Final Fantasy

Inspired by the success of Enix's Dragon Quest game, Square decided to release a similarly styled role-playing game with a different theme for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The title, Final Fantasy, debuted on Japan's Famicom in 1987 to critical and fiscal success. Final Fantasy's storyline, which dealt in mythological archetypes and confusing time loops, was deeper and more engaging than the one that powered the original Dragon Quest. Square's RPG also established left-against-right turn-based battle and magic systems that have been copied by competitors ever since. The game was a phenomenal success and has spawned a series that, initially exclusive to Nintendo consoles, later branched out to Sony's machines and non-interactive formats.