Final Fantasy: A Look Back - 1987

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of the release of Final Fantasy, we present a new weekly segment, covering the timeline of Final Fantasy releases from 1987 - 2007.

1987: the year it all began. On December 18th, Final Fantasy debuted in Japan on the Famicom System (Nintendo Entertainment System). It was inspired by the success of Enix's Dragon Quest game. It was a great success. The storyline was deeper and more engaging than that of Dragon Quest. This game set the standard for future RPGs with its turn-based combat system with the heroes and enemies facing off on either side of the screen.

The story begins 2000 years in the past, when a knight from the present time, named Garland, enters into a deal with the four Fiends (Lich, Kary, Kraken and Tiamat) to become the demon king of Chaos and the result is an endless time loop. The Fiends are sent to the future to wreak havoc. The fate of the world rests with four Light Warriors, who must defeat the fiends and Garland.