Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

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a game by Square
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Platform: GBA (2004)
Editor Rating: 7.5/10, based on 1 review
User Rating: 8.0/10 - 10 votes
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See also: RPGs, Final Fantasy Series
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

Two classic role-playing games return to their former glory in Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls. Square Enix remade Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II for a single cartridge for the Game Boy Advance. Players can relive the early concepts, characters, and enemies from the franchise. You can battle the wicked Garland in an epic showdown and defeat the vile Emperor Mateus. Square Enix improved each game's graphics, music, translations, and systems.

Improved Graphics

Final Fantasy I & II have improve graphics with bright colors and more details of characters' designs. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls looks amazing on the Game Boy Advance. The graphics look and feel like the games on the SNES such as Final Fantasy VI. The graphics have the same style of art for the enemies as well.

Final Fantasy I

The legendary series begin its glory. The medieval setting fits the tone unlike recent games in the franchise. The world has magic, monsters, warriors, and four crystals to collect. It is the Warriors of Light's destiny to save the world. The story has a simple plot for its time. Warriors of Light begin their journey to save a princess from Garland, and then they must travel around the world to defeat the four fiends. The true antagonist is the first boss, Garland. He is working with the fiends to conquer the world.

There is not a main character among the Warriors of Light. They never speak during the game. Their silence makes them be lackluster characters. I am not invested in them due to their lack of personality. The remake does not fix this major flaw.

Choose Your Heroes!

Players choose a combination of four characters from a warrior, monk, thief, black mage, white mage, and red mage to be the Warriors of Light. This was the original class system in the franchise, and it has been greatly expanded in future titles such as Final Fantasy V. I like having options for creating my party. Players can test a lot of different combinations of characters for a party. It adds strategy to your party because certain groups of characters are better parties than other groups of characters.

Gameplay

Final Fantasy I has a simple turn-based battle system. The Warriors of Light wield powerful weapons and unleash a variety of spells! You and enemies take turns to attack, cast magic, or use items in combat. However, battles can become very repetitive. You are only inputting commands and do not control a character's movements unlike games such as The Legend of Zelda. One of the best improvements is the major change in magic. Square Enix incorporated MP (Magic Points) from recent games in the series. The battle system from the original Final Fantasy I only gave points to a particular spell and greatly limited its usage.

New Content

Final Fantasy I includes four new dungeons to explore! Players need to obtain special crystals to unlock each new dungeon. These dungeons are Earthgift Shrine, Hellfire Chasm, Lifespring Grotto and Whisperwind Cove.

Pros:

  • Enhanced Graphics
  • Four New Dungeons
  • Improved System for Magic
  • You Create The Party of Heroes

Cons:

  • Lackluster Party Members
  • Repetitive Battle System

Final Fantasy II

Square Enix introduces a new world of magic and warriors in Final Fantasy II. The majority of games in the franchise are not sequels. A new world with new characters take center stage. The game has a deep plot with main characters unlike Final Fantasy I. It is up to Firion, Maria, Guy, and their comrades to defeat the Palamecian Empire.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Final Fantasy II has a very different system than its predecessor. The game does not feature levels for characters to improve their status. Players improve their characters' stats by frequently using certain types of weapons, casting spells, or taking damage. Characters gain experience points to improve their abilities, or gain HP or MP after ending a battle with very low HP or MP. This is a unique system for strengthening characters. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls removes the original system's program to decrease stats for not using certain weapons. I think the developers made the right decision to improve the system. The original game's biggest flaw was decreasing stats. That horrible experience is now gone, and players can fully enjoy their characters.

Like its predecessor, the gameplay can become repetitive. You are inputting the same commands of attack or magic in most battles. There are a few exceptions when you need to follow a specific strategy to win battles. In addition, you may encounter extremely powerful monsters at the beginning of the game. If you venture too far, then you will be easily defeated in a few seconds. The party is too weak to defeat those enemies at the start of the game. The map is wide open and the wrong step can land your party in trouble.

New Content! Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls introduces a second campaign after you defeat Final Fantasy II. This story takes place in a new dungeon, Soul of Rebirth. The second campaign features the fallen party members in the afterlife. The new story fits the original story's premise. The Emperor returns from hell, and now we follow previous party members in their journey in the afterlife. It is a unique concept that does not appear in most games.

Pros

  • Enhanced Graphics
  • Strong Story
  • Unique Experience System
  • A New Dungeon in The Second Campaign

Cons

  • Overpowered Enemies Can Appear Early in The Game
  • Repetitive Battle System

Similar RPGs

Finally, players normally play RPGs for the plot more than the actual gameplay. There is a huge library of games in this genre. Golden Sun and Dragon Quest VII are two great RPGs. They have good plots and their battle systems have deeper elements for more interactions in combat.

For example, Golden Sun allows players to use abilities to interact with the environment. This gameplay creates new puzzles and allows players to discover hidden items. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls does not include interaction with the environment for unique gameplay.

On the other hand, Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls offers a unique system for improving your party. Golden Sun and Dragon Quest VII increase a character's levels. Final Fantasy II focuses on improving skills and this method is more realistic. It stands out from the traditional RPG.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls is a great remake of two of the best RPGs of all time. The remake elevates the original games with new graphics, music, and content. I highly recommend buying Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls on the Game Boy Advance. It is the best version of these retro games. I give Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls a score of an 7.5 out of 10.

Download Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

GBA

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Snapshots and Media

GBA Screenshots