I played the original on the NES mini. The best way I can describe it, it is like playing D&D with your friends for the first time. No one knows the rules so you ignore some mechanics, fudge the numbers in others(regular attacks deal way to much damage) and don't understand most spells. With that mindset it's a great time! My favorite out of the first three.
It's my favourite out of the whole series, so much so that when I ran my very first D&D campaign, I used FF1 as the setting! My players have forever changed my perception of the game with the story they've told through it.
As someone who's never been super passionate about this series with only a few exceptions (like Final Fantasy Tactics), it's interesting to see a series like this from the perspective of a more devoted fan. given your health issues i hope this isn't taking too much of a toll on you. Take care of yourself.
7:15 Uematsu’s importance is legendary. Not just to final fantasy but to video games in general. His music can be felt in **every** game in some way, to date. Final Fantasy 1 proved to the world that a game can be more than just an arcade thing with a simple narrative. It was deep and sprawling. But it was silent. The music told you how to feel. It spoke for the series that resonated through decades to come. And as Uematsu reaches his twilight years- Soken seems to be the one who is going to take on his mantle. Uematsu has reached a level attained by few. Names who will be spoken hundreds of years from now like Mozart and a Beethoven and Bach. You could make an hours long video alone going over how important that man is to video game music let alone music in general and still only be able to cover a fraction of his work. That man deserves all the good that comes to him. He has made a soundtrack that I have had with me since I picked the series up in 98 when I was 10 with FFVII on the PSOne on Christmas Day.
nice to see a non-LP video from you again. The wait was worth it. This is really the most in depth look at the game I really remember, with a lot of stuff I didn't even know or had forgotten about entirely. It's really obvious a lot of passion, work, and research went into it. Fantastic.
thank you, that's so kind of you :) i'm really glad to hear positive feedback there! i wasn't sure if the linguistic would fall flat or not, or not be that interesting, so i'm chuffed to hear you liked that.
I played the original Final Fantasy with my dad and brother when it first came out for the NES. Once I discovered emulators I play it at least once every year. I'm actually in the middle of a run right now.
Hey, just wanted to let you know how happy I am to find an analysis youtuber with as high production value and calming voice as you have. Gonna binge all these final fantasy videos while I'm stuck inside from the absolutely massive amount of snow that just got dumped on us!
Really well constructed, produced, and delivered. I really hope you maintain the motivation to see this series through because I will gladly sit through 15 hours of these. Well done, sir.
This was an amazing video, perfectly put together, with great editing, I loved it. The fact that you took your time to check and explain the Japanese side of things and the localization is just the cherry on top. Thank you. I really cannot wait for your take on the other FF games.
that is super nice of you to say! i always feel like the editing is a bit sub-par so i'm especially pleased to hear that you enjoyed it :D hopefully it won't be too long until the FFII video, so see you then!
You made a whole documentary from one single game... and to be honest.. I started watching thinking I would face a Final Fantasy (series) analysis.. but I was really surprised with the quality of your material. Great content... hope there are more! And pls, keep your pace and clearly way of speaking.. for a non native english speaker, it helps us a lot! Congrats and tks!
hey, thank you so much! that's great to hear. i'm in the process of making the FFII video, so another one is definitely coming! also, i'm really glad to hear that - i worry about how understandable i am to non-native english speakers (which is partly why i have the subtitles available), so it's a relief to know that what i'm doing now is okay. :)
Dude, have been watching your FF videos this week and i fell in love with how detailed your work is. I can feel the passion you have for the franchise is as great as mine is and this is so good to know. Can't wait for the other videos on the other games. Thank you! :D
The original Final Fantasy holds a special place for me and yours was the greatest analysis and retrospective I have ever watched. Thank you for such an excellent, articulate, and thoughtful look at one of my all-time favorites!
Fanfare gives me a dopamine rush so when I’m sad I play a FF game. Typically 10, 12, or 15... sometimes 14 too! But now I think I should actually play the original FF on my NES
me too for sure - the amount of times i've played the first two or so hours of FFVIII/X for that exact purpose is ridiculous, so i totally get where you're coming from! i hope you enjoy it if you do :)
That’s so amazing to grow up on FF 8, 9 and 10. I was a teenager when FF 6 released (and my obsession began). What’s great is that we both love it the same.
I would have loved to play FF6 on release. I got to play it at my aunts house in 2010 she had no internet and I couldn’t bring a game system so I used to pretend I was playing it on release to feel better lol little did I know I would end up wanting to take the SNES home
This video is deserving of more attention -- much more thoughtful a work of art criticism than the proliferation of plot-summary-retrospective video essays on TH-cam these days!
Just found you and glad I did. I've been a huge FF fan since it came out in 89. My favorite being VI, I love your analysis and had always wanted to do something like this and I'm glad you did. I started listening in my journey to Platinum all the Pixel Remasters on PS5. Great analysis.
My love for FF began when I was in my early 40s and played FF7 for the first time. What an epic adventure! Then came 8, and the wonderful cutscene as Squall & co go to Dollet, it's still my favourite cutscene of the entire series - and the awesome music! Then I went backwards, discovering the amazing stories, which had so much depth. And, finally, FFI and the beginning of so much of the elements that I loved. Now I'm looking forward to 16, and discovering all the elements of the earlier games updated for 2023. But FFI is the graddaddy of them all!
I've recently subscribed because you're Final Fantasy series analysis came up. I absolutely love the series too and watching made me so happy! I can see the amount of effort you put into this so know that even so long after posting, people are still consuming and loving your content! You've gained a fan and I hope you continue to cover the series 😁
Great video! It's probably the most extensive look I've ever seen on this game. Also I found the parts about translation issues very interesting, I didn't know most of what you talked about. I hope we'll get to see the other games too!(This obviously took a large amount of time and effort to make, so take it easy if you can now!)
thank you, that's very kind of you! really appreciate that. assuming all goes to plan, the other games will be coming too :) with a few other shorter videos here and there so that it's not all just hour-long videos about Final Fantasy :P
Loved this video! I always knew the first game was extremely influential for the series but mostly assumed it was a shallow experiment that would eventually be refined by later games, so it’s very entertaining to see such a close look at it. I’m really excited for the next video in the series! Keep it up, your videos are excellent :)
I never leave comments on videos, but I would be incomplete in life if I didn't say how excited I am to see the rest of this series. I'm sadly playing through every game for the first time so I can't binge the 4 out now, but your essays are so incredible that I simply have to finish the games solely to watch. Genuinely thank you so much. You're an amazing talent 👏
I'd guess they're saying something like "Can... You... Understand... Us?" Or some iteration of something that shows their attempt to communicate with you.
aye, you're probably right! that wouldn't surprise me. what was really bothering me was if there was any particular reason behind the specific sounds they picked, i.e. if 'lu...' was just an arbitrary choice or not, and could have actually been any pair of letters.
@@Ludiscere my guess would be the additional words were added to indicate them talking slower, as only 2 syllables may sounds more like they were saying only one word.
