Originally released for the Famicom in 1987, Final Fantasy is Square’s flagship RPG and one of the more important games on Nintendo’s 8-bit hardware. The title follows closely in the footsteps of 1986’s Dragon Quest but expands upon its formula in significant ways. Director and series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was famously inspired by games like Dragon Quest and Wizardry while also taking notes from pen-and-paper RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons for the game’s mechanics and RPG systems. The title would prove to be so successful as to help Square avert closure, going on to become one of the most important and pivotal game franchises in the history of the medium.
The success and widespread acclaim of the original FF would lead to a series of sequels following in short order. Accordingly, Square and Nintendo would begin collaborating on a port of the title to the West. The localization process of Final Fantasy was a notoriously lengthy and costly endeavor, resulting in the game not arriving in the West on the NES until 1990. By that time, Square had already released the second game in the series and was on the cusp of releasing the third. Regardless, Final Fantasy would also be successful in the West, much more than its closest competitor in Dragon Quest. As a result, the Final Fantasy series would become synonymous with role-playing games in the West despite having several popular contemporaries in its native Japan.
While the game would receive ports to several other platforms (including a popular port to the MSX home computer), it is the original Famicom/NES version that most players remember. Notably, the NES version would go on to sell over a million units, which was normally a level of success reserved for Nintendo’s own first-party titles during the third console generation.
Final Fantasy Premise
©Final Fantasy gameplay screenshot – Original
The original game in the series introduces players to its world with a dire tale of a world on the brink of ruin:
“The world is veiled in
darkness. The wind stops,
the sea is wild,
and the earth begins to rot.
The people wait,
their only hope, a prophecy…
‘When the world is in darkness
Four Warriors will come…’
After a long journey, four
young warriors arrive,
each holding an ORB.“
From here, players get to create and name their party of heroes, who we will come to know as the Warriors of Light (or, in the NES localization, Light Warriors). Originally prophesied by the sage Lukahn, the Warriors of Light are said to be the heroes who will both restore the elemental Crystals to their former glory while also destroying a great evil plaguing the land. Upon their arrival, the King of Corneria requests that the Warriors prove themselves by rescuing the kidnapped Princess Sara. But upon doing so, and slaying the knight responsible, the heroes unwittingly set into motion the events of a 2000-year time loop responsible for the chaos plaguing the land.
In terms of its gameplay, Final Fantasy is a classic RPG that takes several cues from pen-and-paper role-playing games and Enix’s 1986 classic, Dragon Quest. Players control a group of four heroes who they get to assign a class. The available classes include Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, and White, Red, or Black Mages. Each class begins with different stats and has different growth potential upon leveling up. To acquire experience, players must travel around a world map and visit towns and dungeons, defeating enemies and bosses along the way.
Final Fantasy Main Characters
©CheatCC
Despite its story being more in-depth than many contemporaries, the original Final Fantasy is somewhat threadbare in the narrative department. The game puts players in the shoes of the Warriors of Light – a party of 4 heroes that players create and name at the game’s outset. Players have 6 different classes to choose from when forming their party, and the real characters in the game are the various NPCs and enemies players encounter along the way. Interestingly, Square Enix would reimagine this initial story in the Final Fantasy franchise with a more fleshed-out narrative in the action RPG spin-off game from 2022, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. When it comes to the original game, though, details on the heroes are practically nonexistent. Main characters in the original Final Fantasy include:
- Warriors of Light: The heroes of the original FF and the player-created party of adventurers. The Warriors of Light arrive in Corneria each bearing a crystal, symbolizing their place as the prophesied saviors of the world.
- Garland: A disgraced knight from the realm of Corneria (Cornelia in the original Japanese version). Garland kidnaps Corneria’s Princess Sara, prompting the Warriors of Light to intervene. They unwittingly set the end of the world into motion doing so.
- The Four Fiends: Allies of Chaos who he sends through time to create the conditions responsible for his creation and time travel. The fiends are beings of incredible power who control the elements. Lich of Earth, Miralith of Fire, Kraken of Water, and Tiamat of Air.
- Chaos: The true form of Garland after his transformation due to time travel and the game’s main antagonist. Chaos is a being of immense power who hopes to control time itself. Through the creation of a neverending time loop, he attains virtual immortality and godhood.
