Short answers, pulled from the story.
Hironobu Sakaguchi created Final Fantasy, which was originally titled Fighting Fantasy before legal issues forced a rebranding. The project was developed by a small team of seven core staff members known internally as the A-Team.
Final Fantasy was released in 1987 and sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide by 1994. The original Famicom version shipped 520,000 copies in Japan and the North American release sold 700,000 copies.
The narrative centers on four youthful heroes known as the Warriors of Light who must restore four elemental crystals darkened by evil forces. The story begins with the Warriors rescuing Princess Sarah from the evil knight Garland and continues as they defeat four Elemental Fiends across three large continents.
Nobuo Uematsu composed the music for Final Fantasy, marking his 16th video game composition. The soundtrack includes iconic tracks such as the Prelude and the Opening Theme which have become staples of the series.
Gameplay is structured around four basic modes including an overworld map, town and dungeon maps, a battle screen, and a menu screen. Players choose four characters with classes such as Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage to form a party.
Final Fantasy established many conventions that define the role-playing genre today and influenced countless titles including Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. The game has been re-released on platforms such as the MSX2, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, and mobile platforms.