Warriors of Light - The Beginning of a Legend

(Video from Youtube.com)

The Beginning of an Era

     The game that started it all, Final Fantasy (also called Final Fantasy I), was the last breath of hope from Squaresoft in 1987, a company that was facing bankruptcy at the time.  Inspired by games such as Ultima and Wizardry, the game focuses on the a party of four playable characters through dangerous locales, small towns and villages, and fierce battles in a turn-based combat system.

The battle system from the first Final Fantasy game.
(Image from the Final Fantasy Wiki)

     The story is a simple one, but the themes of which would continue to echo into other games in the franchise for years to come.  Four Warriors of Light, unnamed in the original game, travel the vast world around them to stop the evil knight, Garland, from bringing darkness to the realm.  While the story in its first iteration was simple for its time, its idea of "Warriors of Light" carrying the burden of saving the world from being engulfed in darkness and ultimately prevailing would later be synonymous with the series in future Final Fantasy titles.

     The ideas set in the Final Fantasy game would later become the popular mainstay of many other Role-Playing Games preceeding it, both in terms of future installments of the Final Fantasy series as well as games outside of the franchise by other companies, where the turn-based combat would be the major influence of the game.

The Warrior of Light, as depicted by Tetsuya Nomura
(Image from the Final Fantasy Wiki)

     While originally called orbs, the series would later be known for its iconic theme of crystals and a battle between light and dark.  Among other icons (such as the Chocobo, Moogle, and Cactuar, for instance), the 'crystal' theme would be prevalent in future games in the series.  Also carrying over are, again, the theme of Warriors of Light - people who were bestowed power, in one way or another by the crystals, whom would then go on to combat the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy or attack their world.

     The game also introduces the baseline idea for the series iconic class/job system (which would not technically be realized until Final Fantasy III and later established in Final Fantasy V).  Mostly known to be a Final Fantasy staple, this system allowed the player to customize their party of heroes to whatever configuration they chose best.  The original game established the series' first six classes, which would later become the iconic classes and jobs in the franchise - Warrior/Fighter, Monk/Master, Thief/Ninja, White Mage/White Wizard, Black Mage/Black Wizard, and Red Mage/Red Wizard. These six classes (which would be upgraded into jobs later in the game) would set the series' original jobs that would become even more pronounced as each new game added to the system.

     Final Fantasy was one of the most influential role-playing games to hit consoles during the late 1980s.  While other games such as Dragon Quest introduced gamers to the concept of a role-playing game, Final Fantasy helped to push the genre into the limelight of popularity.  The first Final Fantasy has been re-released on various other platforms, each re-release having improved graphics, sounds, and even added bonuses.  Today, the game can be found on platforms such as the Game Boy Advance, the PlayStation Portable, and even on your smartphone or tablet.