Nice video! Btw spell slots in D&D was introduced in 3rd edition, 2000. When FF1 was made, the latest editions were Mentzer Basic and Advanced 1st ed, which don’t use spell slots. FF1’s spell slots were taken from Wizardry, which were then “taken back” by D&D full circle =))
Can You Compare the Dark Knight Garland from Final Fantasy One with a Stag Beetle in The Real World? Because I am! Garland is Japanese, just like a Stag Beetle, Coated in Tilting plate Mail Armor, just like a stag beetle, and Speaks just like the Shredder from Ninja Turtles one From 1990, just like a stag beetle In My Honest Opinion!
For "lu pa gamhi dho" I always thought just means "can you speak lu" with "lu" being their name for their language. pa would just be a topic particle similar to the Japanese "は", gamhi would be the verb and dho a question indicator. The nes version would then just be "lu?" Which can be interpreted as just a shortened version of the same question
I don't know if this has been mentioned by other commenters already, but the change of "Marilith" to "Kary" could be in bane of localizators even to this day - character (and sometimes byte) limits. RAM space is always limited (even on super-modern consoles) and developers might be able to accommodate only rather short names due to that. This is also the reason behind such naming changes in FF6 like "Kayenne" to "Cyan". (Tina/Terra and Mash/Sabin are a whole different beast though.)
I recently got the platinum for this game on the pixel remaster on PS5 (which I think is definitely a great version of the game, doesn't have any extra content but does have the bug fixes future versions came with). I really like it. It's basically the turn based RPG genre at its most barebones. I really love how the early Final Fantasies emphasized proper resource management (when do use healing spells, when do you use potions). I will say I much prefer MP over spell charge systems.
Thanks for this amazing work! Just subscribed... I'm a newcomer to the FF series and I'm absolutely obsessed at the moment. Thanks again and I hope all is well!
My first FF game was IV/2 in 1992ish. So glad to see the beauty of these games has all not been forgotten with the newer incarnations. I think the setup of the original FFI NES perfectly captures the subtle darkness of the world. I still prefer that one even when I’m up to my neck in half-dead in the Ice Cave. You get so powerful if you use the giants peninsula…ahem I mean if you grind for hours and hours (never found that out til later)
I always loot all that treasure from the second floor of the volcano and then leave and heal up outside. THEN take the quick path down. And I like to go the Castle of Ordeals first so I can get the healing staff and Zeus gauntlets. Both make the volcano much easier. Just have your white mage use the heal staff every turn from now on. It won't quite keep up with the damage your party takes, but it'll do most of the heavy lifting.
hey, remember that Xenoblade chronicles 2 video you made. I know you probably won't make it, but I would enjoy hearing your opinion in a video that continues a topic you barely touched, the history of how media primarily appeals to a male audience, and how game designers, even female designers are being essentially forced to make female characters with the same attitude that has been successful in media, especially gamming. Jrpg's are very interesting in this regard since the views of a foreign nation like japan can be extremely off-putting to Americans
It's so weird to me that when comparing versions of this game, people don't bring up the biggest: the complete lack of difficulty in any version later than the ps1 version. For this reason, I consider the ps1 version to be the definitive version of the game
For all its simplicity FF 1 is actually one of the most replayable of the games for me. One factor is of course its short length, but the biggest reason to replay is the wonderful music...! 🙂
i'm going through the whole series, playing the games i missed. watching these vids once i'm done with a game! just finished this one. was cool to see how it all started. that final boss was a nightmare
This was well worth the wait, Alastair. Incredibly well-researched and delivered, educational, and a joy to watch. Thanks a lot for your work, and can't wait for whatever is coming next! PS: I'm still not over the fact that XIV's Mt. Gulg didn't use the theme.
hey, thank you! that's so kind of you to say. and for sure, we're in the same page there - the music in Shadowbringers is phenomenal, but i was a bit disappointed that they used the name but not the music :(
I've never really played an FF game, and I've only just recently become intrigued by FF14, but I'm really excited to watch all these videos! I feel like there's so much dense lore that feels a bit out of reach from me right now with all the years of games building on top of one another, so maybe going back to the very beginning will help ease me into things!
Kary might be due to a character/memory limit. Japanese characters can say more with fewer characters than English, so they might have had a suggestion to change it to Kali that was then mistranslated. But that's just an educated guess.
This is correct. In battle names had four characters to use, hence why Temper was tmpr and heal 2 was hel2, there's no way to fit Marilith into four characters, so something new was used
If you ever read the script for Final Fantasy One the live action film in my opinion I am comparing Final Fantasy One to a Saban's Big Bad Beetleborgs Civil War! Because logically Beetles came Before Chocobo Birds and more Complicated Vertebrates and Primate Land Mammals in Final Fantasy Seven! Don't even get me started on Final fantasy 15! I am Going to Tackle all 15, One Game Per Film!
Final Fantasy one = Beetles and Winged Insects Final Fantasy 2 = Birds Specifically the Chocobo Final fantasy 3 = Super Deformed Furries a.k.a. the Moogles Final Fantasy 4 = Armadillos and Anteaters in other words Golbez Final fantasy 5 = Esdeath has only one job (A panda bear) while Bart Klauser has many Jobs (Based on A Dog) Final Fantasy 6 = Terra Brandford has a wing bud, like a Fore Runner to General Sephiroth Final Fantasy 7 = Humans a.k.a. Cloud Strife and General Sephiroth and so on....If You Catch My Drift aka point of View
Man, you deserve SO MANY MORE subscribers. Outstanding work, thank you so much for making this! Also, your channel made me click the bell for the very first time haha
Amazing review of this game! I’m currently on my first marathon of all the Final Fantasy games! I just wrapped up FF2 and am on the Soul of Rebirth part rn. The first game I feel is so much better and even though it’s basic, I think it’s a wonderful experience (until the end of the PSP version) 🤣
Just found your channel and have been craving an in depth look at the Final Fantasy series. Great stuff so far and can't wait to see more of these in the future.
the dawn of souls version of FF1 was my introduction to the series. when i was a kid, my only standards were i wanted a world trotting adventure slaying monsters and experiencing a plethora of dungeon environments/aesthetics. this game did just that for me. the pure and classic rpg experience.
I'm a big fan of the Final Fantasy series as well (my favorite franchise also)! I'm probably dating myself here, but I remember playing it for the first time on my NES when I was a kid, and was blown away by the amount of content it had (for a NES game, it's quite a lot)! I enjoyed watching this video a lot and you're spot on with everything. I'm going to watch your FFII video now, keep up the great work! :-D
Final Fantasy 1 might be my favorite game. I adore it and all it has to offer, so it's always nice to see a good analysis video on it. This video took an approach that I think is different than most videos I've seen on this game and it was excellent. I look forward to watching your other videos on the Final Fantasy series, especially since you really set them up well with how you analyzed this game.
Uf, you have decided to undertake an massive series. But I’m looking forward to it and what insights you might give about the series. I have a lot of confidence it will be great! Best regards :) Thanks for the video.
no kidding! it's a huge undertaking, and the videos will most likely get longer from IV onwards, but i love the series and i think it'll be worth it :) thank you so much for watching!
