Final Fantasy Adventure

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Not to be confused with Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

Final Fantasy Adventure
Composer(s)
Kenji Ito
SeriesFinal Fantasy
Mana
Platform(s)Game Boy
Release
  • JP: June 28, 1991
  • NA: November 1991[1]
  • EU: 1993
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Final Fantasy Adventure, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden[a] or simply Seiken Densetsu,[b] and later released in Europe as Mystic Quest, is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Game Boy. It is a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and the first game in the Mana series.

Originally developed under the name Gemma Knights, it features gameplay roughly similar to that of the original

The Legend of Zelda, but with the addition of role-playing statistical elements. A remake, Sword of Mana, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, changing the plot and many gameplay aspects. A second remake was released on mobile phones in Japan which improved the graphics and music of the original version. A third remake, Adventures of Mana, was released for iOS, Android, and PlayStation Vita
on February 4, 2016.

The story follows the hero and the heroine as they attempt to thwart the Dark Lord of Glaive and his sorcerer assistant, Julius, from destroying the Tree of Mana and dooming their world. The game was released with many familiar elements of the Final Fantasy series, such as

Chocobos
, but these were later changed to feature common enemies and the gameplay style of the Mana series.

Final Fantasy Adventure was met with generally positive reviews at the time of its release. Over the course of time, reviewers have considered it one of the best action adventure games on the Game Boy. The game also spawned an entirely new game series, called the Mana series, which became a successful video game role-playing franchise. Its sequel, Secret of Mana, was released in 1993.

Gameplay

Hero attacking an enemy with the sickle weapon

The gameplay is similar to the original The Legend of Zelda for the

dungeon areas, a number of puzzles may be present and required to be solved in order for the player to advance. The player can also save at any point. A number of weapons can be found throughout the game to maneuver through obstacles such as cutting through trees and thorns.[3]

The main character possesses several

Magic spells, which expend the character's MP, can be used to heal oneself or damage enemies. These spells can only be found in certain locations or obtained from other characters at specific plot intervals. In addition, the protagonist has a power gauge that affects his attack strength—the higher the gauge, the stronger his attack will be. The speed at which it fills is directly affected by the character's will level.[4] The gauge will slowly fill up over time, but once the main character attacks, the gauge is emptied. When the gauge is completely filled up and the main character attacks with a weapon, he will perform a special attack.[3]

One additional

Japanese role-playing video games of the time lacked.[5]

Plot

The Hero (named by the player, officially called Sumo) is a prisoner of the Dark Lord. One day, the Hero's friend informs him of the Dark Lord's goals, and he urges him to seek a Knight named Bogard. As the Hero escapes imprisonment, he learns that the Dark Lord is seeking a key to the Mana Sanctuary in order to control the Mana Tree, an energy source that sustains life. The Hero is befriended by the Heroine (named by the player, officially called Fuji) who is also seeking Bogard. The two find Bogard, who recommends they seek out a man named Cibba. During their journey to meet him, the Heroine is kidnapped. With the aid of a mysterious man, she is later rescued by the Hero. When they meet Cibba, he plays a message left by the Heroine's mother, who reveals she is a descendant of the guardians of the Mana Tree and her pendant is the key to it. The mysterious man, upon discovering that the heroine holds the pendant, reveals himself to be Julius, the Dark Lord's advisor and kidnaps her. The Hero then attempts to rescue the Heroine, but he fails and is knocked off of Julius's airship. However, the Heroine gives the Hero the pendant just before he falls.

The Hero is then reunited with Amanda, an escapee from his prison, who steals the pendant in order to win her brother Lester's freedom. The mayor of Jadd, Davias, takes the pendant, but he transforms Lester into a parrot. The Hero and Amanda confront a Medusa for its tear, which will break the spell. They kill it, but Amanda is infected by the Medusa's attack, causing her to transform into one herself. The Hero reluctantly kills her, and uses her tears to break Lester's spell. Lester avenges Amanda's death by killing Davias, who reveals that he gave the pendant to the Dark Lord. The Hero confronts and defeats the Dark Lord; however, Hero discovers that the Heroine is under Julius' mind control and has opened the entrance to the Mana Tree. Julius reveals he is the last survivor of the Vandole Empire, the empire who attempted to control the Mana Tree years ago, and handily defeats the Hero.

