Final Fantasy I Story, Explained

As the first game in what would eventually become one of the most significant franchises in gaming, Final Fantasy has a comparatively threadbare story when stacked up against its sequels. Still, there’s a lot to dig into regarding how the original Final Fantasy sets up many recurring themes throughout the series. In addition to establishing the Final Fantasy gameplay tradition, the first game in the series mixes elements of high fantasy and science fiction, something which would help set the franchise apart from its main competitor, Enix’s Dragon Quest. Final Fantasy puts players in control of a group of young heroes set to save their world from an impending tragedy, imparting the idea that good will always triumph over evil. Along the way, they receive help from a mysterious lost civilization that can help them avert the disaster that befell their society centuries prior.

Taken together, these are all elements that recur throughout most other Final Fantasy games. The mix of sci-fi and fantasy, lost civilizations, and plucky youth fighting against a large, imposing evil are all elements that show up time and again throughout the franchise. Where the original Final Fantasy sets itself apart, though, is through its incorporation of a paradoxical time loop. Few other games in the Final Fantasy franchise have braved to attempt a story involving time travel (and all the potential holes that can spring up in such a plot), but the first game in the series bravely attempts it. For the most part, it succeeds, establishing the Final Fantasy series as one that places equal emphasis on gameplay and story.

The Fall of Lufenian Civilization

Several centuries before the events of Final Fantasy, a technologically advanced civilization known as the Lufenians reached their apex. At the height of their power and hubris, they tap into the power of one of the world’s Crystals — elemental objects that govern the forces of the planet. In doing so, the Lufenians reach even greater heights, creating wonderous technological marvels. In addition to crafting the world’s first airships, they build a massive Flying Fortress from which they can watch over the world and continue their research into tapping its power. Whether through their intervention with the crystal or through some unseen force, the Wind Crystal eventually loses its power.

The darkening of the Wind Crystal causes Lufenian civilization to rapidly decline. Simultaneously, the guardian of the Wind Crystal, the fiend Tiamat, awakens and begins to attack the Lufenian civilization. The Lufenians are unable to withstand the attacks from Tiamat, losing both the Flying Fortress and most of their civilization in the process. Before the Lufenians are almost completely wiped out, a wise Lufenian by the name of Cid anticipates the civilization’s downfall. Cid stashes an airship beneath the sands of the surface world’s southern continent as a means to preserve evidence of Lufenian civilization.

Tiamat’s attacks against the Lufenians are just the beginning, as the other fiends — Kraken of the sea, Lich of the earth, and Marilith of flame — each launch an assault against the civilization for their tampering with the Crystals. Their respective crystals darken, throwing the world into chaos. A Lufenian sage by the name of Lukahn carries a prophecy to the surface world foretelling of a group of Warriors of Light who will cleanse the Crystals and beat back the fiends.

Warriors of Light March Forth

Sometime after Lukahn delivers his prophecy, a group of four warriors arrives in the capital city of Cornelia. Each of these warriors is in possession of a Crystal, which signals to the King of Cornelia that they are the same Warriors of Light that the sage Lukahn spoke of. Their arrival is fortuitous, as the King’s daughter, Princess Sarah, has been kidnapped by the knight Garland. Learning that Garland is holding Sarah prisoner at the Chaos Shrine, the Warriors set out to rescue the princess and are successful. However, upon their defeat of the former Cornelian knight, Garland gives a prophetic warning about his return.

As a reward for rescuing the princess, the King of Cornelia rebuilds the bridge to the north. This allows the Warriors to continue on their journey in hopes of cleansing the crystals. The group proceeds to the coastal town of Pravoka in hopes of gaining passage to the southern continent only to discover that the town is being held hostage by pirates. Beating the pirates and their captain results in the Warriors getting their own ship. Their first stop is to head south to the kingdom of Elfheim, but when they arrive they find themselves facing another ordeal.

The Elf Prince’s Awakening

The Warriors of Light arrive in Elfheim only to discover that the Elf Prince whose help they need is in an eternal slumber. The Dark Elf Astos has been wreaking havoc across the continent; first stealing the witch Matoya’s Crystal Eye, then placing the Elf Prince into suspended animation, stealing the crown, and taking control of the Western Keep (impersonating its ruler). Before the Warriors can stop Astos, they need to find a way to disrupt his dark magic, which prompts them to venture into the Marsh Cave. There, they find the crown that the ruler of the Western Keep tasks them with retrieving.

