Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy is the 1987 role-playing game from Square that was, famously, the last-ditch attempt by a struggling company to save itself. Named with self-aware irony as the game that would make or break Square's fortunes, it instead became a phenomenon that launched one of the longest-running and most beloved RPG franchises in history. You choose a party of four Warriors of Light from six available classes — Fighter, Thief, Black Mage, White Mage, Red Mage, and Monk — and set out to restore four elemental crystals and defeat the world's malevolent forces.

Final Fantasy established conventions that define the genre to this day: turn-based combat, a magic point system for spells, equipment upgrades, and a world map connecting towns, dungeons, and wilderness. The game is surprisingly deep for its era — class promotions at the halfway point transform your Warriors into more powerful versions, and the final dungeon, the Temple of Fiends, requires careful resource management and strategic party composition. Shopping for spells and gear in each new town creates a satisfying loop of incremental preparation before each challenge.

What makes the original Final Fantasy special beyond its historical significance is its scope and ambition. For a 1987 NES game, it tells a surprisingly intricate story involving time loops, a mysterious villain, and a world on the brink of ruin. The soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu — including the iconic Prelude and Main Theme — established a musical language for epic gaming adventure that Square would refine across 16 sequels. This is where it all began.