FF1 - Getting into the Story

I'll be the first to admit that story telling wasn't Square's strong point in the beginning. FF1 is about as bare bones as its physically possible to get and still claim that there's a story being told. If I weren't familiar with the rest of the series and able to see how these early story elements eventually evolve into some of the most enchanting stories I've ever experienced, I might be sadly disappointed. When combined with a frustrating difficulty level the general lack of story makes it challenging to continue playing, and I have to admit that I would not recommend FF1 as a starting place for players who have never visited the Final Fantasy world. All of that said, the basic elements that make up the FF1 story are the building blocks on which an empire has been constructed. Read on for cursory analysis.

The fundamental principle on which the FF1 story is built is one of the oldest mythological conceptions in existence - the idea that the world is made up of and preserved by the existence of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. This basic understanding of world functions has shown itself in ancient Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, Tibetan, Japanese, and Chinese mythology, as well as in the myths and legends of countless indigenous peoples across the world. Where the idea originally came from I'm not sure anyone can say, but its proliferation has been outstanding and in some ways the basic concepts of an elemental existence are still alive today in varied forms.

FF1 opens at a time when the elements have gone dark, and a cloud is slowly obscuring the world. According to an ancient prophecy four warriors of light will announce themselves at the time of greatest darkness, and will dedicate themselves to restoring balance to the world. The four warriors you chose at the beginning of the game are, surprise, the four warriors of light.

Sadly the game tells you almost nothing about the developing story as you go along. The opening consists of about two paragraphs which say almost exactly what I just said above, and after 15 hours of gameplay those opening paragraphs are the only actual story telling that I've been presented with. Any other glimpses into what's happening in the world come from NPC's throughout the various towns, who will tell you such things as "A vampire is obstructing the flow of the Earth Crystal and the land is dieing." After you go out and restore the Earth Crystal you can return to the town to be told, "The vampire is dead, the land is restored!" That's it. No party in your name, no deeper explanation of who was behind the plot to obstruct the flow of the earth crystal, nothing. Perhaps these things will come later, but my previous experience with later games has primed me to expect more depth. C'est la vie.

If, as I progress, the story begins to depend in meaningful ways I will revisit this section of the blog. If not, this is really all I need to say about the FF1 storyline, and I am anxious to progress passed this first game.