Enjoy this old-school RPG once again in a new appealing appearance never seen before with new content!
Genre: RPG
Developer: Squareenix
System: Playstation Portable (PSP)
Total Score: 85/100
Value Score: 8.5/10
• Story: 7/10
o Final Fantasy 1's storyline is pretty barebones compared to the other games in the series however if followed closely through the text of the NPCs and the paths that the heroes take, one can see a pretty well defined storyline although only through actually playing the game the first few hours without knowing what the hell is the point of the storyline. Down to Earth terms, the 4 warriors of light have come to the kingdom of Cornelia bearing 4 crystals which resonate with light. They are told that they can advance further only by rescuing the princess Sarah of Cornelia who was kidnapped by a Rogue Knight named Garland. Upon Garland's defeat and Sarah's rescue, the warriors begin their true journey to power up their crystals in order to fight the true force behind the chaos in the world.
• Characters: 8/10
o Although one might not seem to see it at first, FF1's character roster is pretty decent for a RPG made during the NES era. For one you can create up to 4 custom characters with your own names as the names do not make an impact nor any of the individual playable characters unless you count in battle. You have some of the main characters that influence the storyline or show cased in art such as Sara, Garland and Chaos. The 4 elemental fiends of Chaos are also present in the storyline and although they do not make a appearance other than two times (per fiend) you meet, their lines right before you fight just shows you the intensity of the power of their role. Along with that a lot of other minor characters and a huge bestiary of different types of monsters.
• GamePlay: 8/10
o Final Fantasy 1 Anniversary's battle system is a vast improvement over the previous versions (which include the original, Dawn of Souls and Origins). The gameplay is far more smoother especially in battle and you have the option to increase the time flow in battle to make grinding far easier. Other than that the gameplay is similar, you have 4 characters who take turns targeting a enemy in battle. You have the choice of 6 different classes which can also be upgraded later to more powerful classes. You have magic which you can purchase from the shops, 3 spells per magic level (with a total of 8 magic levels). You can also purchase weapons and armor from shops to increase your atk and def of your characters. As you level up (from experience like a normal RPG) your hp, stats and the chance of hits per attack increases. The gameplay outside of battle is pretty linear but that really should not be a issue for a game that is a remake of a game that came out close to 20 years ago.
• Graphics: 10/10
o Final Fantasy 1 Anniversary is the best looking version of the entire FF1 remakes/versions. The game is a high res 2D and the artwork is simply breathtaking. This is probably as great as it will get considering the 2D high res sprites are pretty much close to HD like. The re-designs of the cutscenes and the environments of the game is simply breath taking.
• Sound: 8/10
o Final Fantasy 1 Anniversary's sound effects have improved but not really much to note much of a difference from the Dawn of Souls version.
• Music: 10/10
o Final Fantasy 1 Anniversary uses the same soundtrack version from Final Fantasy 1 Dawn of Souls which is a step above Origins' version of the soundtrack. Thanks to the PSP/iOS' sound cards, the game simply sounds amazing.
• Length: 7/10
o Final Fantasy 1 really isn't a long game, the overall main storyline should take you only about 10-15 hours depending on how much you grind or explore. The game also includes the Soul of Rebirth and a extra new dungeon not seen in the Dawn of Souls which can easily add another 5 hours. For a game that came out in 20 years and with improvement and extra content added, this is a pretty good thing.
• Replay Value: 7/10
o Final Fantasy 1 does not include a new game+ but it does have a similar feature where you can transfer your monster bestiary. However it does include the Dawn of Souls Soul of Chaos dungeons which can easily add a few hours to your overall gameplay, along with that the game includes a exclusive dungeon only found in the PSP version and other versions after it.
• Player Value: 10/10
o If you haven't played Final Fantasy 1, this is your best chance as this is the best version out there. With a improved appealing appearance and design, incredible music, fantastic gameplay battle system and a whole new bunch of extras never seen before, this is the game you must get. Whether you are a old FF fan who played Dawn of Souls/Origins/Original or haven't played FF1 or a new fan, this game is worth every single coin.