Calling all Final Fantasy fans!!!! Your favorite franchise has finally arrived on the iPhone. Final Fantasy hits the AppStore and is racking up some sales.

FINAL FANTASY ($8.99)

It seems like it was just yesterday when I was playing Final Fantasy on the NES, then again on the gba, and now I can experience all the adventures on my iPhone. But did Final Fantasy succeed in making a mark on iPhone RPG gaming?

Presentation

The game has been fully ported over and even includes two bonus locations that weren’t in the original FF. A few features that really captured my attention are the redesigned graphics that bring back the classic style of gaming, the turn based fighting, and the gameplay itself.

Controls

Since it has been ported, the button layout is just as it was in the old systems. However, this time around they’re touch controls. A virtual D pad is in the bottom left corner while a button on the right appears to run in certain locations.

To activate certain actions, such as communication, you can tap anywhere as you approach something. The menu/status button appears at the lower right corner whenever you are not moving. They really thought out this one, as it works without taking away and cluttering the screen.

Gameplay

If you’ve ever played any Final Fantasy game, you should be familiar with how the gameplay works, if not its just like any other RPG, but more awesome. As four light warriors, you are to defeat Garland and bring back Princess Sara. You take charge of four classes, a fighter, a thief, a white mage and a black mage. Customization is a truly cool feature as you can upgrade skills, weapons, and armor as you level up. Leveling up is fairly simple.

As long as a character is remains alive after a battle, they will gain exp points. However if they do end up fainting, its just a matter of reviving their soul. Confrontations are similar to Pokémon battles (haha) in which enemies are invisible and can attack you at any moment. But make sure to gather up as many kills in the beginning because earning that extra cash and and levels will help purchase better armor and weapons for further bosses.

Special weapons and items are also present in the game. A helpful tip is to always keep Phoenix Down potions in your items for this purpose. If all your parties members have taken some hit points from enemies, buy some tents and use it to recover the entire party when you are in the wild, and use the Inn when in town.

Suggestions

Overall, the game was a successful port. Everyone should at least try it out as it is a true RPG that has finally reached the AppStore. There are however a few bugs and issues I ran across. For one, there were times that the buttons and options became unresponsive and took multiple taps to register the action. But besides that issue, the game is pretty flawless.

Conclusion

An awesome addition to the iPhone game section, Final Fantasy is one game I would recommend to all RPG fans and anyone who likes iPhone gaming In general. I just wish Square Enix would have released both FF as one purchase.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the AppStore and buy this game, its well worth the price. I just hope they have other FF titles ready to port over to the iPhone.