: [[spoiler: Downplayed, and "Prequel Hook" would be more accurate. The ending text for the Pixel Remaster briefly questions how the TimeLoop began in the first place, setting the stage for ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', which was set to come out later on.]]

** In all versions, the Castle of Ordeals/Citadel of Trials. Due to a river near it, it's the one location on the northern continent that can be reached before acquiring the airship (though it does require getting the canoe, which requires beating Lich). While potentially difficult, the hostile fauna don't have nearly as many cheap tricks as some of the random encounters in the next two dungeons that the party is directed towards, the level layout is much simpler and less deadly (''e.g.'' no floors that damage the party), and the equipment found inside is around on par with the best loot at the lowest levels of those two areas. Plus, the bosses of the Castle/Citadel are [[{{Dracolich}} Zombie Dragons]], which have [[WeaksauceWeakness several easily exploited vulnerabilities]]. Stopping by there before trying to defeat Kary/Marillith or acquiring the Floater/Float Stone makes those two tasks significantly easier, both in terms of having more experience and better gear.

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: The bestiary of ''Final Fantasy'' was essentially the same as that of ''D&D 1E''. Several monsters were renamed in the NES release to prevent any possible lawsuit with Creator/{{TSR}}, then-owners of ''D&D''. Most prominently, Fiend of Fire Marilith, based on a high-ranking demon in ''D&D'', became Kary (though she went by her original name in re-releases). Similarly, the {{Oculothorax}}es (Beholders) were changed to the Eye and the Phantom (renamed Evil Evil and Death Eye in re-releases).

* FunetikAksent: The ''Dawn of Souls'' re-release gives all dwarves an extremely thick Scottish brogue.

** In the NES version, the Cornelia Castle theme blares inside the Western Keep and the Citadel of Trials. ''Origins'' replaces it with a hauntingly sad rendition.

* SaveThePrincess: This is your very first task, to save Princess Sarah from Garland. At the time the game was released, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Link]] and [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI The Descendant]] were rescuing royal damsels in distress as high priority missions; here, you get that out of the way before you even see the real title screen.

* SaveThePrincess: This is your very first task, to save Princess Sarah from Garland. At the time the game was released, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] and [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI The Descendant]] were rescuing royal damsels in distress as high priority missions; here, you get that out of the way before you even see the real title screen.

* ResurrectionSickness: Unless you cast Life 2, reviving a character only brings them back to life with a single hit point. This once again has its roots in ''D&D'' - Raise Dead is a mid-level spell but always leaves the recipient weakened in some way (though the precise fashion differs between editions), while True Resurrection is a high-level spell that foregoes this issue.

** Several spells just plain [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Spells_Glitch didn't work]], making them ''literal'' useless spells. One spell actually helps the enemies! Additionally, weapons with elemental affinities [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Equipment_Bugs didn't actually do the damage they were supposed to]].

* BlindIdiotTranslation: One may argue that the German translation of ''Dawn of Souls'' is this. Most things are translated correctly, except for Intelligence, which is translated as IQ. It's highly unlikely that anyone with an IQ lower than 20 would be qualified to save ''anything'', much less know how to cast magic or swing a sword.

* TakeThat: In Elfheim, a [[GraveHumor tombstone]] reads "[[VideoGame/DragonQuestI Here lies Erdrick]]" or "[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Here lies Link]]", depending on the version.

* NoHeroDiscount: Despite that people in almost every town acknowledge your party as the official Light Warriors who are prophesized to save the world, you are charged full price for everything.

* AIRoulette: Averted in the NES version. While the chance of using a physical attack, a spell (if the monster has them), or a special (if the monster has them) is random, the order they use their abilities are not. Each spellcasting enemy has a list of spells, and it always uses them in the same order, starting from the beginning if they cast all the spells on the list. The same goes for special abilities, which are on a separate list and kept track of separately from spells if the monster has both. Played straight by the Pixel Remaster version, since the enemy AI has been reworked to be less predictable and give returning players a new challenge. %%I'm not sure whether any of the other versions do it this way, but FF1 for NES is very well-documented.

* SaveThePrincess: This is your very first task, to save Princess Sarah from Garland. At the time the game was released, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] and [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI The Descendant]] were rescuing royal damsels in distress as high priority missions; you get that out of the way before you even see the real title screen.