This video was so interesting! Your passion was audible throughout this whole video, it was great. As someone who only a few months ago played the og VII, and loved it so much that I beat X a few days ago and am now gonna play at least VIII and IX as well, I loved hearing about the small things that were the foundations of the series as a whole (the music sections were especially interesting!) Hearing your take on things was also great. I don't mean to add any pressure, please take breaks and stay healthy, but I cannot wait to see the rest of this series :D
thank you so much! i'm glad you enjoyed it. so pleased to hear you just beat X, that's my all-time favourite :) oh that's great to hear too! the music only gets better through the series so that's gonna be exciting. thank you again :)
Great video. I just want to say that the narrative of Final Fantasy while basic is one of my favorites. I look at it as four heroes come together and grow throughout their journey only for the time loop to be broken and the four heroes never meeting making it so that you are the only one who remembers the journey they went on. God I want a remake.
Great to see you back with an analysis video! :) Your hard work and love for this game series really shines through in this. I enjoy the snippets of interviews with the developers throughout the video. I always think it's interesting to know about their intent and vision of the game. The parts on translation and linguistics are a fun addition as well! Overall a really enjoyable and educational video :D
Just discovered this channel, can't wait to see every episode of FF! Marilith's naming thing is hilarious and a bit of trivia I didn't know. Dawn of Souls is my definitive 1 and 2. Shoutout to everyone still doing the 11 Challenge and Frog Spell Challenge!
Wonderful video! I actually really wanted to play through the series before Final Fantasy 7 Remake, lol I failed at that, but this video inspired me to still try and go through it! I've been in love with the series for most of my life, I played Final Fantasy 8 when I was like 6 or 7 and even though many many parts went over my head I fell in love with the series. I definitely have to check out the 2D era, never played 2-5.
it seems we had a similar childhood haha! that sounds like a plan - if you didn't mind playing them out of order, i would recommend starting with IV, it's probably the best middle ground between what you know FF to be and what it used to be, should make the transition into playing the other earlier games a bit easier. thank you for watching my friend :)
As FF1 is my favorite FF, I think you did a great job for a game that isn't your favorite, giving it the respect it deserves. The whole Kali/Kary thing is a mix of two problems the translation team had, the first being that Maralith in english is too many letters (as the NES version had less space than the remakes) and the second being that NoA is very censor happy on religious references. As for the Lufenians I get the feeling they are asking if you know their langue or introducing themselves before realizing you don't understand them, probably the latter. As for a few things I would like to add, while annoying for some, I do like how the brooms try to teach you how to use the map and the easter egg mini game that is also hidden a similar manner. Also I do feel that the added context and lore additions made by the remakes and Dissiada does improve the experience. The Warrior/Knight and his friends' exploits maybe lost to time but The Warrior/Knight did keep his promise to Garland, by redeeming Garland. As for the canon party and names, the novel gives us Setro the Warrior/Knight, (which is no surprise given he is the face of the game) Zauver the Thief/Ninja, Flora the White Mage/Wizard and Teol the Black Mage/Wizard.
The wait is over! At least for right now! First off, it's interesting how different "video game analysists" (?) have such different styles. What surprised me is how deep you look into the name and translation of the first town and certain phrases throughout the game relative to the length of the video, I like it. Furthermore, and don't take this the wrong way, you jump all over the place in terms of explaining the story in order, as a viewer I really feel your passion for the series, like you are so excited to talk about Final Fantasy, you want to talk about everything at once :D Personally, I find "I, Garland, will knock you all down!!" to be the perfect example of "epic dialogue" which is nowadays so common you don't really think about it too hard. But being the sucker for this sort of grandeur, I would've immediately fallen in love with the series^^ I've only played about 2 hours of FF1, but it's amazing how rich the game is in things you find in later games and how much exists in ith that I would've never guessed, like the whole time travel thingy. Should continue it sometime. And might as well play through 2-8 while I'm at it, be it only to enjoy future FF analysis videos even more. Great job man
Concerning the Patreon: I am yet a student and as such don't really have any income to speak of. I probably will donate a little something since I really want to support you, but well. Not more than a little something, but hopefully it helps ;)
hey, good to hear from you man! hoffe es geht dir gut :) i think it's just personal preferences making their way in really that leads to how i make the videos - outside of games and FF in particular, two of my biggest interests are language and mythology, so it's just like i'm getting an excuse to talk about them but make it about the game. also really don't worry about the Patreon - i truly appreciate the kindness but there is absolutely no obligation for you to go out of your way!
This is a great video, thank you. I wish there was more quality content about FF1 on youtube. I started playing it for the first time around 6 months ago. I am playing with a patched NES ROM which fixes bugs and translations, and it helps a lot. I also can't be bothered to get lost in dungeons, so I use a guide for the maps. It's really fun ! There is not much of a story, but what's there is at least not bad and kind of charming in its own old-fashioned way. The gameplay is solid (bugs excepted) and completely revoles around the battles, but it doesn't get boring because you meet a lot of different enemies ans you always get to try new weapons, spells ans strategies. I must be one of the only ones who actually prefer the NES graphics to the remakes. Yes, they are more harsh and primitive, but they are still clear, and in my opinion they are part of the experience of playing such an old game. By raising the graphics to 16 bits level, it makes the game's fault seem more blatant (and I'm not a fan of the cutesie style either).
Japanese Gamer from 1987/88: "Sugoi that Final Fantasy was Baka Hard but Worth the Gambare. No matter what this developer does later on Final Fantasy will be remembered for their shining start." Japanese Gamer gets isekaied by a Truck in early 1988 before FF2 is released and while in a Coma he's in a fantasy world. Japanese Gamer wakes up from coma in 2023: "What the Fukka? Final Fantasy 16???? There's nothing Final about it."
Now that I watch this in such a short time frame, I kinda regret not being able to meet the sky dynasty at it's peak or the water temple at the surface when u travel back in time. And love the video, thank you for it^^
Hey, I know I'm late to the party, but I like to think the "Lu Pa" bit can possibly be considered the language's greeting- much like "Konichiwa" or "Hola" in other languages- but without a response to that greeting in the native language- they move on since it's clear communication is not possible. It's likely that the added part in the PSP is similar to something like "Oh, he doesn't speak my language." It's also entirely likely that it really is just placeholder text made to make the player understand that they can't speak this language, with the added text made to flesh out the language just a touch.
This is a great video! The story analysis went deeper than I expected it to since this game's story is so bare-bones compared to later entries. I am a bit surprised at the statement that all of the classes have a niche, as I've always thought that balance between the classes is a major weak point in FF1 (in the NES version, IDK about the others). IMO, it's really hard to justify a Black Mage when the Red Mage is available, and the Thief/Ninja are almost useless compared to the Fighter since running away is bugged and having a few charges of low level black magic doesn't do anything notable in the endgame (except maybe having an extra FAST caster).
