With Nintendo bringing back all the classics (everything from the original Super Mario Bros. to The Legend of Zelda) on the Game Boy Advance, new generations of gamers are experiencing these gems for the very first time. Being a fan of the Final Fantasy games, I’ve always wanted a chance to play the early games and thankfully the good folks at Square Enix heard the pleas of fans everywhere. Yet this is just the beginning of the good news: they also managed to package the first and second Final Fantasy games together. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls is two-games-in-one GBA cartridge but does twice the gaming love mean it’s any good? The answer is simple: Yes and yes.

I’m about to shatter any hope a new fan of the series might have of getting into stories as epic as those in favorites like Final Fantasy VII or even Final Fantasy X. There’s a story for both games, yes, but don’t expect one that weaves such a dramatic plot with an assortment of characters you’ll come to love. Final Fantasy I tells the tale of four young warriors (all of whom you get to name and assign character classes) who have come to the Kingdom of Cornelia during troubling times. Seeing that the four warriors each wield crystals, the King assumes they’re the prophesized Warriors of Light who were meant to bring Light back to the realm. And, not surprisingly, the plot shifts into a rescue mission when the King tells them that his daughter, Princess Sarah, has been taken by one of his most trusted knights, Garland. Off the quartet goes to save the world and the Princess. Their journey takes them across unknown yet dangerous lands filled with monsters and other enemies that await them at the end.

Final Fantasy II features characters already assigned different classes and names (although you can change their names if you want). It tells the tale of the peaceful Kingdom of Fynn as it’s invaded by an evil Empire led by the emperor of the kingdom of Palamecia who is determined to conquer the world. Destroying Fynn and slaughtering its people, three young survivors by the name of Firion, Maria and Guy are pulled from the carnage by the White Mage Minuu of the neighboring kingdom of Altair. Firion, quickly noticing that Maria’s brother, Leon (who was with them when they were attacked outside their kingdom) is missing. Setting out on a quest to find Leon, the three band together to rescue their friend and avenge the deaths of their parents by confronting the evil emperor before he continues to carry out his plan to rule the world.

I’ll admit, both games have interesting plots but there’s no cutscenes to push each story along and no character development that allows you to get to know them. What we find instead is pure RPG exploration and battles that will keep gamers more than busy. There are towns, caves dungeons to explore. There are many spells to learn and there are characters to level up so you can battle against bigger monsters or touch bosses. Final Fantasy Final Fantasy I has six character classes to choose from - Warrior, Thief, Monk, White Mage, Red Mage and Black Mage. This allows you to come up with your own party so if you want a party composed of all magic users you can do it here.  Final Fantasy II, on the other hand, has characters with their own abilities but the more each character uses a specific ability the more that character becomes proficient in it. Minuu, for example, is introduced as a White Mage so using his various skills will improve his ability to cast spells that make more damage.

The Final Fantasy games always introduced vehicles and these first two installments are no different. You’ll get to commandeer ships, snow crafts, airships, canoes and, for Final Fantasy II, ride on the back of a Chocobo. You’ll be able to go into shops and purchase better weapons (knives, swords etc.), armor (shields, body armor, helms etc.) and other useful items. Defeating monsters will not just earn you money to spend but also experience points that goes towards leveling your character up and earning more hit points. Magic users, can learn a number of spells used to attack enemies or protect and heal your party members. White Mages are attuned to the ways of white magic (Heal and Protect spells, for example) while Black Mages are naturally users of black magic (the Curse spell is a familiar black magic spell) and Red Mages use both black and white magic.

The Battle system for both games brings us the usual turn-based battles of yesteryear when all you had to do was select an attack type, an enemy close enough to hit and press a single button to unleash said attack. Dealing damage is a mere question of chance meaning there’s a chance you’ll hit that ogre and a chance you’ll completely miss. That, though, is not to say that you can breeze by the game by simply pressing the A button repeatedly. Much like the excellent Golden Sun, it helps to use a little strategy in certain battles. If you’re attacked by two warriors and a powerful magic user it only makes sense to deal the most damage to the magic user before he starts casting dangerous spells. There are also boss battles (with new bosses fans of the original have not seen before) that aren’t easy to beat and require you to figure out what spells cause damage and which one just slide off their backs like nothing.

Visually, both games look so much like the originals so it’s a real treat to see how faithful the GBA rendered the graphics. Colorful backgrounds and detailed characters (the bigger enemies, like Gilgamesh from the first game, are surprisingly well-detailed) are impressive to the point that you’ll be glad the game took full advantage of the little portable system’s graphical capabilities. Of course, there are no cinematic cut scenes but at least the visual effects are excellent.

As for the game’s soundtrack, it’s one of the best I’ve heard on the Game Boy Advance. Both games have a wonderful score that changes depending on what’s going on in the game or whenever you visit a different location. There are some cool sound effects like sword slashes and the distinct sound of each spell. For example, use a Thunder spell and you’ll hear the lightning crackle as it hits the targeted opponent. If you have earphones, use them because you do not want to miss every detail.

Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls is an enjoyable gem that fans of Final Fantasy and role-playing games in general should definitely not miss.  It might not be big on story, but its classic RPG-style is perfect for the portable format for when you quickly want to jump into two unique games with all the bells and whistles that make up our beloved genre. This one is worth the money whether you’re a new fan playing a Final Fantasy game for the first time or an old-school fan that remembers the original games fondly.

Gameplay: 8.5
If you’re expecting the story-driven epics of recent Final Fantasy games you’ll be in for big disappointment since we’re talking about the early games here. Yet somehow you’ll still be drawn in by the plight of your characters (especially with Final Fantasy II where your characters show just a tad more personality). The battles are plentiful, simple and bite-sized so you won’t find them irksome. The dungeon levels are cleverly designed to boot.

Graphics: 8.7
While the game lacks the visual dazzle of the PSOne Final Fantasy games, what’s found here is downright pleasing to the eye. Sure the main characters look like chubby children but the monsters you’ll encounter are incredibly well detailed for a GBA game. Many of the backgrounds will not fail to impress either, and letting loose a spell or two will result in cool effects.

Sound: 9.5
Easily one of the game’s best features is its soundtrack that changes constantly throughout the two games. Each dramatic moment is punctuated with beautiful instrumentals so play this one with the volume up. The sound effects are decent enough since all you’ll hear is the slashing of swords and spells being unleashed.

Difficulty: Medium
Early RPGs possessed simplistic turn-based battles that often times required very little strategy and that’s okay. Both games go back to this simple scheme but the surprise is that you’ll be putting some thought into each battle. The boss fights can be pretty tough but with strategic planning you’ll be able to figure out their weaknesses.

Concept: 9.0
Final Fantasy I will draw you into its world filled with great dungeons and the ability to mix and match a party with different character classes. Yet it’s Final Fantasy II that brings us something of a plot with characters that begin to show some personality. Even those who played both games before will love the additional new bosses and better assortment of equipment.

Overall: 9.0
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls is not only the most perfectly packaged Game Boy Advance game, but it’s also a dream come true for fans of the genre. The lack of a real story might disappoint but its fast-paced battles that actually require plenty of strategy, and its collection of really excellent dungeons will melt the heart of any RPG gamer that has longed to play these games that started it all. Consider this a Must-Have for sure.