Ah, the game where it all began. The original Final Fantasy is an incredibly basic (and relatively short) RPG by today's standards, but there's still an inherent charm to its no-nonsense adventuring. It's light versus dark, good versus evil, four heroes standing against the end of the world — and that's just about all you're getting in terms of storytelling.

That's not necessarily a problem, though. This initial incarnation of Square Enix's beloved series is all about the journey: travelling across a world map, fighting through dungeons, and stumbling across yet another cosy little town. It's the kind of retro experience that might struggle to hold your attention here in 2023, but it's great for a relaxed, turn-you-brain-off-and-grind kind of playthrough.

Combat is super basic as well, but this is where many of the property's mainstay mechanics started off. Battles are actually turn-based rather than relying on the trademark Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which appeared in later titles, but you've still got a range of commands at your disposal, from standard weapon attacks to magical spells, all depending on your character's class.

And yes, character classes are an important part of the original Final Fantasy. Right at the start of the game, you create your own four-man party, and you can assign classes however you want. This opens up some potentially fun team combinations, especially if you're looking to complete challenge runs, or something similar. Because it's so straightforward in its structure — and because it's only about 20 hours long — Final Fantasy actually has some decent replay value.

But if you want to get through the game even faster, Pixel Remaster's got you covered. This re-release features modifiers (called 'boosts') for experience points and money (up to four times), which, when enabled, eliminates any need to grind. A breezy RPG just got even breezier.

Despite being so basic in its execution, it's hard to fault Final Fantasy. It remains a solid RPG with a strong sense of adventure.