I have many pleasant memories of this game. I wasn't allowed to touch it for the longest time, mainly because my mom's boyfriend at the time was playing through and trying to beat the game. Eventually he did succeed and I was able to start a game of my own. But even before then I was hooked. Everything was gripping, from the music, the graphics and heck, even the tropey story. This was groundbreaking stuff for its time. I had never played anything like it, even when we played Dragon Quest (nee Warrior) I and II, they didn't hook me the way Final Fantasy I ended up doing. Dragon Quest wouldn't sink its hooks into me until years later when I feel it finally came into its own, whereas from day one, Final Fantasy was my gold standard for RPGs. Both franchises evolved in completely different directions too. All I can say is, you did wonderful in explaining what made FF1 a cornerstone game of not just the franchise, but also of the RPG genre as a whole. Yes, the plot line is tropey as hell, but for its time it was groundbreaking. You even brought up that the series always had some sci-fi elemts to it, though in FF1's case? They didn't show up until close to the end. Then there was the plot twist where you have to travel 2000 years to the past to defeat Chaos. You really did do a bang up job explaining things not just for newcomers but also for an old hat like me who reminisces about these good old days when I was a kid and the only things I had to worry about were homework, what's for dinner and bed time. I'm glad I watched, this was thoroughly enjoyable. I encourage you to keep it up.
Lu-pa Lu-pa Gamhi Dho! I have a mysterious puzzle for Yo! Lu-pa Lu-pa Gamhi Dhi! If you are wise you listen to mii! (that's my theory to that gibberish)
Great video man! These last few months I've been marathoning all the FFs that I previously haven't played. It's been a great time but my memory of some of the earlier titles have been a little blurry since they share a lot in common. It was nice seeing a long-form analysis to refresh my memory and remember all the good times I've had. Looking forward to seeing more of these!
I'd heard that other Tabletop Games were always more popular then DnD in Japan. For example contrary to what have first assumed Record of Lodoss War was NOT based on a DnD campaign but a different game.
I watched your 4 analysis yesterday and was brought here automatically tonight. Congratulations, you have a new subscriber and I look forward to my favourite in the FF series, VI/6.
I'm sure someone has told you by now, but the reason that Marilith was renamed Kary in the NA version is due to character limits. In the original Japanese, her name is spelled using 4 characters, but Marilith take up twice as many character in English. Kary is only 4 total character long in English. Although, I am not sure why they went with Kary, rather than Kali, which would have made more sense than Kary.
28:00 Maybe someone from the Localization team saw that Return of the Jedi movie and noticed one of the Dungeon Bosses remind them of Princess Leia in that Slave Bikini outfit. So they decided to name that boss Kary instead.
I've only recently begun trying out ff in my adult years. I've played through 1-3 completely and most of 4 since 2024 started. They're all really great. Something about 1 just still sticks with me the best so far. I can't put my finger on it. I played the NES version first on a CRT TV which may have something to do with it. It is just so charming on the old hardware and the glow of the TV. I played it again on the GBA version and it was still so simple and addictive. I adore it.
This video is fantastic. The research and care given to every element is truly impressive. Learning things from the actual language and translation was mind-blowing. I plan to watch each of these
28:55 TSR was almost as litigation-happy as WotC is now, the reason they named the Marilith "KARY" is the same reason they named the Mind Flayer "WIZARD" and the Beholder "EvilEYE:" They didn't want to get sued. The only names that didn't get changed are ones that pretty clearly can't be trademarked, like MUMMY, LICH or TIAMAT (name of an actual god and probably the source of the Kary/Kali confusion), and even then, they still rebranded Goblin as "IMP." EDIT: If you hadn't explicitly pointed out the "part of their world" pun it would've sailed (hah) right over my head, it sounded completely organic to me. LEIFINISH EDIT: Also, the cadence of "Lu... Pah...?" makes me think they might be trying to ask who the LIGHT WARRIORS are supposed to be. Maybe they resemble the SKY WARRIORS, and along with their ship, I wouldn't blame the people for wondering what's going on. It also has the same cadence as "Are... You...?" The extended text could very well mean "Are you the SKY WARRIORS?" FINAL EDIT: The Five ORB explanation answers a question I've always had: 'Why were there _five_ SKY WARRIORS but only _four_ LIGHT WARRIORS if there's only four ORBS?' Answer: "There are _five_ ORBS, and CHAOS has the fifth."
I can't imagine what it was like with 8 being your first FF and then proceeding to the masterpieces that were 9 and 10. 1 was my first FF, 13 was the first that I fully completed, and 10 is my favourite. I appreciate 8 and 12, both games mechanics are horrid, super dislike the late 90s emo Squall, he's annoying, but love 8's fan theories, and 12, super biblical and epic.
This is one of two games my grandma bought for me when I was in kindergarten. Little did she know that I would then go on to keep playing so many of em so many years later.
For any other musicians in this comments section, the chords for the original FF1 prelude are: Bbadd2 Gmadd2 Bbadd2 Gmadd2 Ebadd2 Fadd2 Db6 Cm6 Later versions, like in FF7, change the key to C. Cadd2 Amadd2 Cadd2 Amadd2 Fadd2 Gadd2 Eb6 Dm6 All arpeggiated, obviously.
Finally found the time to watch this. Just like you, the first FF is not one of my favorites, and yet, I had a blast watching your video. Will wait patiently for the next one. Take your time, no pressure. PS: you sound awesome.
I played the original on the NES mini. The best way I can describe it, it is like playing D&D with your friends for the first time. No one knows the rules so you ignore some mechanics, fudge the numbers in others(regular attacks deal way to much damage) and don't understand most spells. With that mindset it's a great time! My favorite out of the first three.
It's my favourite out of the whole series, so much so that when I ran my very first D&D campaign, I used FF1 as the setting!
My players have forever changed my perception of the game with the story they've told through it.
Funny enough a lot of the game was taken from one of the D&D campaigns
As someone who's never been super passionate about this series with only a few exceptions (like Final Fantasy Tactics), it's interesting to see a series like this from the perspective of a more devoted fan.
given your health issues i hope this isn't taking too much of a toll on you. Take care of yourself.
thank you - i'll be doing my best to look after myself! appreciate the support :)
7:15
Uematsu’s importance is legendary. Not just to final fantasy but to video games in general.
His music can be felt in **every** game in some way, to date. Final Fantasy 1 proved to the world that a game can be more than just an arcade thing with a simple narrative. It was deep and sprawling. But it was silent.
The music told you how to feel. It spoke for the series that resonated through decades to come. And as Uematsu reaches his twilight years- Soken seems to be the one who is going to take on his mantle.
Uematsu has reached a level attained by few. Names who will be spoken hundreds of years from now like Mozart and a Beethoven and Bach.
You could make an hours long video alone going over how important that man is to video game music let alone music in general and still only be able to cover a fraction of his work.
