Final Fantasy Adventure has so much that I want. I had started it a couple of times in the past, but never got over the first 10 minutes. This was because I had gotten it into my head that the bar on the bottom of the screen was like an Elder Scrolls stamina bar. I thought I had to wait until it filled up in order to do any real damage. That’s a shame because it gets really breezy and fun. But as with everything else in my life, it is better late than never.
This period of Square’s history is a nice sweet spot for me. There’s a roughness around the edges, but experiments in narrative and mechanics, as well as one-off jokes and tricks are everywhere. It comes off like a really innovative riff on Legend of Zelda but I’m not sure how many Japan-only antecedents I’m overlooking. One hook is that there are multiple weapons, each with their own movement and range. There’s a whip that feels just like Simon Belmont’s and I picked it up right before fighting Dracula.
If I cast sleep when monsters are throwing spears, then they just continue throwing spears indefinitely. That’s pretty cool. I can buy a potion to cure a Moogle condition, but when I’m a Moogle, I can’t use items. I named my characters with jokes, but now I’m starting to get confused.
I love this Mandrake enemy.
When the villain calls me, “my dear,” it feels like the deepest insult.
This is my favorite screen. So peaceful…
