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Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls Review
Written by Modojo Staff on Monday, January 31, 2005
Improves some already excellent RPG games
Seems a bit too easy
Last year saw the release of Final Fantasy Origins on PSOne. A compilation pack of the first two Final Fantasy titles, the second of which had been previously unavailable in America, Origins gave gamers the chance to play through the first two entries in the series with a new coat of paint. Featuring updated graphics, full motion video cutscenes, several optional gameplay tweaks and more, Origins carefully walked the fine line of pleasing both veterans and newcomers to the games. With Dawn of Souls, Square continues to refine the old classics.
As with Origins, the versions of Final Fantasy 1 & 2 present in Dawn of Souls are based off the Japan-only WonderSwan Color remakes. This time around, the scripts were re-written and numerous additions and tweaks to the games themselves were made. Most noteworthy of these changes is the ability to save anywhere outside of battle, an important feature in a handheld RPG.
The focus of Final Fantasy 1 is less on the story and more on exploration and fighting. Those that have played prior versions will note that the GBA edition is more balanced in that it doesn't require players to stop and level up their characters to survive the next dungeon, resulting in a much more streamlined experience. The flipside is that the revamped FF1 ends up lacking the challenge of past iterations, a virtual cakewalk for those familiar with the game. The only real challenge is in the form of the four new dungeons. These randomly generated dungeons, which feature bosses from Final Fantasy 3-6, reward players with rare and powerful items once cleared. With each dungeon unlocked after the defeat of the respective Chaos, some may find themselves questioning if it's even worth the time and effort to reach the new content.
Of course, it's this lack of difficulty that makes the title perfect for handheld gaming, as you can fight a few battles, save and then restart where you left off hours, days, weeks or even months later without worrying too much about having to start over.
The other major change in FF1 comes in the form of spell use. Previously dependant upon a character's level, magic now utilizes the more popular MP system, helping to make the game more accessible to newcomers. Spells, much like weapons, must be purchased and require a user to be a specific level before they can be equipped.
