FINAL FANTASY

Review by eFreeware

Plenty of people want to know where a long-running series began, but the earliest entries are often the hardest to go back to. Small screens, slow menus and hours of repetitive fighting can put you off before the story gets going. FINAL FANTASY, from SQUARE ENIX, is an attempt to remove some of that friction while keeping the character of the original.

This is a remaster of the first game in the series, originally released in 1987, and it arrived on Android in July 2021. You take on the role of the Warriors of Light, a group tasked with restoring the four Crystals after darkness spreads across the land. The developer's pitch is a 2D overhaul that keeps the retro look but modernizes how the game plays.

It is a paid download at $9.99, with no ads. The developer states that the one-time purchase covers the full playthrough, with no further payments needed after the initial buy and download. That structure matters for anyone tired of being interrupted mid-dungeon, and it makes the value question simple: you decide once, up front.

A remaster built around two names from the original team

The most interesting part of this release is who worked on the presentation. The character pixel designs were redrawn by Kazuko Shibuya, the original artist who still collaborates with the series, and the rearranged soundtrack was overseen by Nobuo Uematsu, the game's original composer. That is a deliberate attempt to update the look and sound without handing the job to people with no connection to it.

The result is a version of the game that keeps its retro identity rather than smoothing it into something unrecognizable. The pixel art is described as universally updated, which suggests the same visual language across the whole game rather than a patchwork of old and new assets.

Better still, you are not locked into the new presentation. The soundtrack can be switched between the rearranged version and the original, and the font can be swapped between the default and a pixel-based option that matches the feel of the 1987 release. For anyone who grew up with the original, those toggles are a thoughtful touch rather than a gimmick.

Four Crystals, one long journey

The premise is straightforward. Earth, fire, water and wind each have a Crystal, the light within them has been lost, and your party sets out to restore that power and save the world. It is a classic structure, and the appeal here is seeing the template that later games in the series would build on.

Exploration is a core part of the loop. You traverse the world using an airship and other vessels, which opens up areas that would otherwise be out of reach on foot. The map is wide, and the sense of scale comes from gradually earning the means to cross it.

Combat and character growth are handled through classes. You switch between classes to improve your characters, which gives you a reason to experiment with party composition rather than settling on one setup and sticking with it. The developer has also added boost features that expand your options, including the ability to switch off random encounters entirely and to adjust experience multipliers anywhere between 0 and 4.

Those two options change the shape of a playthrough considerably. Turning off random encounters lets you move through the world without fighting every few steps, while the experience multiplier lets you speed up or slow down how quickly your party grows. Combined with auto-battle and a modernized interface, the game tries to meet you where you are rather than insisting on the pacing of 1987.

Playing with a controller, and what the extras add

Gamepad controls are supported, and connecting a gamepad to your device brings up a dedicated gamepad interface rather than leaving you to map buttons yourself. That is the kind of detail that makes a difference over a long role-playing game, where touch controls can wear thin during extended sessions.

Extras include a music player, an illustration gallery and a bestiary. These are the sort of additions that reward curiosity. The bestiary documents the creatures you meet, the gallery collects artwork, and the music player lets you revisit the soundtrack outside the game itself, which is a nice fit given how much care went into the audio.

The developer notes that this remaster is based on the 1987 original and that features or content may differ from earlier rereleases. If you have played a previous version, that is worth keeping in mind, since this is its own take rather than a straight copy of what came before.

No multiplayer, no social layer

This is a single-player role-playing game in the traditional sense. Your journey through the world is your own.

The experience is built around a party you assemble and develop, a story you follow at your own pace, and the boost options that let you tune the difficulty and time commitment.

Who this version is for

The clearest audience is anyone curious about the roots of the series. If you have played later entries and wondered how it all started, this is the most approachable way to find out, since the modernized interface and boost options soften the rougher edges of a game designed for hardware from the 1980s.

It also suits players who already know the original and want a version they can carry around. The ability to switch back to the original soundtrack and a pixel-based font, along with the redrawn art from the original character designer, gives returning players something new to notice while keeping the familiar elements within reach.

Newcomers to role-playing games in general should know what they are getting into. This is a full-length adventure with a large world, a party to develop and a story to see through, not a short nostalgia trip. The boost options make it more forgiving, but the structure is still that of a classic role-playing game, and it expects you to invest time in it.

The practical details before you buy

The game requires Android 6.0 or higher, and the developer notes that some models may not be compatible. Checking your device before purchasing is sensible. The current version has 50,000+ installs and a 4.2 average from 1,415 ratings, which suggests a reasonably settled release rather than a troubled one.

The most recent update, from October 2025, addressed minor bugs. That is a modest change rather than a content addition, but it does indicate the app is still being looked after. At $9.99 with no ads and no in-app purchases, the cost is a single decision rather than an ongoing one.

Whether that price feels fair depends on how much you want this particular game. It is a faithful remaster of a landmark title with real care put into its art and music, and the boost features make it easier to fit into a modern schedule. What it is not is a reinvention, and the developer is upfront that this is based on the 1987 release with differences from other versions.

A worthwhile starting point for the series

FINAL FANTASY on Android is a considered remaster of the game that started one of the most enduring series in role-playing games. The redrawn pixel art, the rearranged score, the switchable soundtrack and font, and the boost options all point to a release that respects the original while acknowledging how people play now.

I would suggest it to anyone who wants to understand where the series came from, and to long-time players who want a portable version with modern conveniences attached. The one-time $9.99 purchase, the absence of ads and the lack of additional payments make it easy to recommend on those terms alone.

Just go in expecting a classic role-playing game rather than a streamlined modern one. It has a large world to cross, classes to experiment with and a story to see through, and the boost features are there to help you shape that experience rather than replace it. For the right player, that is exactly the point.

What's new in version 1.2.3

＊Minor bugs have been fixed.