Rating of
4.5/5
A Classic Worth Mastering
Nick - wrote on 11/30/25
Playing Final Fantasy on the NES in 2025 feels like stepping back into the golden days of 8-bit adventures. Despite warnings from my friends insisting the NES version is “broken” and recommending later, patched releases, my NES loyalty pulled me straight to the original version, the original experience, even if I ultimately played on a Steam Deck for RetroAchievements. And after beating the game twice and earning all 40 RetroAchievements, I can confidently say the NES release still holds up as a rich, enjoyable, slightly rough-edged classic.
Though I originally hoped to play on a real NES hooked up to a CRT, the push for RetroAchievements nudged me to use the Steam Deck. Surprisingly, this didn’t diminish the magic. Using the official Nintendo Power strategy guide, hearing the iconic music (which my wife genuinely enjoyed even if I still slightly prefer Dragon Warrior’s soundtrack), and rediscovering old beats of the story created an experience that was both new and familiar.
Choosing my four-person party at the very beginning was tough, and also a total shot in the dark if you’re not armed with outside info. With my first playthrough I ended up sticking to a classic setup: Fighter, Black Belt, Black Mage, and White Mage. When I came back for a second run to finish the RetroAchievements, my party became more specialized: two Black Belts, a Black Mage, and a White Mage. I needed the White Mage for healing and the Black Mage for Bane (required for one of the achievements), and the dual Black Belts proved powerful, especially once I remembered they’re best left unarmed.
One of the strongest aspects of Final Fantasy’s design is its flow. The world locks areas behind items or boss victories in a way that keeps early progression focused and clear. But once you acquire the airship, exploration blossoms. The game transforms from a structured questline into an open map full of optional grinding spots, secrets, and endgame prep opportunities. That shift makes the late game especially satisfying, balancing freedom with purpose.
One area where the NES game struggles is equipment clarity. The game simply doesn’t tell you what each weapon or piece of armor is for, or who can equip what. Trial and error is possible, but clunky. Using the old Nintendo Power strategy guide turned this into a fun part of the adventure rather than a guessing game. It also added to the nostalgia—flipping through those pages again felt like stepping back into childhood.
The process itself hasn’t changed from my childhood memories: looping encounters around Elfland to fight Ogres for experience and gold to toughen up early on, then later farming Fires and Agamas on convenient spawn tiles in the Gurgu Volcano. It’s repetitive, but also strangely comforting, especially when you can see the tangible payoff in increased damage output and survivability.
Like many RPGs of its era, Final Fantasy requires grinding, and the NES version doesn’t shy away from that legacy. My first playthrough had me leveling to 37 before I felt ready for the Temple of Fiends Revisited. In my second time through, armed with more experience and insight into optimal routes, I tried level 30 and failed, so I leveled up to level 35 and that was plenty.
Yes, the NES version has famously nonfunctional spells—TMPR, SABR, XFER, LOCK, and LOK2 among them—and the Intelligence stat not working is the stuff of RPG trivia legend. But knowing all this didn’t detract from my enjoyment. The game’s challenge curve stays intact, and most core mechanics function well enough that the adventure never feels broken.
One of the hardest parts of the game wasn’t the final boss Chaos. If you can defeat Tiamat in the Temple of Fiends Revisited, you can beat Chaos. It’s a simple, satisfying truth for anyone pushing through floor after floor in the final dungeon.
Earning all 40 RetroAchievements required two full playthroughs. Most were straightforward, but “Merchandise Madness”, which demands defeating Chaos without opening any optional chests, forced a dedicated second run. Completing this ended up being a high point, it encouraged strategic party-building, efficient routing, and a whole new appreciation for how the game distributes treasure.
Final Fantasy sits comfortably among my favorite NES-era adventure RPGs alongside Dragon Warrior and The Legend of Zelda. Despite its quirks, it embodies the charm of early RPG design and nostalgic 8-bit graphics and simplistic music melodies.
Final Fantasy for the NES isn’t perfect, but it’s essential. Whether you approach it as a nostalgic pilgrimage or a first-time classic RPG experience, there’s something enduringly satisfying about its world, structure, music, and challenge. Even with its bugs and grind-heavy pacing, it remains a landmark title, one absolutely worth mastering.
RetroAchievements:
40 out of 40 achievements
360 of 360 points
Beaten in 35 hours, 31 minutes
Mastered in 57 hours, 11 minutes