Games in the Final Fantasy Series
Square was famously on the verge of exiting the software development business when Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi decided to give one “final” shot at developing a massive RPG inspired by Enix’s Dragon Quest. As it turns out, Final Fantasy would prove to be a massive hit. Not only does the series continue to endure to this day across 16 mainline entries and dozens of spin-offs, but it also holds the honor of being the most successful and important franchise in Square Enix‘s library. Many of the core elements players associate with the Final Fantasy series (and even JRPGs in general) originate with the first game in the franchise for Famicom and NES. Games in the Final Fantasy series include:
- Final Fantasy (1987)
- Final Fantasy II (1988)
- Final Fantasy III (1990)
- Final Fantasy IV (1991)
- Final Fantasy V (1992)
- Final Fantasy VI (1994)
- Final Fantasy VII (1997)
- Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
- Final Fantasy IX (2000)
- Final Fantasy X (2001)
- Final Fantasy XI (2002)
- Final Fantasy XII (2006)
- Final Fantasy III (DS) (2006)
- Final Fantasy IV (DS) (2007)
- Final Fantasy XIII (2009)
- Final Fantasy XIV (2013)
- Final Fantasy XV (2016)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
- Final Fantasy XVI (2023)
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024)
Final Fantasy Cheats & Secrets
There are no official cheats for Final Fantasy, but there are plenty of secrets players can take advantage of. Additionally, there are several glitches to exploit and even some Easter Eggs to discover. The North American (NES) release of Final Fantasy also has several Game Genie codes.
Final Fantasy Secrets
Puzzle Game
While on the Ship, hold the A Button and press the B Button 55 times to access the secret puzzle game. Note that some Game Genie codes for earning money utilize this bonus game.
World Map
At any point during gameplay, press B + Select to bring up the World Map. This is super helpful if you ever get disoriented.
Tomb of Erdrick
Next to the White Magic shop in Elfland is a small graveyard. Two of the tombstones are normal, but the third will display a name. In the Japanese (Famicom) version of Final Fantasy, the name it displays is “Erdrick”. This is the name of the hero from Dragon Quest, who was a huge influence on Hironobu Sakaguchi when he was conceptualizing Final Fantasy. The North American (NES) version of Final Fantasy features the name “Link” on the same tombstone, referencing the hero from The Legend of Zelda.
Warmech
One of the series traditions beginning in the original Final Fantasy is the secret “Superboss”. In the case of the first Final Fantasy, this is the infamous Warmech. While inside the Sky Castle where you confront Tiamat, you’ll need to cross a long bridge. There’s a rare chance you will encounter Final Fantasy‘s secret “Superboss” Warmech while crossing this bridge (roughly a 1/1000 chance). This is by far the toughest fight in Final Fantasy, and the rewards aren’t even that worthwhile. Still, completionists can beat Warmech for bragging rights.
Secret Magic Shop
In the final town you reach (Lefein in the NES version, Lufenia in the original Famicom release), head to the northeast corner. There is a hole in the wall you can pass through there. Go through the wall and continue walking until you reach a building. This secret magic shop has the two most powerful White and Black Magic spells. The shop sells LIF2 (which brings fallen party members back to full health) and NUKE (the ultimate non-elemental Black Magic spell).
Final Fantasy Glitches & Exploits
Easy Win Against Kraken
The Final Fantasy series will regularly reward observant players with an easy-win strategy against elemental bosses, and the original game is no different. In the Sunken Shrine, players will need to confront the Fiend of Water, Kraken. Being a water elemental, Kraken is extremely weak to lightning. Use spells like Lit3 to quickly defeat the boss.
Easy Win Against Tiamat
Inside the Sky Castle, there is a chest on the first floor containing the Bane Sword. While the sword’s stats aren’t likely to make you take notice, the sword will easily kill the Sky Castle’s boss, Tiamat. Instead of equipping the sword, use it as an item to instantly defeat Tiamat.
Quick EXP/Level Gain
One of the best methods for early game grinding involves using the Mystic Key inside Astos Castle. After obtaining the Mystic Key, make sure you have mages in your party that can cast Harm2 and Fire2. Head back to Astos Castle and use the Mystic Key to unlock the treasure room. In front of each chest are invisible squares that spawn enemies each time you step on them. The enemies that spawn will always be either Image or Mummy groups. Use the aforementioned spells to quickly wipe enemy groups, earning plenty of easy EXP and Gold in the process.
Final Fantasy Game Genie Codes
Players with NES hardware and a Game Genie can use any of the following codes. Alternatively, players using an emulator can enter any of the following codes into the emulator’s “Cheat” menu.