That man deserves all the good that comes to him. He has made a soundtrack that I have had with me since I picked the series up in 98 when I was 10 with FFVII on the PSOne on Christmas Day.
nice to see a non-LP video from you again. The wait was worth it. This is really the most in depth look at the game I really remember, with a lot of stuff I didn't even know or had forgotten about entirely. It's really obvious a lot of passion, work, and research went into it. Fantastic.
this is really kind of you, thank you so so much. means a lot :)
Yay, I was looking forward to this! :) I really enjoyed the localisation analysis, I've always found those so interesting.
thank you, that's so kind of you :) i'm really glad to hear positive feedback there! i wasn't sure if the linguistic would fall flat or not, or not be that interesting, so i'm chuffed to hear you liked that.
Of course you have to deal with pain in your spine. You're a black mage, gotta need to learn some white magic, you know?
I played the original Final Fantasy with my dad and brother when it first came out for the NES. Once I discovered emulators I play it at least once every year. I'm actually in the middle of a run right now.
I don't do one every year, but I've played it on and off since I was 12, I'm playing it again rn as well. It's a classic
Hey, just wanted to let you know how happy I am to find an analysis youtuber with as high production value and calming voice as you have. Gonna binge all these final fantasy videos while I'm stuck inside from the absolutely massive amount of snow that just got dumped on us!
Hope the snow clears soon.
Oh snap, a fellow Black Mage!
nice to meet someone else with such impeccable taste :)
Final Fantasy is cool, yo
this is the TL;DR for this video
This video convinced me to finally pick up a Final Fantasy game. Thanks, man.
Really well constructed, produced, and delivered. I really hope you maintain the motivation to see this series through because I will gladly sit through 15 hours of these. Well done, sir.
hey, super nice of you to say so :)
i'm working on FFII at the moment, so i'll do my best!
This was an amazing video, perfectly put together, with great editing, I loved it. The fact that you took your time to check and explain the Japanese side of things and the localization is just the cherry on top. Thank you. I really cannot wait for your take on the other FF games.
that is super nice of you to say! i always feel like the editing is a bit sub-par so i'm especially pleased to hear that you enjoyed it :D hopefully it won't be too long until the FFII video, so see you then!
You made a whole documentary from one single game... and to be honest.. I started watching thinking I would face a Final Fantasy (series) analysis.. but I was really surprised with the quality of your material. Great content... hope there are more! And pls, keep your pace and clearly way of speaking.. for a non native english speaker, it helps us a lot! Congrats and tks!
hey, thank you so much! that's great to hear. i'm in the process of making the FFII video, so another one is definitely coming! also, i'm really glad to hear that - i worry about how understandable i am to non-native english speakers (which is partly why i have the subtitles available), so it's a relief to know that what i'm doing now is okay. :)
Dude, have been watching your FF videos this week and i fell in love with how detailed your work is. I can feel the passion you have for the franchise is as great as mine is and this is so good to know. Can't wait for the other videos on the other games. Thank you! :D
The Prelude on the opening screen is just absolutely magical. ❤️❤️❤️
the prelude was used in Dissidia, everytime i played the game, i'm always stuck on the menu screen just to listen to this.
What a great way to explain things. The passion is noticeable. Thanks and best of luck!
The original Final Fantasy holds a special place for me and yours was the greatest analysis and retrospective I have ever watched. Thank you for such an excellent, articulate, and thoughtful look at one of my all-time favorites!
As someone who's a fan of dnd and dragon quest this was super interesting! Thanks for putting all the work in, you did do us proud
This video is absolutely incredible! Loved pretty much about everything!
Fanfare gives me a dopamine rush so when I’m sad I play a FF game. Typically 10, 12, or 15... sometimes 14 too! But now I think I should actually play the original FF on my NES
me too for sure - the amount of times i've played the first two or so hours of FFVIII/X for that exact purpose is ridiculous, so i totally get where you're coming from! i hope you enjoy it if you do :)
This series is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
That’s so amazing to grow up on FF 8, 9 and 10. I was a teenager when FF 6 released (and my obsession began). What’s great is that we both love it the same.
I would have loved to play FF6 on release. I got to play it at my aunts house in 2010 she had no internet and I couldn’t bring a game system so I used to pretend I was playing it on release to feel better lol little did I know I would end up wanting to take the SNES home
@@TheFloodFourm :D 👏
This video is deserving of more attention -- much more thoughtful a work of art criticism than the proliferation of plot-summary-retrospective video essays on TH-cam these days!
Just found you and glad I did. I've been a huge FF fan since it came out in 89. My favorite being VI, I love your analysis and had always wanted to do something like this and I'm glad you did. I started listening in my journey to Platinum all the Pixel Remasters on PS5. Great analysis.
My love for FF began when I was in my early 40s and played FF7 for the first time. What an epic adventure! Then came 8, and the wonderful cutscene as Squall & co go to Dollet, it's still my favourite cutscene of the entire series - and the awesome music! Then I went backwards, discovering the amazing stories, which had so much depth. And, finally, FFI and the beginning of so much of the elements that I loved. Now I'm looking forward to 16, and discovering all the elements of the earlier games updated for 2023. But FFI is the graddaddy of them all!
I've recently subscribed because you're Final Fantasy series analysis came up. I absolutely love the series too and watching made me so happy! I can see the amount of effort you put into this so know that even so long after posting, people are still consuming and loving your content! You've gained a fan and I hope you continue to cover the series 😁
Great video! It's probably the most extensive look I've ever seen on this game. Also I found the parts about translation issues very interesting, I didn't know most of what you talked about. I hope we'll get to see the other games too!(This obviously took a large amount of time and effort to make, so take it easy if you can now!)
thank you, that's very kind of you! really appreciate that. assuming all goes to plan, the other games will be coming too :) with a few other shorter videos here and there so that it's not all just hour-long videos about Final Fantasy :P
There is actually a trick to the teleport maze in the Castle of Ordeals, the southern most pillar in each section is always the correct one forward.
Loved this video! I always knew the first game was extremely influential for the series but mostly assumed it was a shallow experiment that would eventually be refined by later games, so it’s very entertaining to see such a close look at it. I’m really excited for the next video in the series! Keep it up, your videos are excellent :)
wow, thank you! i really appreciate that. i'm making progress on the FFII video as we speak, so keep your eyes peeled!
I never leave comments on videos, but I would be incomplete in life if I didn't say how excited I am to see the rest of this series. I'm sadly playing through every game for the first time so I can't binge the 4 out now, but your essays are so incredible that I simply have to finish the games solely to watch.
Genuinely thank you so much. You're an amazing talent 👏
I'd guess they're saying something like
"Can... You... Understand... Us?"
Or some iteration of something that shows their attempt to communicate with you.
aye, you're probably right! that wouldn't surprise me. what was really bothering me was if there was any particular reason behind the specific sounds they picked, i.e. if 'lu...' was just an arbitrary choice or not, and could have actually been any pair of letters.
@@Ludiscere my guess would be the additional words were added to indicate them talking slower, as only 2 syllables may sounds more like they were saying only one word.
"lu" could be referring to "lufenian", where they're trying to ask something along the lines of, "do you understand lufenien?"
