Under the gaze of over 1,400 pairs of eyes in the main hall, Ando Takashi launched the game. The screen, projected onto the main hall's display, showed the game's visuals, while the music, with its timeless charm, filled the air.
Ando Takashi's eyes widened, not shifting from the screen for a moment.
The world map, dungeons, and cities—these elements seemed not much different from Dragon Quest.
Of course, they're not that different. Early JRPGs all shared these common elements.
However, the biggest difference between Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest lies in their core philosophies: Dragon Quest is a classic heroic epic, while Final Fantasy is Square's series for showcasing technical prowess and telling more complex stories.
In this trial play, under the scrutiny of the audience, the most striking difference was that, thanks to Atlas's financial backing, Project FF's graphics appeared more refined, with greater detail on screen.
Soon, Ando Takashi accepted his first quest: retrieve a blacksmith's lost hammer from a dungeon.
"Where's the road out of town?"
Ando Takashi rubbed his eyes, intending to ask Kobayashi Tetsu for directions. But as he looked at the city streets, he fiddled with the controls and, for some reason, found the road out of town. He smoothly entered the target dungeon.
Ando Takashi was puzzled but didn't dwell on it.
"Maybe my navigation skills are just that good!"
He quickly resumed playing. His character began exploring the dungeon and soon discovered an NPC lying on the ground.
Thinking to help, Ando Takashi interacted with the NPC. To his surprise, a notification popped up on the screen:
[ Warrior Thor has joined your party. ]
"Huh?!"
Ando Takashi was startled.
[ He has a party member! ]
—Indeed, Dragon Quest 1 doesn't have party members. Not only that, but you're stuck with a useless tagalong. The Hero occasionally has to escort the Princess, but she can't fight.
Ando Takashi couldn't help but rub his eyes.
[ He has a party member! This is a significant development. ]
He continued playing as the combat difficulty gradually increased. The trial version's capabilities seemed insufficient, and he nearly died several times at the hands of monsters.
But just then...
After Ando Takashi barely defeated a group of monsters, a notification appeared on the screen:
[ You have obtained: Blacksmith's Hammer. ]
"Huh?!"
Ando Takashi was startled again.
This is so fast!
Based on his experience with Dragon Quest, he expected this kind of quest to only end after clearing the dungeon.
It ended halfway through? Should I keep exploring or go back and turn it in?
Ando Takashi was conflicted. He decided to check the hammer first.
Due to the game's limited storage capacity, items lacked descriptions. They only had a few words of text and their stats.
His current weapon was the Warhammer, with a damage value of 20.
Ando Takashi clicked to view the hammer.
[ Blacksmith's Hammer, damage 120. ]
Ando Takashi: ?!
Does this make any sense?
How is this Blacksmith's Hammer stronger than the Hero's weapon?!
If you're so strong, why aren't you the Hero?!
Ando Takashi, grumbling inwardly, casually pressed the button.
Suddenly.
[ You have equipped the Blacksmith's Hammer. ]
Ando Takashi was shocked again.
He felt like he had been more surprised today than in the past several years combined.
He had actually equipped the Blacksmith's Hammer!
Can I even use this to fight monsters?
Ando Takashi tried to trigger a monster encounter.
In early RPGs, there were two types of monster encounters: visible ones (where you could see the monsters on the map) and random ones (where they appeared randomly on the world map or were hidden, suddenly triggering an encounter).
Final Fantasy here used visible monsters.
Ando Takashi entered the dungeon and attempted an attack.
Whoosh!
A single swing of the hammer instantly killed a small monster.
A notification even popped up on his screen:
[ You used the Blacksmith's Hammer. ]
Ando Takashi rubbed his eyes.
He used to need three or four hits to kill a small monster. Now, one hammer strike was enough!
Like a discoverer of new lands, Ando Takashi quickly maneuvered his character, clearing out every monster in the dungeon before leaving.
Smug and satisfied, he returned to the Blacksmith to submit the quest.
[ My precious! What happened to you?! ] the Blacksmith exclaimed.
Ando Takashi scratched his head.
Well, I used it, of course!
But NPCs shouldn't be this clever, right?
He casually chose one of the three options.
[ I don't know. It was like this when I got it. ]
The moment he selected the option, a notification suddenly flashed on his screen:
[ Every choice you make is crucial. ]
Ando Takashi hesitated.
After a long silence, he switched to a different option.
[ I tried hitting a few monsters with it. ]
A furious symbol suddenly materialized above the Blacksmith's head.
Whoosh!
Ando Takashi's health dropped to 10%, leaving him barely alive.
He was bewildered.
So choosing this option means getting beaten up?!
He turned to Kobayashi Tetsu.
"President Kobayashi, what would have happened if we'd chosen a different option?"
Kobayashi Tetsu replied, "That's the charm of role-playing. Different players will have different experiences. For example, we could try switching to a different player right now."
Ando Takashi was out, replaced by an unknown player.
After some gameplay, they reached the part where they obtained the Blacksmith's Hammer. The player thought for a moment, then simply quit the dungeon, retraced their steps, and handed the hammer to the Blacksmith.
The Blacksmith exclaimed, "My precious has returned!"
He then awarded the normal quest rewards.
Ando Takashi pondered this, quickly speaking into his voice recorder to document his thoughts.
It seems Project FF has branching narrative paths based on player choices.
Now, a third player took over. This player showed no such reservations, normaly obtaining the hammer, not using it, and returning to the Blacksmith after clearing the dungeon. The Blacksmith complained as usual.
[Blacksmith: "Why did that take so long?" ]
He still received the normal mission rewards, but the dialogue had changed.
Ando Takashi took note.
So there are indeed different outcomes depending on the circumstances. That's a clever design.
Looking around, he saw no one else seemed to have any objections. He seized the opportunity. "Are these the only possible endings for this event?"
Kobayashi Tetsu smiled. "Actually, there's one more perfect ending, and its conditions aren't too demanding. Anyone want to try again and explore that perfect ending?"
Ando Takashi raised his hand again.
"I'll try!"
This time, he meticulously searched the city and spoke to passersby, finally piecing together several seemingly unrelated clues:
1. Magma Monsters exist in the dungeon. 2. These monsters are covered in flowing magma. 3. The Blacksmith's Hammer can be upgraded.
He ventured into the dungeon again, this time equipped with the Blacksmith's Hammer, and specifically targeted the Magma Monsters.
Until a notification popped up on his screen:
[ The Blacksmith's Hammer has undergone a miraculous transformation! ]
Ando Takashi returned to the Blacksmith with the hammer. This time, an exclamation mark appeared above the Blacksmith's head.
"My precious—it's grown stronger!"
The Blacksmith quickly equipped Ando Takashi with a set of gear and explained that Magma Monsters could indeed help upgrade weapons, but only specific, or rather, high-level weapons.
The moment he put down the controller, Ando Takashi's face lit up with sudden understanding.
"This is a truly ingenious design!"
Not only did the options differ, but the game's choices also had consequences. Moreover, monsters could interact with equipment in real-time.
And having teammates made the exploration feel less lonely.
Dragon Quest never had teammates!
He glanced at Kobayashi Tetsu, who merely smiled enigmatically.
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