Review
Release Date: 12.09.2000
Platform:
Wonderswan ColorDeveloper:
Square Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Square Co., Ltd.Reviewed by
Christian Kontul on 4.11.2003
Until a couple years ago, the number of portable RPGs worth playing could be counted on one hand...And that's a generous estimation. Since the original Gameboy's inception, only two or three games actually deserve having their names mentioned; whether or not they can even be considered true role-playing games is debatable.
Admittedly, games like the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Final Fantasy Adventure, and Pokemon may be considered some of the best portable software ever, but three games over the span of ten years isn't really satisfactory. Thankfully, with the advent of more powerful portable hardware, additional and better RPGs have been hitting the market, a lot of which are ports.
Unfortunately, when most companies decide to bring an older piece of software to a console like the Gameboy Advance, they rarely add many, if any, upgrades. New graphics or music, an updated translation, a deeper gameplay engine, these are all "overlooked" in favor of quickly and cheaply producing a game that already has selling power.
Square wasn't satisfied with this process.
When Bandai revealed its Wonderswan Color handheld in early 2000, everyone was fairly surprised to see Square supporting the new hardware with a port of Final Fantasy, as well as Final Fantasy II and III. All three titles, which originated on Nintendo's Famicom (the Japanese equivalent of the Nintendo Entertainment System), had never been ported to another system. The Wonderswan had already proven to be a large disappointment in the face of the Gameboy Advance, and while Square had previously dabbled on the portable with Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and Working Chocobo, one couldn't help but wonder why the RPG giant was bringing such enormously classic titles to portable hardware that was obviously playing second fiddle. Any why, in the process, were they expending so many resources on updating each game so damn much?
Obviously, there are several possibilities; perhaps Square wanted to prove some point to Nintendo, or maybe they wanted to remain on Sony's good side; it's feasible Bandai gave them a little money for some support, or Square may have thought the Wonderswan Color was a viable platform...
...Come on, it's possible.
As a matter of fact, each one of these hypotheses is viable. At the same time, they could be wrong. Several hours and numerous pages could be spent speculating on this subject, but would it prove anything? Nope. And since this intro's getting a little long...
No, the most important question facing gamers when thinking of this classic remake is, "Should I be pissed this game will most likely never be available for me to play?" This query requires no debate; yes, everyone should be upset Final Fantasy on the Wonderswan Color will never come to America.
Let's face it; this is Final Fantasy we're talking about. No matter how you feel about recent installments in this series, there's no denying these games are timeless, classic, and, at times, downright revolutionary. Over the years, Final Fantasy has covered so many topics, it's hard to imagine anyone who has played these games hasn't been able to make a connection with a character or relate to a certain situation.
And, certainly, the original Final Fantasy is archaic by today's standards. The story is one-dimensional, the gameplay is relatively shallow, and the original NES installment's graphics and sound are as appealing as walking in on your parents. Of course, excluding the superficial maladies, that sounds like the perfect recipe for a near-perfect portable role-playing game.
Final Fantasy tells the story of the Light Warriors, a group of four heroes destined to save the world from the elemental fiends.
...Um, that about sums it up.
With the exception of one plot twist near the end of the game, FF features an incredibly simple plot with absolutely no character development. After starting a new game, all party members are immediately accounted for and the quest is laid out. From there, it's just a matter of guiding the heroes from point A, to point B, to point C, all the while gaining experience and collecting money.
Thankfully, Square saw fit to address one of the original Final Fantasy's ailments; the battles were really freakin' slow. Fortunately, enemy encounters breeze by in the WSC version. Initially, selecting options then viewing their results and accompanying text in the NES game took quite a while, but the new FF's fights move as swiftly as any of the Super Nintendo installments.
Combat is turn-based, with each characters' turn being decided by an agility statistic. In the original game, battles lacked an auto-targeting system, but Square has seen fit to remedy this. If you're unfamiliar with this terminology, a brief explanation is in order. If all four characters are ordered to attack an enemy, but it dies before each member finishes his or her respective turn, they move on to attack another monster that is still available. This is auto-targeting. Final Fantasy on the NES lacked this option, so gamers were forced to determine how much damage each enemy could take and what course of action should be set in motion to most effectively eliminate all threats.
Some purists may view this as committing blasphemy against a classic piece of software, but before you all run to grab your tar and feathers, be aware that Square has included an option to turn auto-targeting off.
One thing that hasn't changed after all these years is Final Fantasy's almost unforgiving difficulty level. When starting a new game, the player is given the option of selecting what class they want each character to be. There are a total of six, Fighter, Thief, Ninja, Black Mage, White Mage, and Red Mage, and each group has a different set of attributes. The Fighter, for instance, is the most well-rounded character, while the Black Mage is good with attack magic but poor at physical assault and defending. Creating and balancing a party is just one of the many facets to FF's gameplay, and the results can make the game easier or more difficult, depending on each choice.
No matter which characters make up a party, though, a lot of level building is required. Keeping each person at a fairly high level is a must, or, when exploring a new area, it's possible for the entire group to get wiped out immediately. Buying new weapons and armor, as well as magic, is a must. A vast majority of the time spent playing Final Fantasy will be building experience, but that's one of the reasons why this portable upgrade succeeds so well.
Final Fantasy is a straightforward RPG that does what it's supposed to do fittingly; it provides gamers with a long, interesting diversion on those long roadtrips. Being able to just turn on the Wonderswan for a couple hours and fight in battles, then taking a break with the newly added quicksave option, is a lot of fun that even proves relaxing on some occasions. FF being pretty easy on the eyes only makes enjoying it so much easier...
Development studios take note; this is how to upgrade a remake. Square went to work on Bandai's WSC hardware and produced what is perhaps the most visually stunning handheld RPG yet. Final Fantasy surpasses even Final Fantasy IV and V on the Super Nintendo in terms of graphical competance. While that's not necessarily ground-breaking by today's console standards, its head and shoulders above the competition in the portable market.
Everything from the original title has been completely redesigned. While all the towns and dungeons return, each one has received a makeover with better structure design and a larger color palette. Similarly, all character sprites have been rehauled to feature more detail and animation. The battles, in particular, have benefitted a lot from the graphical upgrade. All sprites, especially bosses, are very large, sometimes taking up an entirely side of the screen. There isn't much in the way of animation, but what's there is impressive. Spell effects, also, are superb. The only thing that hinders the visual bliss that is Final Fantasy is the Wonderswan Color's screen, which doesn't seem to reflect anything but artificial light very well.
Unfortunately, hardware design holds back another superficial aspect of Final Fantasy as well. The speaker on the Wonderswan Color stands as one of the worst in portable gaming history. If the volume on the handheld is turned up all the well, the sound blares horribly. When at a more reasonable volume, however, it's bearable. Ideally, the game should be played with headphones on, but the WSC requires a specific set and they're pretty rare.
Despite this, Nobuo Uematsu's music still manages to shine through. All the songs from the original Nintendo game have been retained, though the quality has increased.
It really is unfortunate the Wonderswan Color version of Final Fantasy will never reach the US; this game is the model for how a designer should create a portable RPG. Even though the plot leaves a lot to be desired, the lush graphics and fun gameplay are more than enough to engage most gamers in this 30 hour quest.
