Are you disappointed at the newer Final Fantasy entries? Want the golden days of the series to return? Well, Hironobu Sakaguchi is not returning to series, however, his first six classic games will arrive to a console or handheld system near you next year in the spring.
These classics will arrive in remastered pixel art form. The new visual enhancements should give these games a new, and improved eye pleasing life.
Just yesterday, December 18th, this series turned 35 years of age, and there is no better way to celebrate those awesome 1990s 2-D memories than to acquire this collection when it becomes available next year.
What’s Included in this Timeless Collection
The following is an excerpt from Square Enix’s store page:
The FINAL FANTASY I-VI PIXEL REMASTER -FF35th Anniversary Edition is a true celebration of the series, featuring some pretty awesome extras, including:
- FINAL FANTASY I-VI COLLECTION – physical collection of all games for either PS4 or Nintendo Switch-
- Anniversary Edition GOODS BOX.
- A bonus lenticular sleeve for the game package.
- 2-disc vinyl record set featuring newly arranged game music with exclusive cover artwork by Kazuko Shibuya
- A specially compiled artbook showcasing beautiful character pixel art.
- Eight stylized pixel art character figures in window packaging.
The FINAL FANTASY I-VI PIXEL REMASTER -FF35th Anniversary Edition is available exclusively from the Square Enix Store and is available to preorder now.
This is the ironically named game that started it all. You take control of the Warriors of Light, off on a journey to defeat four fiends and restore peace to the world.
So many of the elements of the series that we’ve come to know and love make their debut right here in this very first entry: a massive world full of mystery, some iconic monster designs and that incredible music.
FINAL FANTASY II
The second game in the series introduces a new world, new characters and something that would become a trademark of the series: innovation.
The story focuses on the conflict between the hostile Empire of Palamecia and the rebel resistance. A small group of heroes is all that stands between the world and ruin.
FINAL FANTASY II demonstrates the developers’ willingness to push their boundaries and try new things. For example, rather than sticking to the predictable, the game features a proficiency system in which characters skill with weapons and abilities increase the more they used them.
Fun fact: this is the FINAL FANTASY game that introduced the world to chocobos! Now that’s a legacy.
FINAL FANTASY III
When darkness falls and the land is robbed of light, four young heroes are chosen by the crystals to head off an exciting journey across a vast and hostile land.
This critically-acclaimed entry in the series innovated with a flexible job system, which lets characters change their roles in combat at any time. Many of the most famous elements of FINAL FANTASY started here too – for example, it was the first to introduce summons, including series mainstays Bahamut and Shiva!
FINAL FANTASY IV delivers one of the richest and most powerful stories in the series. It’s filled with characters and scenarios that fans continue to love to this day.
It focuses on the dark knight Cecil, who finds himself stripped of his position and rank when he questions his king’s increasingly troubling orders. When he’s sent on a simple delivery mission with his friend Kain, the shocking events that follow send him and a group of allies on an incredible journey of betrayal, love and redemption.
This is the first game to feature the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which combines turn-based and real-time elements to create fast-paced and strategic combat.
FINAL FANTASY V
The world of FINAL FANTASY V is on the verge of destruction because the elemental crystals that bring life and prosperity to the lands have lost their power.
The only hope lies in four heroes: Bartz, Princess Lenna of Castle Tycoon, pirate Faris and the mysterious Galuf. Driven together by fate, they set off on a quest that to save the planet itself.
As well as refining the ATB system, FINAL FANTASY V expands your strategic options massively through a greatly expanded job system, which let you customize your characters with 22 different jobs.
FINAL FANTASY VI is a game that’s beloved by fans and critics alike.
That’s partly thanks to its incredible setting and story. It’s set in a land where magic has disappeared, and humanity has instead turned to iron, gunpowder, steam and other technology.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say that magic is mostly gone – a young woman enslaved by the evil Empire still has the power. When she encounters a powerful ancient being called an Esper, she sets off a chain of events that will have epic and terrible consequences.
Is This Collection Worth the Price of Admission?
To me the first three Final Fantasies were hit or miss, but the SNES trilogy of FFIV, FFV, and FFVI is certainly worth the price, and a play through, for those who have yet to experience these games.
Final Fantasy VI has (arguably) the best music in the series, and out of all of the 2-D entries, the best storyline, even if it is a tad basic when compared to modern gaming. The game was a masterclass in storytelling and ‘dramatic’ moments without the actual use of cutscenes within a 2-D game in 1994.
Final Fantasy V, on the other hand, has some (if not) the best job class system in the series, and offers an epic story with charming characters to boot. Final Fantasy IV is generally regarded as the first game in the series to get the “storytelling” part of the games “right”.
So yes, this collection is worth whatever asking price Square Enix will ask for it. It is certainly an enticing proposition for old school fans hoping for Final Fantasy to return to its Turn-Based combat roots some day.
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