The Final Fantasy Legend
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| The Final Fantasy Legend | |
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| Developer(s) | Square |
| Publisher(s) | Square NA Sunsoft (GB re-release) |
| Designer(s) | Akitoshi Kawazu |
| Series | SaGa Final Fantasy Legend |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy, Wonderswan Color, mobile phones |
| Release date | Game Boy JP December 15, 1989 NA September 30, 1990 NA 1998 (re-release) Wonderswan Color JP 2002 Mobile phone JP 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Console role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media | 2 megabit cartridge, 32 megabit cartridge (Wonderswan Color) |
The Final Fantasy Legend, known as Makai Toushi SaGa in Japan (魔界塔士Sa・Ga; roughly translated as "Saga: Heroes of the Infernal Tower"), is a Game Boy video game. The first game in a three-part SaGa series on the Game Boy, it was released in 1989 by Square. It was also remade for the Wonderswan Color and mobile phones in Japan. The Game Boy version was released worldwide by Square, and its re-release was handed by Sunsoft. Other than the name, the game has little to do with the Final Fantasy franchise, and it was so named for marketing reasons. As of March 31, 2003, the Game Boy version had shipped 1.37 million copies worldwide, with 1.15 million of those copies being shipped in Japan.[1] The Final Fantasy Legend operates on a turn based RPG system, in which the game's characters battle monsters using a variety of weapons.
The game follows the story of four heroes that attempt to scale a tower at the center of the world, which supposedly leads to paradise. The four heroes controlled by the player may be one of three character classes, two of which may have different genders and one of which contains many subsets.
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[edit] Gameplay
The Final Fantasy Legend uses a simple turn-based battle system. Battles take place inside dungeons and on the overworld map, a large area which represents the entire scope of the game. From the overworld, the game's four characters can enter towns and dungeons. Enemies will appear randomly; when a monster appears, the game shifts to a screen showing the monsters that have appeared. The player then has the option to either fight or run; however, fighting is an essential part of Final Fantasy Legend, as the abilities and money earned in battle are needed in order to progress past the game's later areas. Running is not always successful, and if it fails, the enemies receive a free round of attacks. There is no time limit and the order of gameplay does not have to be 100% linear.
[edit] Character classes
While The Final Fantasy Legend contains only three character classes (two of which have Male or Female sub-classes), the development and operation of the classes is relatively complex for role-playing games of its time.
When a new game file is created, the player may choose the name and class of a main character. The classes are Human (Male or Female), Mutant (Male or Female), and Monster. Monsters do not have a gender, although the player may initially choose between several Monster types. The main player appears in the game's central town and then recruits (or simply creates) three more players into his or her party, choosing among the same initial set of classes. The main character is identical to other members of his or her class, although in the case of Humans and Mutants, the main character begins with more Hit Points ("HP"): Human main characters begin with 60 HP, while later-selected Humans begin with 40; Mutant main characters begin with 40 HP, while later-selected Mutants begin with 20. Monsters' HPs are determined solely by the type of Monster: the initial group of selectable monsters possess between 20 and 60 HP. Each party member has four different statistics - Strength, Agility, Hit Points, and Mana - which are leveled up as the game progresses. Strength is physical strength, or how much damage a given party member can inflict on enemies when using Strength-based weapons and skills, such as Swords and Axes. Agility determines a character's ability to dodge and land attacks, the damage meted out when using Agility-based weapons, such as Sabres and projectile weapons (i.e. guns and missiles), and also the character's attack priority (i.e. the order in which he or she gets to attack, relative to fellow party members and enemies). Hit Points gauge how much damage party members can withstand until they die. Finally, Mana determines a character's skill with magic.
The three character classes differ in their general characteristics and the manner in which they become more powerful by increasing their four attributes. Final Fantasy Legend differs from what may be considered the "traditional" model of role-playing character advancement. This model, used by both the original Dragon Quest/Warrior and Final Fantasy games for the NES console, is also known as the "level-building model." The level-building model, in its basic form, consists of each party member accruing a number of experience points ("EXP" or "EP") following each battle in which all enemies are defeated and the party member survives. This amount of EXP, which varies based on the difficulty of the enemy defeated, is added to a cumulative total, and at certain pre-set points, the player "gains a level," and all attributes increase. The players' attributes remain constant until a new level is reached.
By contrast, all three of the character classes in The Final Fantasy Legend advance their attributes through different means, and differ in other ways as well:
[edit] Humans
Humans (male or female) are archetypical "fighters." Humans begin with higher Strength and HP than Mutants, but with lower Agility. They possess the maximum number of inventory spaces: eight. Inventory spaces can be filled with as many weapons as space permits. If a Human equips multiple weapons, he or she can choose among them during battle, but the damage dealt will always simply be a function of that weapon's power and the Human's strength (i.e., equipping multiple weapons does not lead to a global increase in a Human's attack power). Humans can also increase their resistance to enemy attacks by equipping Helmets, Armor, and Gauntlets. Shields may be equipped, but in Final Fantasy Legend, the shield is not a strictly defensive item, but is used in battle in lieu of a weapon-based Attack in order to raise the odds of dodging an enemy attack entirely. Humans cannot use Magic and do not gain resistance or vulnerability to types of spells or enemy attacks. They are best suited for heavy weapons such as broadswords and axes. Because Humans may only use weapons, vigilance over equipment is especially important for that character class, and the carrying of multiple weapons is especially useful.
Attribute Building: The method of gaining attributes for Human characters is another unique aspect of Final Fantasy Legend gameplay. All Human attributes: HP, Strength, and Agility, are not gained through battle but are purchased as items at shops. For a human character to increase his or her stats, he or she must drink a specific potion, depending on the desired stat increase.