51:39 that music in the background was the end music and is a slowed version of the village sound. So memorable 😌❤️
Nice video! Btw spell slots in D&D was introduced in 3rd edition, 2000. When FF1 was made, the latest editions were Mentzer Basic and Advanced 1st ed, which don’t use spell slots. FF1’s spell slots were taken from Wizardry, which were then “taken back” by D&D full circle =))
Can You Compare the Dark Knight Garland from Final Fantasy One with a Stag Beetle in The Real World? Because I am!
Garland is Japanese, just like a Stag Beetle,
Coated in Tilting plate Mail Armor, just like a stag beetle,
and Speaks just like the Shredder from Ninja Turtles one From 1990, just like a stag beetle
In My Honest Opinion!
For "lu pa gamhi dho" I always thought just means "can you speak lu" with "lu" being their name for their language. pa would just be a topic particle similar to the Japanese "は", gamhi would be the verb and dho a question indicator. The nes version would then just be "lu?" Which can be interpreted as just a shortened version of the same question
I don't know if this has been mentioned by other commenters already, but the change of "Marilith" to "Kary" could be in bane of localizators even to this day - character (and sometimes byte) limits. RAM space is always limited (even on super-modern consoles) and developers might be able to accommodate only rather short names due to that. This is also the reason behind such naming changes in FF6 like "Kayenne" to "Cyan". (Tina/Terra and Mash/Sabin are a whole different beast though.)
I recently got the platinum for this game on the pixel remaster on PS5 (which I think is definitely a great version of the game, doesn't have any extra content but does have the bug fixes future versions came with). I really like it. It's basically the turn based RPG genre at its most barebones. I really love how the early Final Fantasies emphasized proper resource management (when do use healing spells, when do you use potions).
I will say I much prefer MP over spell charge systems.
Thanks for this amazing work! Just subscribed... I'm a newcomer to the FF series and I'm absolutely obsessed at the moment. Thanks again and I hope all is well!
My first FF game was IV/2 in 1992ish. So glad to see the beauty of these games has all not been forgotten with the newer incarnations. I think the setup of the original FFI NES perfectly captures the subtle darkness of the world. I still prefer that one even when I’m up to my neck in half-dead in the Ice Cave. You get so powerful if you use the giants peninsula…ahem I mean if you grind for hours and hours (never found that out til later)
I always loot all that treasure from the second floor of the volcano and then leave and heal up outside.
THEN take the quick path down.
And I like to go the Castle of Ordeals first so I can get the healing staff and Zeus gauntlets.
Both make the volcano much easier. Just have your white mage use the heal staff every turn from now on.
It won't quite keep up with the damage your party takes, but it'll do most of the heavy lifting.
hey, remember that Xenoblade chronicles 2 video you made. I know you probably won't make it, but I would enjoy hearing your opinion in a video that continues a topic you barely touched, the history of how media primarily appeals to a male audience, and how game designers, even female designers are being essentially forced to make female characters with the same attitude that has been successful in media, especially gamming. Jrpg's are very interesting in this regard since the views of a foreign nation like japan can be extremely off-putting to Americans
It's so weird to me that when comparing versions of this game, people don't bring up the biggest: the complete lack of difficulty in any version later than the ps1 version. For this reason, I consider the ps1 version to be the definitive version of the game
If you want a good version of the first game I suggest the pixel remaster. The touch up and QOL changed are amazing.
For all its simplicity FF 1 is actually one of the most replayable of the games for me. One factor is of course its short length, but the biggest reason to replay is the wonderful music...! 🙂
All music in ff1 are so nostalgic ❤️❤️
FF2 or FF4 whichever you have played will always be the GOAT!!!!
i'm going through the whole series, playing the games i missed. watching these vids once i'm done with a game! just finished this one. was cool to see how it all started. that final boss was a nightmare
My first final fantasy game! Played back 7-8 years ago in nes emulator in my pc
This was well worth the wait, Alastair. Incredibly well-researched and delivered, educational, and a joy to watch. Thanks a lot for your work, and can't wait for whatever is coming next!
PS: I'm still not over the fact that XIV's Mt. Gulg didn't use the theme.
hey, thank you! that's so kind of you to say. and for sure, we're in the same page there - the music in Shadowbringers is phenomenal, but i was a bit disappointed that they used the name but not the music :(
I've never really played an FF game, and I've only just recently become intrigued by FF14, but I'm really excited to watch all these videos! I feel like there's so much dense lore that feels a bit out of reach from me right now with all the years of games building on top of one another, so maybe going back to the very beginning will help ease me into things!
this video is so good! it deserves much more attention!
FFVI open world music as the opening...yeah, right in the feels. VI was my first and always has a special place in my heart
Kary might be due to a character/memory limit. Japanese characters can say more with fewer characters than English, so they might have had a suggestion to change it to Kali that was then mistranslated.
But that's just an educated guess.
This is correct. In battle names had four characters to use, hence why Temper was tmpr and heal 2 was hel2, there's no way to fit Marilith into four characters, so something new was used
If you ever read the script for Final Fantasy One the live action film in my opinion I am comparing Final Fantasy One to a Saban's Big Bad Beetleborgs Civil War!
Because logically Beetles came Before Chocobo Birds and more Complicated Vertebrates and Primate Land Mammals in Final Fantasy Seven!
Don't even get me started on Final fantasy 15! I am Going to Tackle all 15, One Game Per Film!
Final Fantasy one = Beetles and Winged Insects
Final Fantasy 2 = Birds Specifically the Chocobo
Final fantasy 3 = Super Deformed Furries a.k.a. the Moogles
Final Fantasy 4 = Armadillos and Anteaters in other words Golbez
Final fantasy 5 = Esdeath has only one job (A panda bear) while Bart Klauser has many Jobs (Based on A Dog)
Final Fantasy 6 = Terra Brandford has a wing bud, like a Fore Runner to General Sephiroth
Final Fantasy 7 = Humans a.k.a. Cloud Strife and General Sephiroth
and so on....If You Catch My Drift aka point of View
Man, you deserve SO MANY MORE subscribers. Outstanding work, thank you so much for making this! Also, your channel made me click the bell for the very first time haha
Amazing review of this game! I’m currently on my first marathon of all the Final Fantasy games! I just wrapped up FF2 and am on the Soul of Rebirth part rn. The first game I feel is so much better and even though it’s basic, I think it’s a wonderful experience (until the end of the PSP version) 🤣
Fuckin’ thank you for your labor of love! I can’t wait to watch every single FF video you make.
Just found your channel and have been craving an in depth look at the Final Fantasy series. Great stuff so far and can't wait to see more of these in the future.
much appreciated mate, thank you! work on the FFII video is underway :)
the dawn of souls version of FF1 was my introduction to the series. when i was a kid, my only standards were i wanted a world trotting adventure slaying monsters and experiencing a plethora of dungeon environments/aesthetics. this game did just that for me. the pure and classic rpg experience.
I'm a big fan of the Final Fantasy series as well (my favorite franchise also)! I'm probably dating myself here, but I remember playing it for the first time on my NES when I was a kid, and was blown away by the amount of content it had (for a NES game, it's quite a lot)! I enjoyed watching this video a lot and you're spot on with everything. I'm going to watch your FFII video now, keep up the great work! :-D
Final Fantasy 1 might be my favorite game. I adore it and all it has to offer, so it's always nice to see a good analysis video on it. This video took an approach that I think is different than most videos I've seen on this game and it was excellent. I look forward to watching your other videos on the Final Fantasy series, especially since you really set them up well with how you analyzed this game.
