First Time Final Fantasy – Our Story Begins

The greatest stories ever told have but one thing in common, one shared pillar of their creation that elevates them beyond the reach of all other stories, towering above the petty works of lesser mortals.

They were written by someone other than me.

It can be strange to look at the totality of creative work that has survived to the present day and think, “Now what kind of a shot do I have of making something that lasts even a fraction of that lifespan in the social consciousness?” Well, statistically speaking, and with ever-shrinking attention spans being a major factor, your odds aren’t good. They’re abysmal actually. But take heart! For though it is a quieter, more solitary path, one crowded with undergrowth and shade-dappled by heavy trees overhead, there is still a way to achieve a kind of creative immortality.

Influence.

And it is hard to argue that there are many franchises in the video game space as influential on the medium and on video game storytelling writ large, as Final Fantasy.

Or, so I’ve been told.

Alright, grandiose language aside, all of this stuff about legacy and influence is more of a called shot, a belief formed by cultural osmosis. To really throw myself to the wolves of the gamer-verse, I must make an honest confession.

I’ve never finished a mainline Final Fantasy. Well, there are two exceptions to that rule, but we’ll come back to that at a later date.

Tactics Advance? Absolutely! One of my all-time favorites!

Crystal Chronicles? You know I was there for that shit!

Revenant Wings? Hey man, why you gotta bring that up, my mom got it for me, alright? She didn’t know any better.

Crystal Bearers for the Nintendo Wii? Now you’re just being mean.

But seriously, having spent basically my entire life immersed in gaming, Final Fantasy has somehow always been a weird blind spot for me. Until now.

Because friends, we’re going back to the start.

As a fun, monthly segment on this little archive of mine, I’m going to be playing the mainline Final Fantasy games in order from I to XVI, with the likely exclusion of XI because it sounds like a ginormous pain to setup and I’m already cashing in my one MMO token for XIV. Sound good?

So come along with me, as we embark on an epic journey through one of gaming’s biggest franchises, Final Fantasy, starting (of course!) with Final Fantasy I.