Realizing he is powerless to defeat Julius, the Hero learns from Cibba about a powerful sword called Excalibur. Cibba helps him find the Excalibur only to find a rusty sword instead. He explains that the rusty sword is the Excalibur and would reveal its true strength to whoever it finds worthy. The Hero then raises Dime Tower to reach the Mana Sanctuary and meets a robot known as Marcie. After reaching the top, the tower begins to collapse and Marcie sacrifices himself by throwing the Hero across. After obtaining and passing the sword's trials, the Hero confronts and defeats Julius at the cost of the Mana Tree's life. The Mana Tree reveals that she is the Heroine's mother and before dying, asks the Heroine to succeed her current position. The Heroine agrees and bids farewell to the Hero as she becomes the next Mana Tree, and the Hero her guardian.

Development

Square trademarked Seiken Densetsu in 1987 intending to use it for a game project subtitled The Emergence of Excalibur, and led by Kazuhiko Aoki for the

Kaoru Moriyama, a former Square employee, affirms that management canceled the ambitious project before it advanced beyond the early planning stages. In October 1987, customers who had placed orders were sent a letter informing them of the cancellation and had their purchases refunded. The letter also suggested to consider placing an order on another upcoming Square role-playing game in a similar vein: Final Fantasy.[6]

After the release of the third Final Fantasy title in 1990, Square offered designer Koichi Ishii to direct a spin-off series game.[7][8] It began development for the Game Boy under the working title Gemma Knights; eventually, Square revived the trademarked name and released the game as Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden.[6] It was later released in Europe as Mystic Quest. Ishii suggested the basis of the game's story, while scenario writer Yoshinori Kitase helped write the game's script.[2] Ishii designed all of the characters himself, while Goro Ohashi was responsible for the development of the game system.

The Mana series, of which Final Fantasy Adventure was the first game, was the result of Koichi Ishii's desire to create a fictional world. In Ishii's opinion, Mana is not a series of video games, but rather a world which is illustrated by and can be explored through video games.

Moomin, Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.[10]

Music

Main article: Music of the Mana series

The Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden Original Soundtrack[c] was released in Japan on July 15, 1991.[11] Most of the tracks were composed by Kenji Ito, while track 16, "Chocobo Tanjou (Chocobo's Birth)", is credited to Square composer Nobuo Uematsu. Seiken Densetsu/Arranged Version Omoi wa Shirabe ni Nosete[d], a set of arranged tracks was also released on September 30 the same year.[12] Both albums were compiled into Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden Sound Collections, originally released on August 18, 1995.[13] The game's music was included in a 20th anniversary CD compilation of all of the Mana series games' soundtracks.[14] A second arranged album titled Tanoshī Baieru Heiyō Seiken Densetsu[e] was released on December 10, 1998. The album was compiled by Yu Hong Ishikawa and Kushiro Negishi.[15]

Versions and merchandise

Main articles: Sword of Mana and Adventures of Mana
Release years by platforms
PlatformJPNAEU
Game Boy199119911993
Game Boy Advance200320032004
Cellphones2006N/AN/A
PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android2016

In 1998, Sunsoft obtained the license for it and re-released it along with the

GamesRadar listed Final Fantasy Adventure as one of the titles they wanted in the 3DS Virtual Console.[20]

The game received a

Collection of Mana.[28][29]

Two guidebooks have been released in Japan: Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden kiso chishiki-hen[f] and Seiken Densetsu Final Fantasy Gaiden kanzen kōryaku-hen[g], each of which contains character illustrations and manga. The guidebooks were released in May and August 1991 respectively.[30][31]

Other manga

Final Fantasy Adventure is one of the video games featured in the manga titled Rock'n Game Boy, by Shigeto Ikehara and published by Comic BomBom from October 1989 to December 1991.

Reception

According to Square's publicity department, the game sold 700,000 units worldwide, with 500,000 of these sold in Japan.[40]

Final Fantasy Adventure was featured in Nintendo Power when it was re-released in the United States.[41] IGN praised the Game Boy re-release version noting its strong story, graphics, and music. They additionally praised the game's puzzle elements as innovative and drew comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, though noted that its role-playing gameplay did not blend well with its action-oriented nature.[18] RPGFan also praised the game and called it one of the best RPG titles for Game Boy.[38] RPGamer praised the game's plot and the characters.[37] Nintendojo also gave similar praise to the game but noting it being vastly different from other Final Fantasy titles.[39]

The game has been perceived very positively in the years following its initial release.