Uf, you have decided to undertake an massive series. But I’m looking forward to it and what insights you might give about the series. I have a lot of confidence it will be great! Best regards :) Thanks for the video.
no kidding! it's a huge undertaking, and the videos will most likely get longer from IV onwards, but i love the series and i think it'll be worth it :) thank you so much for watching!
This video was so interesting! Your passion was audible throughout this whole video, it was great. As someone who only a few months ago played the og VII, and loved it so much that I beat X a few days ago and am now gonna play at least VIII and IX as well, I loved hearing about the small things that were the foundations of the series as a whole (the music sections were especially interesting!)
Hearing your take on things was also great. I don't mean to add any pressure, please take breaks and stay healthy, but I cannot wait to see the rest of this series :D
thank you so much! i'm glad you enjoyed it. so pleased to hear you just beat X, that's my all-time favourite :) oh that's great to hear too! the music only gets better through the series so that's gonna be exciting.
thank you again :)
Great video. I just want to say that the narrative of Final Fantasy while basic is one of my favorites. I look at it as four heroes come together and grow throughout their journey only for the time loop to be broken and the four heroes never meeting making it so that you are the only one who remembers the journey they went on. God I want a remake.
Great to see you back with an analysis video! :) Your hard work and love for this game series really shines through in this.
I enjoy the snippets of interviews with the developers throughout the video. I always think it's interesting to know about their intent and vision of the game. The parts on translation and linguistics are a fun addition as well! Overall a really enjoyable and educational video :D
hey, thank you! i'm really glad you enjoyed it :)
Just discovered this channel, can't wait to see every episode of FF! Marilith's naming thing is hilarious and a bit of trivia I didn't know. Dawn of Souls is my definitive 1 and 2. Shoutout to everyone still doing the 11 Challenge and Frog Spell Challenge!
Wonderful video! I actually really wanted to play through the series before Final Fantasy 7 Remake, lol I failed at that, but this video inspired me to still try and go through it! I've been in love with the series for most of my life, I played Final Fantasy 8 when I was like 6 or 7 and even though many many parts went over my head I fell in love with the series. I definitely have to check out the 2D era, never played 2-5.
it seems we had a similar childhood haha! that sounds like a plan - if you didn't mind playing them out of order, i would recommend starting with IV, it's probably the best middle ground between what you know FF to be and what it used to be, should make the transition into playing the other earlier games a bit easier. thank you for watching my friend :)
As FF1 is my favorite FF, I think you did a great job for a game that isn't your favorite, giving it the respect it deserves. The whole Kali/Kary thing is a mix of two problems the translation team had, the first being that Maralith in english is too many letters (as the NES version had less space than the remakes) and the second being that NoA is very censor happy on religious references. As for the Lufenians I get the feeling they are asking if you know their langue or introducing themselves before realizing you don't understand them, probably the latter. As for a few things I would like to add, while annoying for some, I do like how the brooms try to teach you how to use the map and the easter egg mini game that is also hidden a similar manner. Also I do feel that the added context and lore additions made by the remakes and Dissiada does improve the experience. The Warrior/Knight and his friends' exploits maybe lost to time but The Warrior/Knight did keep his promise to Garland, by redeeming Garland. As for the canon party and names, the novel gives us Setro the Warrior/Knight, (which is no surprise given he is the face of the game) Zauver the Thief/Ninja, Flora the White Mage/Wizard and Teol the Black Mage/Wizard.
The wait is over! At least for right now!
First off, it's interesting how different "video game analysists" (?) have such different styles. What surprised me is how deep you look into the name and translation of the first town and certain phrases throughout the game relative to the length of the video, I like it. Furthermore, and don't take this the wrong way, you jump all over the place in terms of explaining the story in order, as a viewer I really feel your passion for the series, like you are so excited to talk about Final Fantasy, you want to talk about everything at once :D
Personally, I find "I, Garland, will knock you all down!!" to be the perfect example of "epic dialogue" which is nowadays so common you don't really think about it too hard. But being the sucker for this sort of grandeur, I would've immediately fallen in love with the series^^
I've only played about 2 hours of FF1, but it's amazing how rich the game is in things you find in later games and how much exists in ith that I would've never guessed, like the whole time travel thingy. Should continue it sometime. And might as well play through 2-8 while I'm at it, be it only to enjoy future FF analysis videos even more. Great job man
Concerning the Patreon: I am yet a student and as such don't really have any income to speak of. I probably will donate a little something since I really want to support you, but well. Not more than a little something, but hopefully it helps ;)
hey, good to hear from you man! hoffe es geht dir gut :)
i think it's just personal preferences making their way in really that leads to how i make the videos - outside of games and FF in particular, two of my biggest interests are language and mythology, so it's just like i'm getting an excuse to talk about them but make it about the game.
also really don't worry about the Patreon - i truly appreciate the kindness but there is absolutely no obligation for you to go out of your way!
great video! Thank you very much. Wishing you the best for your medical condition, and alleviation of any pain you live with. Stay Light Warrior.
This is a great video, thank you. I wish there was more quality content about FF1 on youtube. I started playing it for the first time around 6 months ago. I am playing with a patched NES ROM which fixes bugs and translations, and it helps a lot. I also can't be bothered to get lost in dungeons, so I use a guide for the maps. It's really fun ! There is not much of a story, but what's there is at least not bad and kind of charming in its own old-fashioned way. The gameplay is solid (bugs excepted) and completely revoles around the battles, but it doesn't get boring because you meet a lot of different enemies ans you always get to try new weapons, spells ans strategies. I must be one of the only ones who actually prefer the NES graphics to the remakes. Yes, they are more harsh and primitive, but they are still clear, and in my opinion they are part of the experience of playing such an old game. By raising the graphics to 16 bits level, it makes the game's fault seem more blatant (and I'm not a fan of the cutesie style either).
Japanese Gamer from 1987/88: "Sugoi that Final Fantasy was Baka Hard but Worth the Gambare. No matter what this developer does later on Final Fantasy will be remembered for their shining start."
Japanese Gamer gets isekaied by a Truck in early 1988 before FF2 is released and while in a Coma he's in a fantasy world.
Japanese Gamer wakes up from coma in 2023: "What the Fukka? Final Fantasy 16???? There's nothing Final about it."
Excited for more analysis. Amazing work!
hey, thanks so much!
Now that I watch this in such a short time frame, I kinda regret not being able to meet the sky dynasty at it's peak or the water temple at the surface when u travel back in time. And love the video, thank you for it^^
Hey, I know I'm late to the party, but I like to think the "Lu Pa" bit can possibly be considered the language's greeting- much like "Konichiwa" or "Hola" in other languages- but without a response to that greeting in the native language- they move on since it's clear communication is not possible. It's likely that the added part in the PSP is similar to something like "Oh, he doesn't speak my language." It's also entirely likely that it really is just placeholder text made to make the player understand that they can't speak this language, with the added text made to flesh out the language just a touch.
