Heh that was basically a staple of all first gen rpg's. Every time you got to a new town, there was new equipment, which meant spending a couple hours outside that town killing monsters for cash for the new equipment. I hated, but yet I miss it so much =). Looking forward to getting both 1 and 2 for Christmas. I put it on my list for my wife to buy it for me=).

I'd say yes its worth getting mainly for the reason just to see how the series started out.

Of course this game is worth getting, it's the fantasy that started it all; a real must-have for any true fan of the FF series, if you ask me. Even if you aren't a hardcore Final Fantasy fan, it's still a true staple for anyone into video-games. A classic if I've ever seen one, in other words. Yeah, you could say that the story is lacking when compared to today's RPG's, but who plays ANY NES Game for the intricacy of its plot? Nobody, that's who. We play NES mainly because of nostalgia and the difficulty some of its games offered, and in my considered opinion, there's no game more nostalgic than the original Final Fantasy. Come on, it was one of the original sword-and-sorcery Console RPG's, not to mention the starting point for arguably the greatest video-game series ever conceived by mankind.

Besides, who doesn't enjoy playing as a bunch of archetypes once in a while? I agree that the characters were bland to the extreme, but isn't that one of the reasons why so many people go back for more? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a deep protagonist as much as the next guy. In fact, I thrive off of them. However, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy returning to a simpler time every now and again to play as the typical "save the princess" knight and "woo mystical arts!" mage as they struggle against a guy who is evil for sake of being evil. FF1's simplicity, in other words, is my main reason for coming back.

Not to mention the replay value. I've got to say, for an NES Game, it sure takes a while to become dull. You could go for a basic Four-Man Party, do a No Class Change Run, a Solo, a No-Magic Run, a Low Level Run...the list goes on. That alone is enough to make me play through it again. FF1 was simply incredible. Even in our modern age of "spiffy graphics," bishounen, and brooding heroes, I would recommend it to ANY RPG Fan. This game is timeless, plain and simple.

...BUT, I strongly urge you to avoid Dawn of Souls like the plague.

It's definitely worth getting, I think the story line was actually very good despite the lack of personality the playable characters had

I'd say it is by far the best Final Fantasy till 6-7 in my opinion. The music score, the simplicity of the story line, the freedom of class choice. It is a must have to any Die hard fan.

Duke Nukem played this game while young. On a NES. In Japanese. (Okay, that last is a stretch.)


Real RPG gamers play FFI at some point. No F-ing question about it.

*well if it were me id get it cause im a final fantasy freak! haha just because of its classic features, i mean this is the game which evolved into one of the greatest games EVER!

*but if your not familiar with final fantasy games ,just curious and wanna play to try it i suggest you dont,cause youll probably be disappointed

I personally liked the first game, still going through it in fact. Hard game if you don't know where you are going. But I like the ability to choose your class for each character.

I love it because you can do so much in it! and like other answers, it started the legacy, so i say yes it is worth getting.