[edit] Mutants
Mutants (male or female), are primarily users of light swords and projectile weapons. General Characteristics: While Mutants also possess eight inventory spaces, only four are manipulable by the player. Therefore, a Mutant character must choose between some combination of Weapon, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlet, Shield, and Magic Book. The remaining four spots are occupied by naturally occurring spells or special abilities, as well as resistances and vulnerabilities to types of enemy spells or attacks. Naturally occurring spells are usable in battle, and often (though not always) mimic the effects of purchasable spell books (although often possess a different name). Naturally occurring spells typically possess a low Use Count, often 5, 10, or 15. However, Mutants may randomly gain the same ability and thus refresh the Use Count, or randomly lose the ability even if Uses remain. Abilities are grouped into three categories: Attack abilities (such as Flame) that operate much as regular spells and deal damage to one or more enemies; Defensive abilities, which may be used to increase the Agility of the caster or entire party), and Triggered abilities (such as P-Skin), which will deal heavy damage on an enemy that attacks that character, but will have no effect if the caster is not attacked after using the spell. Mutants may also use purchased magic (in the form of Magic Books), which typically possess a higher Use Count than naturally occurring spells: most often 20 or 30.
Attribute Building: As opposed to drinking potions in order to increase stats, Mutants gain stats simply by fighting. The gain of status attributes (Strength, Agility, and Mana) can be somewhat influenced by the player by using certain types of weapons, such as swords and martial arts for Strength; knives and firearms for Agility; and magic for Mana. Hit Points are upgraded simply by finishing fights, but the odds of attaining are random from fight to fight; they do not increase based on completing a certain number of fights.
[edit] Monsters
Monsters are the most distinctive of the three character classes. Monsters are playable versions of many of the enemies encountered throughout the game. They cannot equip weapons, but their inventory slots contain one or more naturally occurring abilities and often also contain resistances or vulnerabilities to types of attacks. A Monster character is initially selected as a member of the original party, out of a choice of four "entry-level" Monsters. Monsters are not so much upgraded as transformed: after a successful battle, there is a random chance that an enemy will leave "meat" behind. The Monster may choose or decline to eat the meat. If the meat is eaten, the monster will change into a different type of monster based on the existing monster type and the type of monster that left the meat. Eating the meat is a calculated risk. Generally, eating the meat of a more powerful enemy will create a more powerful monster and a less powerful enemy will lead to a less powerful monster. However, some combinations will lead to unexpectedly weak monsters, and some may lead to a monster that is not necessarily more or less powerful but may feature abilities that are more or less effective against enemies in a particular area. Boss monsters are known to drop potent meat, which may be the only way to become certain monsters. Meat of later bosses is required to achieve some top-tier monsters.
[edit] Story
Once, there was a tower in the center of the known world that supposedly led to Paradise. Although many people tried to climb this tower, none were ever heard from again. The player controls a party of adventurers who will attempt to climb this tower. This is the world the hero starts out in. Three kings in this world are fighting for three legendary pieces of equipment, the King Sword, Shield and Armor respectively. First visiting King Armor, the heroes find out he's love sick over a girl. The heroes find out she is a slime-type monster in another village and she loves King Armor, but is afraid of a bandit leader who wishes to marry her. The heroes track down the bandit and demand he give her up. He refuses, but is defeated by the heroes. He begs for mercy, but is given none. King Armor is so overjoyed that he gives his armor to the heroes. King Sword defiantly tries to kill the heroes when they ask for the King Sword, but is killed himself by them. Finally, King Shield is murdered by his own Steward and after a short fight against him, the heroes have all three legendary items. They place these on a statue of a great hero, which causes a Black Sphere to appear. As they take the Sphere, Gen-bu, one of the four fiends (based on the Su Ling) appears to kill them. They vanquish him, however, and use the power of the Sphere to enter the tower.
The main enemies underneath their leader, Ashura, are four traditional eastern spirits:Gen-bu, Sei-ryu, Byak-ko and Su-zaku. The tower is a long and perilous journey where the heroes encounter three more worlds, along with a few side quests along the way, including the fates of some of those that ultimately failed to make it to the top of the tower. The first world discovered by the heroes after entering the tower is a tropical ocean. The second, a world situated in the sky, on top of the clouds. The third is a burned-out, seemingly post-apocalyptic city.
Eventually, they learn that the fiends of the world are controlled by the evil Ashura. Ashura offers them the opportunity to rule over the world with him. They refuse, leading to a fight with him. After beating Ashura, they fall into a pit which takes them back to the starting world. They climb the tower once more, fighting each of the demons once again. Reaching the top, they learn that this was all a test by the Creator himself. The Creator is the final boss of the game. After defeating the Creator, the heroes discover a door leading to an unknown location. They debate about going through it before deciding it doesn't matter and go back home instead.
[edit] Development
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[edit] Reception
| Reviews | |
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| Publication | Score |
| IGN | 6.0 of 10[2] |
| RPGFan | 80%[3] |
| Compilations of multiple reviews | |
| Compiler | Score |
| Game Rankings | 51%[4] |
IGN called Final Fantasy Legend a compelling and complex RPG, though it lacked much graphical detail.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ February 2, 2004 - February 4, 2004 27. Square Enix (2004-02-09). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b Dexter Sy (2000-06-12). Final Fantasy Legend. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ Patrick Gann (2007-01-01). The Final Fantasy Legend. RPGFan. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ Final Fantasy Legend - GB. Game Rankings (2008-01-01). Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
[edit] External links
- The Final Fantasy Legend at MobyGames
- Makai Toushi SaGa official site (mobile phone version)
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