** A few [=NPCs=] mention that the northern kingdoms used to be far more prosperous than Cornelia. While the southern kingdoms are relatively safe from the Fiends (outside of Melmond), the northern kingdoms were all but destroyed by Tiamat and Kraken, leaving few towns that remain.
** In the NES and [=MSX2=] versions, a late-game twist makes it clear that a more traditional version of the trope is in play: the "Flying Fortress" in those versions is revealed on entry to be a full-blown orbital {{space station}}, meaning that the "prosperous nations" of the past had access to super-modern technology and that the scope of devastation inflicted by Tiamat and Kraken is much more extensive than you first thought. The robots had previously hinted at this, but the Fortress makes clear just how far it goes and if you look closely to the area you teleport in from, you can see what looks like computer consoles. Later versions dilute this revelation, though, as the Fortress is heavily redesigned to be a more traditionally fantastical "castle in the clouds".

''Final Fantasy'' [[BreakthroughHit saved Square from bankruptcy]]. The legend goes that Sakaguchi chose the name knowing [[ItWillNeverCatchOn the project would likely fail]] and that he and [=SquareSoft=] would retire from the video game business; [[LittleDidIKnow little did he know]] that his [[GallowsHumor gallow's joke]] would become the longest-running oxymoron in gaming nomenclature. However, according to Sakaguchi, the team wanted something which could be [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal abbreviated using the Roman alphabet]]. They were also set on something which could be condensed into four-syllables; ''Final Fantasy'' (pronounced “efu efu” in Japanese) fit both criteria. Though, “Final” wasn’t the team’s first choice: it was supposed to be ''Fighting Fantasy''. However, they had to nix that title when they discovered that there was already a board game called ''Fighting Fantasy'', which is based on [[Literature/FightingFantasy a series of British adventure books.]]

* TruerToTheText: The ''Pixel Remaster'' is closer to the NES version in terms of content, lacking the new bosses and dungeons added to the Game Boy Advance and [=PlayStation=] Portable versions, and reverting back to the spell charge system for magic. The only thing that was kept that was not in the original NES versions is the new BattleThemeMusic for bosses, the Fiends, and the final boss.

Originally released in 1987 on the Famicom (1990 for the NES version), it was first ported to the UsefulNotes/MSX2 in Japan in '89. A remastered version for the UsefulNotes/WonderSwan Color was released in Japan in 2000; the [=WonderSwan=] version was the basis for the 2002 UsefulNotes/PlayStation port as a part of the CompilationRerelease ''Final Fantasy Origins'', and later the 2004 UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance port. Like ''Origins'', the GBA version (''Dawn of Souls'') was bundled with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', but it added four new {{Bonus Dungeon}}s. For the 20th anniversary of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was again remastered for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable and the Japanese UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS [=eShop=]. There are also versions of the game for mobile phones. In 2021, this game was remastered as a part of the ''Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster'' series, which was released on PC via Steam and mobile devices. In 2023 the ''Pixel Remaster'' version was also released for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 with a few changes that take into account feedback from the Steam and mobile versions.

* TruerToTheText: The ''Pixel Remaster'' is closer to the NES version in terms of content, lacking the new bosses and dungeons added to the Game Boy Advance and [=PlayStation=] Portable versions, and reverting back to the spell charge system for magic.

** The Lute is a reward given to the Light Warriors after they save Sara, but it doesn't come into play until close to the end of the game.

** The "Thief" class can't actually steal from enemies.

* FinalDungeonPreview: The first major fight in the game happens in the ruins north of Corneria, which ends up being an entryway to the much more-impressive Chaos Temple, that same temple 2000 years in the past. The DarkKnight who was holed up in the ruins turns out to be the leader of the Four Fiends.

** Princess Sarah is featured quite prominently on the cover andyoud be forgiven for assuming that rescuing her is the main goal of the hero. Her rescue is completed before the opening credits and once she's safe at home she's not relevant to the plot in any capacity. Her presence seems to have been grandfathered in by most medieval fantasy stories featuring a knight going off to save a princess (a trope Videogame/DragonQuestI fell headfirst into as well), more than any real plot relevance.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The Warrior of Light depicted on the Famicom cover is based on Amano's old concept art for the Knight, and doesn't look much like any of the main characters or possible jobs (ironically except for Garland). He does tend to serve as an unofficial mascot for the game, though, and shows up in the opening cutscene of the PSX version and as the main repenstive of the game in spin offs.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Bikke and his crew start out as the straight plundering type, terrorizing the citizens of Pravoka. But once your party beats them, they end up hanging around town [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything doing nothing]]. Well, Bikke does, by dint of no longer having a ship since he gave you one. (You slaughtered his crew, though.)