Field Codes
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| No Random Encounters (World Map) | AAEKYITA |
| Almost No Random Encounters (Dungeons) | OXKKXISK |
| Encounters at Every Step (World + Dungeons) | OXEKASSU + XVEKZION |
| No Damage From Poison on Field | AAKKSAPA |
| Collect Contents of Treasure Chests Infinitely | XTEGKGAV |
| Play the secret Puzzle Game anywhere instead of just on the Ship | AANGGZIZ |
| Walk Through Walls | AEEKEZPP |
Equipment Codes
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Any Class can equip any Weapon | APKLXGAV |
| Any Class can equip any Armor | XTNUSGAV |
Battle Codes
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Infinite Spell Points | SUXXAUVS |
| 5 Hits per Attack (10 for Black Belt/Master) | IANZOIPA |
| 11 Hits per Attack (22 for Black Belt/Master) | LANZOIPE |
| 4x Maximum Number of Hits per Attack | ZAVXSSZK |
| Infinite Heal and Pure Potions | SLVPZVVS |
| One-Hit Kill Magic | AAKLNLIP |
| Full EXP rewards for all Party Members | AESPVVOY + AESPXTPA |
| Fallen/Petrified Party Members still gain EXP | XVSPNLAV |
| Cure all Status Ailments after battle | AEXOVZYA |
| Infinite Turns in Battle | YSKZAPZI |
| Automatically win Battles after One Round | AAXZTXZA |
| Running from Battle always succeeds | SZOXYKGK |
| Max out Gold & EXP (999,999) after battle | AAUPKVTA |
Item Codes
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Infinite Heal Potions (Field) | SZXUGUVK |
| Infinite Pure Potions (Field) | SZKUTUVK |
| Infinite Soft Potions (Field) | SZNLTUVK |
| Infinite Tents | SXEUPXVK |
| Infinite Cabins | SXXLTXVK |
| Infinite Houses | SXKLLXVK |
| Use Tents in Dungeons | AEEUAZAP |
| Use Cabins in Dungeons | AEXLIZAP |
| Use Houses in Dungeons | AEKLZZIP |
| Pure and Soft Potions can Revive Party Members | XVOUALAV |
| Heal Potions recover 100HP | GTXLZUTP |
| Heal Potions recover 250HP | XYXLZUTO |
| Tents recover 100HP for everyone | GVEUIXTP |
| Tents recover 250HP for everyone | XNEUIXTO |
| Cabins recover 125HP for everyone | INXUZXGU |
| Cabins recover 250HP for everyone | XNXUZXGU |
| Houses recover 250HP and Magic Points | XNKLYXAN |
Money Codes
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| 6,500 Gold for completing the Ship Puzzle Game | POXKOAAE |
| 20,000 Gold for completing the Ship Puzzle Game | AXXGSAGT + TKXKOAAE |
| 50,000 Gold for completing the Ship Puzzle Game | ASXGSAGT + UKXKOAAA |
| 200,000 Gold for completing the Ship Puzzle Game | AKXGSAGT + IEXKOAAE + LEXKSAAA |
| Maximum Gold for completing the Ship Puzzle Game | AOXKSAAA |
Final Fantasy Cheat FAQs
What is the max level in the original Final Fantasy?
Many of the elements that would come to define the series are front and center in the original Final Fantasy. This includes the standard series level cap of 99, which is the max level in almost every mainline entry. Players will start at level 1 and accrue experience from defeating enemies and bosses. It’s worth noting that getting to level 99 will require intentional grinding in Final Fantasy.
Is the original Final Fantasy worth playing?
The original Final Fantasy is absolutely worth playing, even in a modern context. Like the original Dragon Quest, there’s an undeniable charm to Final Fantasy‘s simplicity and foundational approach to role-playing. Players have several options to experience the first Final Fantasy, but if we’re sticking to the “original” modifier, that requires playing the game natively on an NES, on the NES Classic Mini, or via emulation. It might be slower and more obtuse than the later entries in the series, but it’s still a great game.
Should I play Final Fantasy first?
It’s important to note that the mainline games in the series each exist separately. In other words, the stories and characters of each game are unique to that game’s narrative. The series is an anthology, meaning each new title takes place in a different universe. That said, the original FF on NES is an important historical title that every RPG fan should experience at least once. If you’re new to the series, you could start with a new entry, but playing the original will do a great job of teaching you the basics of the genre in the same way it did for longtime fans back in 1987.
How long to beat Final Fantasy?
The original Final Fantasy is one of the shorter games in the series. To just complete the main quest and be powerful enough to defeat the game’s final boss, players can expect to spend roughly 20 hours. Putting some time into grinding random encounters to power up your party will lengthen the experience. To get a party of heroes to level 99, players can expect to spend 25-30 hours beating the game.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.