GamesRadar named it the 13th best Game Boy game ever made, noting that its interesting leveling system and a large number of collectible items made up for a poor English translation.[48] Game Informer also praised the game's leveling system, though it did call it a "simplistic" title in comparison to its sequels.[49]

References

Translations
  1. Gaiden
  2. ^ Japanese: 聖剣伝説, lit. Legend of the Sacred Sword
  3. ^ 聖剣伝説 ファイナルファンタジー外伝 Original Soundtrack
  4. ^ 聖剣伝説/アレンジ・ヴァージョン・想いは調べにのせて, "Holy Sword Legend/Arranged Version Let Thoughts Ride On Knowledge"
  5. ^ 楽しいバイエル併用 聖剣伝説, "Fun Together with Beyer: Holy Sword Legend"
  6. ^ 聖剣伝説 ファイナルファンタジー外伝: 基礎知識編, lit. Holy Sword Legend Final Fantasy Supplementary Story Basic Knowledge
  7. ^ 聖剣伝説 ファイナルファンタジー外伝 完全攻略編, lit. Holy Sword Legend Final Fantasy Supplementary Story Advance Knowledge
Citations
  1. ^ "Game Boy (original) Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e Square Co., Ltd. (8 June 1991). Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Game Boy) (in Japanese). Square Co., Ltd. Scene: staff credits. ストーリー／キャラクターデザイン　いしい　こういち — ゲームデザイン／シナリオ　きたせ　よしのり — ゲームデザイン／マップデザイン　おおはし　ごろう
  3. ^ a b 聖剣伝説 ～ファイナルファンタジー外伝～ (in Japanese). Square Enix. November 2, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  4. ^ Square Co., ed. (1991). Final Fantasy Adventure instruction manual. Square Co. p. 31.
  5. ^ Vestal, Andrew (November 2, 1998). "Other Game Boy RPGs". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c Collette, Chris (November 15, 2003). "Elusions: Final Fantasy IV / Seiken Densetsu". Lost Levels. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  7. ^ "97. Koichi Ishii". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Top 100 Game Creators Of All Time. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  8. ^ Schaufelberger, Fredrik (2006). "Sanningen om Mana". LEVEL (6). Reset Media AB: 124–132.
  9. ^ Morcos, Antoine (December 15, 2006). "Interview Children of Mana" (in French). JeuxFrance.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  10. ^ RPGamer staff (October 6, 2006). "Children of Mana Interview". RPGamer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  11. ^ "聖剣伝説 ファイナルファンタジー外伝 Original Soundtrack" (in Japanese). iTunes. 15 July 1991. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  12. ^ Mattich, Ryan (2004-05-26). "Seiken Densetsu ~ Let Thoughts Ride on Knowledge". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  13. ^ "聖剣伝説〈FF外伝〉サウンド・コレク ションズ" (in Japanese). NTT Publishing Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  14. ^ Spencer (June 28, 2011). "20 Years Of Mana In One Super-Sized Sountrack". Siliconera. Crave Online. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  15. ^ 楽しいバイエル併用 聖剣伝説 [楽譜] (in Japanese). ASIN 4810826228.
  16. ^ "Sunsoft to Rerelease Square Game Boy Games". RPGamer. January 24, 1998. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  17. ^ "The RPG Revolution: RPGing on the Go". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 106. Ziff Davis. May 1998. p. 95.
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  19. ^ Adashek, Jeffrey (July 28, 2004). "Square Enix Polls Customers on Potential DS Ports". RPGamer. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2006.
  20. GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original
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  21. ^ "スクウェア・エニックス、「聖剣伝説」が携帯電 話で復活 Vフォン「聖剣伝説 -ファイナルファンタジー外 伝-」" (in Japanese). Game Watch. August 16, 2006. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  22. ^ "スクウェア・エニックスは、iモード向けのゲームとして 「MONOTONE」正式版、「聖剣伝説 -ファイナルファンタジー外伝-」の配信を開始した。" (in Japanese). Game Watch. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  23. ^ "スクウェア・エニックス、EZweb「聖剣伝説 -FF 外伝-」配信 Yahoo! ケータイ「聖剣伝説FoM」には新ランド 登場" (in Japanese). Game Watch. February 5, 2007. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
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  27. ^ Barder, Ollie (2017-06-01). "The Switch Gets A New 'Secret Of Mana' Game Collection But Only In Japan". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2017-07-01. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  28. ^ "What's so good about… Collection of Mana on Nintendo Switch? | Square Enix Blog". Archived from the original on 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  29. ^ "'Final Fantasy Adventure' was everything I hoped for 25 years later". Archived from the original on 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  30. ^ 聖剣伝説 ファイナルファンタジー外伝〈基礎知識編〉 (in Japanese). ASIN 4871881237.
  31. ^ 聖剣伝説 ファイナルファンタジー外伝〈完全攻略編〉 (in Japanese). ASIN 4871881326.
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  36. ^ "Final Fantasy Adventure". Nintendo Power. No. 28. September 1991. pp. 52–61, 67.
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  43. ^ Staff (Summer–Fall 1999). "Top 50 Games". Pocket Games (1): 32.
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External links

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