This got a sequel?

The bar was low in 1993. 

I've heard good things about this game's sequel, which is actually a prequel. I've actually played that one, too. Didn't like it... I have played the loosely connected side game and found that one rad. But the first entry into the franchise, well. I'll just come out and say it. 

Lufia & The Fortress of Doom sucks. 

There are eight characters worth remembering in this game. Four playable and four villainous. The four bad guys are on screen for a combined five minutes with a thirty hour gap between their first and second appearances. Two of the main cast are just there to fill combat roles and provide unfunny comedic relief. They're a net positive to the game, but they don't add depth to the overall plot. This is a game about two people and their connections to the past. Now, those two people are great, but you need more for a proper cast. And the story itself ain't great. It's mostly walking around for no apparent reason until you find the bad guy. But only after you've done the mundane nonsense of the local town or traveled to a tertiary dungeon to find the key to the important dungeon. And then an ending that, we know now, isn't true and ruins the entire journey. 3/10

Gameplay involves inputting commands, just like any other turn based RPG at the time. And then your characters perform those actions in no apparent order. It makes it hard to properly plan actions other than general offense. This becomes even difficult because your actions don't change target when the programmed target dies. Welcome back to OG Final Fantasy I! To make everything worse, there are only two types of dungeons, zero mini games, and no alternative play styles. It's a very boring game in the long haul. 3/10. 

The music is overused, and I hate it. I'm not saying it's bad; I'm just sick of it. There is minuscule variation in gameplay, music...(8/10)

...or visuals. There is a lot of sprite reuse for mobs. NPCs, towns, and dungeons. Why does the main character look like anyone with red hair? 5/10

The world is massive. It needs an in game map, but never provides one. At least there's a lot here worth experiencing if the overall experience were better. It starts to overstay its welcome, mind you. 5/10

One of the reasons for that is the random encounter rate is terrible, especially when you get the boat. Once the world opens up, you're punished for exploring with random chaff every three titles. Don't get lost, explore, or bother playing at that point. I wanted to give up so much, and I don't know why I didn't. Along with the NES FFI targeting system and the awful, terrible, annoying, confusion spamming final boss, add -6 to the above points. 

A part of me wants to reduce the points more because of a lack of a map and the negatives creating tedium. For some reason, I won't and will stick Lufia 1 with an 18/50 points. 

Imagine Dragon Quest VI but worse. That's Lufia and the Fortress of Doom. I quit playing Rise of the Sinestrals the first time I gave it a try a long time ago. The rope was already short, but after playing this mess, it got shorter. But first, I'm going back to my new love: PopoloCrois.