Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

Where it all began. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls brings to the Game Boy Advance the pair of titles that, back in 1987, launched one of the most famous brands in gaming history. And it's not a mere dry port, but a carefully polished release that finally lets these ancient classics age with grace.

The first Final Fantasy is a textbook turn-based JRPG: you assemble a party of four heroes, choose their jobs such as warrior, black mage or thief, and set out to save a world ruled by four elements. The second installment introduces an unconventional growth system, where characters don't improve through classic levels but by how often they use a given ability or weapon. Both games combine world-map exploration, descending into dangerous dungeons and random turn-based battles in which you choose each character's actions.

The original titles were created by Square (today Square Enix) under the leadership of Hironobu Sakaguchi, for whom the first Final Fantasy was meant to be his last game before ending his career — hence the name Final. Instead, a phenomenon was born. The 2004 Dawn of Souls version added improved graphics and music, a reworked interface, new bonus dungeons and bosses tied to later entries in the series, delighting seasoned fans as well.

The cultural significance of these games is hard to overstate. The first Final Fantasy helped define the genre of Japanese RPGs, established recurring motifs like crystals, black-and-white magic and character jobs, and paved the way for dozens of sequels and spin-offs. The second installment then boldly experimented with storytelling and themes of sacrifice and rebellion, making it a fascinating detour.

Dawn of Souls is today considered one of the best ways to discover these roots of the series, thanks to friendlier difficulty balancing and translation quality. For anyone who wants to understand where all those later megahits came from, this cartridge is the ideal starting point into a world that launched an entire legend.

Why play: The most approachable way to play the roots of the entire Final Fantasy series in a polished form with bonus content and improved balancing.