Upon returning the crown to the Western Keep, the ruler there reveals himself to be none other than Astos. After a grueling battle, the Warriors defeat Astos and obtain Matoya’s Crystal Eye. Following a detour back to the northern continent to deliver the Crystal Eye, the Warriors receive a potion that they can use to awaken the Elf Prince. The Elf Prince is grateful for the Warriors’ help, rewarding them with a key that will earn them passage to an audience with the dwarves. Together, the dwarves and the Warriors of Light destroy the land bridge blocking access to the town of Melmond where the fiend of Earth has taken up shop.

Cleansing the Earth Crystal

The Warriors’ arrival in Melmond could not have come sooner, as the land is suffering from great decay. Along with the Earth fiend Lich taking up residence nearby, an evil Vampire is draining the land of life and light. The Warriors enter the Cavern of Earth, first defeating the Vampire, and then returning later to venture further into its depths to confront Lich. The hardest battle the Warriors have faced so far, Lich poses a significant threat to the Warriors, but the heroes persevere and defeat the fiend. In doing so, the Earth Crystal is restored, allowing life to return to Melmond and the surrounding area.

However, Lich’s defeat sets a series of events in motion that reveal a greater force at work than the Warriors initially realized. The Earth fiend’s death causes the Fire fiend Marilith to awaken, which in turn causes the volcano Mount Gulg to threaten an eruption. Even stranger still, Marilith’s awakening is revealed to be taking place 200 years before it’s “supposed” to. With the fiends obviously connected somehow and serving as the obstacles standing between the Warriors and their objective to cleanse the Crystals, the heroes set off in hopes of destroying Marilith.

Marilith and the Circle of Sages

Before the Warriors can enter the perilous Mount Gulg and confront Marilith, they need a means to reach the volcano. Within the town of Melmond, the Warriors come face to face with a group of sages, the leader of which is none other than the sage Lukahn. Recognizing the heroes as the true Warriors of Light, Lukahn and the other sages reveal the strange truth behind the fiends, the Crystals, and the fall of the Lufenian civilization. The fiends, as it turns out, are powerful beings sent into the future by the evil deity Chaos in hopes of creating the conditions that will lead to him having eternal life. Further, these fiends both draw power from and protect the world’s four Elemental Crystals.

After revealing the first layers of the time loop at the center of the game’s story, the sages gift the Warriors with the canoe they need to access Mount Gulg. The Warriors set sail on the rivers leading to the volcano and enter its depths, eventually coming face to face with Marilith. Once again, the Warriors face an incredibly challenging foe, but their persistence leads to Marilith’s defeat and the restoration of the Fire Crystal. Returning to the Circle of Sages in Melmond, the Warriors learn that a Lufenian artifact of great power is waiting for them beneath the sands of a great desert.

Obtaining the Levistone & Meeting Bahamut

Before the Warriors of Light can retrieve this Lufenian artifact, they learn that they must acquire a Levistone: an object capable of making things float in the air. The Levistone lies inside the Cavern of Ice, which the heroes traverse while avoiding all manner of traps and challenging foes. Eventually, the Warriors retrieve the Levistone and head south to the Ryukahn Desert, unearthing the last remaining Lufenian Airship. With the Airship at their command, the Warriors can now travel anywhere in search of the Crystals, but an audience with King Bahamut takes priority before they continue on their journey.

The Warriors of Light take their new Airship to the Cardian Islands where they are granted an audience with the king of dragons, Bahamut. Having acquired a Rat Tail earlier in their journey, the Warriors gift the severed appendage to Bahamut, who in turn unlocks the Warriors’ true potential. With their full power now at their disposal, the Warriors set off in search of their next Crystal, which happens to be the Water Crystal. In order to reach its guardian, Kraken, though, they need a means to breathe underwater while exploring the Sunken Shrine.

Descending Into the Sunken Shrine

Though the Warriors know that their next destination is the Sunken Shrine, they find themselves at an impasse. Most of the Sunken Shrine lies, as the name implies, sunken underwater. As such, the Warriors have no way to reach and defeat Kraken unless they can obtain a means to breathe underwater. Thankfully, a slight detour to help an imprisoned fairy results in her rewarding the Warriors with Oxyale, a strange concoction that eliminates the need to breathe oxygen. With the Oxyale in their possession, the Warriors descend into the Sunken Shrine.

