Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
A header for Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined showing Kiefer flexing
Dragon Quest Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14 for now
Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7's Tetsuya Nomura reveals early art that "envisioned combat" not fully realized until FF7 Remake
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intermission Intergrade
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7's Materia almost had a very different name before series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi stepped in
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead writer says it's "crazy" to see Final Fantasy legends praising Sandfall's game
Final Fantasy 13
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead feels "a generational shift" with new Square Enix devs calling FF13 their childhood favorite
Vivi
Final Fantasy During Final Fantasy 9's development, the team moved to Hawaii with no "solid plan"
Promotional art for Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy Before Final Fantasy 7 blew up, some Square Enix leadership thought there wasn't "real money" in English translations
Official art from King's Field 4, depicting a knight in silver armor amid numerous soldiers in bronze armor carrying torches
RPGs Decades before Dark Souls and Elden Ring, FromSoftware's first dark fantasy RPG was built "from a kind of ignorance"
Fallout 4
Fallout Fallout co-creator showed the engine that would eventually power the RPG at a secret after-hours pizza party
Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy Putting FromSoftware challenge sickos to shame, one fan smashes Final Fantasy 9's skip rope challenge blindfolded
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Gustave in a French-inspired outfit
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director says the RPG's success was "completely unexpected from pretty much everybody"
A mind-boggling skeleton stands next to a chest in King's Field
RPGs Dark Souls and Elden Ring studio FromSoftware was "worried" how its OG RPG King's Field would be received
Stardew Valley
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe reveals "pretty cool" in-game farm map that was ultimately cut
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls The D&D campaign that helped shape Skyrim has been unearthed, as The Elder Scrolls legend's lost RPG notes are archived
Fallout 1 power armor helmet
Fallout D&D's most annoying rule helped Fallout co-creator get big break at legendary RPG studio
  1. Games
  2. JRPGs
  3. Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy creator finds plans for his first-ever game with Square while "decluttering," featuring detailed instructions like "give apple" to get a "kiss" and "kill lion with revolver"

News
By George Young published 2 December 2025

Hironobu Sakaguchi has plenty of treasures in his declutter pile

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Final Fantasy
(Image credit: Square)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
1
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is decluttering his files, and has recently unearthed the original 1984 pitch for his first game, drawn on graph paper with very detailed instructions on what the game entails, and cute drawings to go alongside it.

Sakaguchi shares on Twitter several images from his original pitch, all of which are hand-written on graph paper. As translated by GamesRadar+, the tweet reads, "As part of my decluttering series. 1984. The first game proposal I wrote."

As spotted by the geniuses at Automaton, the game in the plans appears to be The Death Trap, which is not only Sakaguchi's first game, but the first game released by Square. Sakaguchi worked with Square for two decades starting in 1983, with his most famous game of course being the original Final Fantasy, which launched in 1987.

You may like
  • A header for Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined showing Kiefer flexing Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14 for now
  • Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7 Final Fantasy 7's Tetsuya Nomura reveals early art that "envisioned combat" not fully realized until FF7 Remake
  • Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intermission Intergrade Final Fantasy 7's Materia almost had a very different name before series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi stepped in

断捨離こんなのでてきたシリーズ1984年はじめて書いたゲーム企画書#スクウェア開発室 #sakaGUCCI pic.twitter.com/FDnkrRBu3dDecember 1, 2025

The Death Trap was only released in Japan, for the popular regional PC platforms like the PC-98. Like most of the games from this era, it's an adventure game, in particular this one is text based, with input from the player like "give apple" to get a "kiss," and "kill lion with revolver." Alongside the story, there are very detailed images and maps, which were fairly innovative for the time.

It was popular enough to receive a sequel, and proved to be the first in a long line of successes for both Square and Sakaguchi. Whether you can read Japanese or not, the plans are interesting to look at, with detailed maps, drawings, and flow charts of how the game works. There are also some text input descriptions written in English to enjoy.

Sakaguchi has been sharing a lot of his plans on Twitter during the great declutter, so follow him to see more sneak peaks of video game history.

Final Fantasy 14 actor speaks out after backlash for her Dawntrail role, says MMO director Yoshi-P apologized on behalf of Square Enix: "He was very kind."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
George Young
George Young
Freelance News Writer

Freelance writer, full-time PlayStation Vita enthusiast, and speaker of some languages. I break up my days by watching people I don't know play Pokemon pretty fast.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
A header for Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined showing Kiefer flexing
Dragon Quest Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14 for now
 
 
Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7's Tetsuya Nomura reveals early art that "envisioned combat" not fully realized until FF7 Remake
 
 
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intermission Intergrade
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7's Materia almost had a very different name before series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi stepped in
 
 
Final Fantasy 13
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead feels "a generational shift" with new Square Enix devs calling FF13 their childhood favorite
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead writer says it's "crazy" to see Final Fantasy legends praising Sandfall's game
 
 
Vivi
Final Fantasy During Final Fantasy 9's development, the team moved to Hawaii with no "solid plan"
 
 
Latest in JRPGs
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 14 boss Yoshi-P says the JRPG series is releasing games slower these days and losing younger gamers
 
 
Vivi
Final Fantasy After 5 years, the Final Fantasy 9 animated series is actually in production
 
 
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 1,200 hours in, Final Fantasy 14 fan trying to beat the MMO under RuneScape's Ironman rules clears biggest obstacle yet
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead writer says it's "crazy" to see Final Fantasy legends praising Sandfall's game
 
 
Screenshot from Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, showing a smiling female protagonist holding a sword in a lush green forest environment.
JRPGs The final Trails game will be announced in 2031 and released in 2032, Falcom president confirms
 
 
Dragon Quest 11
Dragon Quest Dragon Quest creator says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost" when translating games
 
 
Latest in News
Screenshot from Minecraft Dungeons 2's reveal trailer, showing a bunch of villagers standing around a blocky village.
Minecraft Minecraft Dungeons 2 takes another stab at Mojang's surprisingly great Diablo-inspired RPG spin-off later this year
 
 
Palworld
Survival Games "We have no desire to be a media empire," says Palworld publishing head but Pocketpair would be stupid to let it die out
 
 
Protagonist Jordan in a screenshot from the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The Last of Us Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
 
 
A screenshot of the Adoring Fan seen in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
The Elder Scrolls Todd Howard says Oblivion leaks didn't help Bethesda or players: "Everyone is gonna have a different version"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 devs respond to the flurry of negative Steam reviews: "No change is necessarily permanent"
 
 
Crimson Desert
Open World Games "My dream game": After 7 hours, Palworld publishing lead delivers his Crimson Desert verdict: "This game is made for me"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Sam Witwer as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
    1
    New Star Wars show Maul - Shadow Lord's animation mixes CG and traditional techniques
  2. 2
    Resident Evil has shaped survival horror as we know it – and the next decade will be the proving ground
  3. 3
    Minecraft Dungeons 2 takes another stab at Mojang's surprisingly great Diablo-inspired RPG spin-off later this year
  4. 4
    Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord showrunner says that the former Sith is still a villain.
  5. 5
    Fallout season 3 will incorporate "a few things from the game that we've wanted to do since season one," says showrunner

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...