This is a great video! The story analysis went deeper than I expected it to since this game's story is so bare-bones compared to later entries. I am a bit surprised at the statement that all of the classes have a niche, as I've always thought that balance between the classes is a major weak point in FF1 (in the NES version, IDK about the others). IMO, it's really hard to justify a Black Mage when the Red Mage is available, and the Thief/Ninja are almost useless compared to the Fighter since running away is bugged and having a few charges of low level black magic doesn't do anything notable in the endgame (except maybe having an extra FAST caster).
49:20 Earth, Fire, Wind, Water.
Me: "Heart GO PLANET, By your powers combined I am Captain Planet"!!!!!
I have many pleasant memories of this game. I wasn't allowed to touch it for the longest time, mainly because my mom's boyfriend at the time was playing through and trying to beat the game. Eventually he did succeed and I was able to start a game of my own.
But even before then I was hooked. Everything was gripping, from the music, the graphics and heck, even the tropey story. This was groundbreaking stuff for its time. I had never played anything like it, even when we played Dragon Quest (nee Warrior) I and II, they didn't hook me the way Final Fantasy I ended up doing.
Dragon Quest wouldn't sink its hooks into me until years later when I feel it finally came into its own, whereas from day one, Final Fantasy was my gold standard for RPGs. Both franchises evolved in completely different directions too.
All I can say is, you did wonderful in explaining what made FF1 a cornerstone game of not just the franchise, but also of the RPG genre as a whole. Yes, the plot line is tropey as hell, but for its time it was groundbreaking. You even brought up that the series always had some sci-fi elemts to it, though in FF1's case? They didn't show up until close to the end. Then there was the plot twist where you have to travel 2000 years to the past to defeat Chaos.
You really did do a bang up job explaining things not just for newcomers but also for an old hat like me who reminisces about these good old days when I was a kid and the only things I had to worry about were homework, what's for dinner and bed time. I'm glad I watched, this was thoroughly enjoyable. I encourage you to keep it up.
Your videos are criminally underviewed
Lu-pa Lu-pa Gamhi Dho!
I have a mysterious puzzle for Yo!
Lu-pa Lu-pa Gamhi Dhi!
If you are wise you listen to mii! (that's my theory to that gibberish)
Great video man! These last few months I've been marathoning all the FFs that I previously haven't played. It's been a great time but my memory of some of the earlier titles have been a little blurry since they share a lot in common. It was nice seeing a long-form analysis to refresh my memory and remember all the good times I've had. Looking forward to seeing more of these!
I'd heard that other Tabletop Games were always more popular then DnD in Japan. For example contrary to what have first assumed Record of Lodoss War was NOT based on a DnD campaign but a different game.
I watched your 4 analysis yesterday and was brought here automatically tonight. Congratulations, you have a new subscriber and I look forward to my favourite in the FF series, VI/6.
I'm sure someone has told you by now, but the reason that Marilith was renamed Kary in the NA version is due to character limits. In the original Japanese, her name is spelled using 4 characters, but Marilith take up twice as many character in English. Kary is only 4 total character long in English. Although, I am not sure why they went with Kary, rather than Kali, which would have made more sense than Kary.
Thanks for the awesome analysis of some of my all time favorite games! I was hoping you’d mention warmech!
This is great dude, hope you keep up the video essays they're great to watch
thanks mate, really appreciate that! will do :)
Sometimes japanese took german words, "rufein" sounds like "rufen", what is "to call" in german.
28:00 Maybe someone from the Localization team saw that Return of the Jedi movie and noticed one of the Dungeon Bosses remind them of Princess Leia in that Slave Bikini outfit. So they decided to name that boss Kary instead.
Minor corrections regarding Japanese: Kanji is not a syllabary, but logograms, and the katakana ー marks long vowels, not stress
Your final fantasy retrospective series made me subscribe to your channel. I cannot wait for the rest I love them!!!
I've only recently begun trying out ff in my adult years. I've played through 1-3 completely and most of 4 since 2024 started. They're all really great. Something about 1 just still sticks with me the best so far. I can't put my finger on it. I played the NES version first on a CRT TV which may have something to do with it. It is just so charming on the old hardware and the glow of the TV. I played it again on the GBA version and it was still so simple and addictive. I adore it.
This video is fantastic. The research and care given to every element is truly impressive. Learning things from the actual language and translation was mind-blowing. I plan to watch each of these
28:55
TSR was almost as litigation-happy as WotC is now, the reason they named the Marilith "KARY" is the same reason they named the Mind Flayer "WIZARD" and the Beholder "EvilEYE:" They didn't want to get sued. The only names that didn't get changed are ones that pretty clearly can't be trademarked, like MUMMY, LICH or TIAMAT (name of an actual god and probably the source of the Kary/Kali confusion), and even then, they still rebranded Goblin as "IMP."
EDIT: If you hadn't explicitly pointed out the "part of their world" pun it would've sailed (hah) right over my head, it sounded completely organic to me.
LEIFINISH EDIT: Also, the cadence of "Lu... Pah...?" makes me think they might be trying to ask who the LIGHT WARRIORS are supposed to be. Maybe they resemble the SKY WARRIORS, and along with their ship, I wouldn't blame the people for wondering what's going on. It also has the same cadence as "Are... You...?" The extended text could very well mean "Are you the SKY WARRIORS?"
FINAL EDIT: The Five ORB explanation answers a question I've always had: 'Why were there _five_ SKY WARRIORS but only _four_ LIGHT WARRIORS if there's only four ORBS?' Answer: "There are _five_ ORBS, and CHAOS has the fifth."
such a amazing analysis♥️
hype for more FF content ! 😍
thank you so much!
Final Fantasy 1, 6 and 9 are some of my favorite games ever but most of the others like 12 and 7 are also special to me.
I can't imagine what it was like with 8 being your first FF and then proceeding to the masterpieces that were 9 and 10. 1 was my first FF, 13 was the first that I fully completed, and 10 is my favourite. I appreciate 8 and 12, both games mechanics are horrid, super dislike the late 90s emo Squall, he's annoying, but love 8's fan theories, and 12, super biblical and epic.
This is one of two games my grandma bought for me when I was in kindergarten. Little did she know that I would then go on to keep playing so many of em so many years later.
For any other musicians in this comments section, the chords for the original FF1 prelude are:
Bbadd2 Gmadd2 Bbadd2 Gmadd2
Ebadd2 Fadd2 Db6 Cm6
Later versions, like in FF7, change the key to C.
Cadd2 Amadd2 Cadd2 Amadd2
Fadd2 Gadd2 Eb6 Dm6
All arpeggiated, obviously.
Finally found the time to watch this.
Just like you, the first FF is not one of my favorites, and yet, I had a blast watching your video. Will wait patiently for the next one. Take your time, no pressure.
PS: you sound awesome.
that's so kind of you to say mate, thank you! much appreciated :)