Inside the labyrinthine Sunken Shrine, the Warriors assist some Mermaids to help them escape the shrine and come across a mysterious tablet. This tablet, the Rosetta Stone, acts as a cipher for the lost Lufenian language, which will come in handy for the Warriors shortly. Before they leave the Sunken Shrine, the Warriors find and confront Kraken. In doing so, they defeat the fiend and restore light to the Water Crystal. With three of four crystals cleansed, the Warriors are nearing the end of their journey, but reaching the fourth and final Crystal will prove to be the heroes’ greatest challenge yet.

Mirage Tower & Restoring the Wind Crystal

With the Rosetta Stone in tow, the Warriors leave the Sunken Shrine and head back to Melmond in hopes of deciphering the Lufenian language. With the help of Dr. Unne, the Warriors learn that the final crystal, the Wind Crystal, lies waiting for them inside the Flying Fortress. Unfortunately, though, the Flying Fortress is inaccessible with the Airship, forcing the Warriors of Light to devise an alternate means of reaching it.

To reach the Flying Fortress, the heroes must pass through the Mirage Tower, which they can only access by entering the ruins of Lufenia itself. A journey through the remnants of Lufenia sees the Warriors obtain the Chime, which they use to reveal the location of the Mirage Tower. Once inside, they warp inside the Flying Fortress and confront the final and most powerful fiend, Tiamat. Defeating Tiamat sees the Wind Crystal restored, but the activation of all four Crystals results in a strange portal opening up at the Chaos Shrine. Before their journey is complete, the Warriors must return to where their adventure began.

Entering the Chaos Shrine & Breaking the Time Loop

Heading back inside the Chaos Shrine, the Warriors approach the strange portal and are transported 2,000 years into the past. There, they witness the creation of the four fiends at the hands of Chaos, who sends them each into the future to accomplish their mission. One by one, the fiends destroy the Lufenian civilization, corrupt the crystals, and lie in wait for the Warriors to restore their power. The Warriors, as it turns out, are a crucial part of Chaos’ plan to attain eternal life. When the Warriors arrive and defeat Garland, the fiends use their power to send him 2,000 years into the past, transforming him into the deity Chaos. There, Chaos creates the fiends and sends them into the future, creating an endless time loop that allows him to live forever.

Realizing their role in this paradox of fate, the Warriors resolve to defeat Chaos and break the time loop. The heroes face off against their adversary in the toughest battle they’ve faced yet but ultimately emerge victorious. By finally defeating Garland in his Chaos form, the Warriors break the time loop and return to the present. In doing so, they erase the prophecy and the need for the Warriors of Light, with their deeds as heroes living on solely in the hearts and minds of the player.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin’s Revelations

Initially revealed as a retelling of the events of Final Fantasy, Team Ninja’s Soulslike spin-off Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is revealed to actually be a prequel of sorts to the original game’s story. Before diving into how this spin-off game connects to the main plot of Final Fantasy, though, be aware that the following section contains MAJOR spoilers for Stranger of Paradise.

Stranger of Paradise puts players in control of the mysterious Jack and his four allies, who we are led to assume are the Warriors of Light from the original Final Fantasy. However, playing through the game reveals important information about the Lufenians and their true aims as a society, using dimensional travel and time manipulation to experiment on the humans they consider to be “lesser” beings, all while tapping into the power of the Crystals to do so. Essentially, the Lufenians are revealed to be the true villains of the story, and their attempts at playing God cause them to enlist the help of powerful warriors, including Jack and his allies, to keep their experiments in check.

In Stranger of Paradise, players learn (as Jack) that he and his allies (the Lufenian’s “Strangers” sent to act as a failsafe for their experiments) are pawns in the Lufenians’ schemes, prompting them to decide to end the cycle once and for all. Jack’s allies regain their memories before he does, becoming the four fiends, and Jack (whose full name is Jack Garland) becomes the fallen Cornelian knight responsible for the original Final Fantasy‘s time loop. As a result, Stranger of Paradise acts as a prequel in which players get to take on the role of the original game’s villains before their turn.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Final Fantasy key art.