Featured Content

Final Fantasy IV (GBA)

• Developer:
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Genre:
• Official Website: http://ffiv.nintendo.com
• Score: 5 of 5: Purchase

Final Fantasy IV Advance, the latest in a series of remakes of the brick-and-mortar games in the classic series of JRPGs, provides an experience that scratches both the nostalgic and contemporary gaming itch. Originally released in the U.S. as Final Fantasy II for the SNES, FF IV has received some fantastic polish while maintaining-and even enhancing-the original content. This game is a must-have for anyone who has had the pleasure of playing the original and is highly recommended for anyone who is interested to see why so many gamers find FF IV so appealing.

FF IV introduced the U.S. to the first of (sadly) a few epic RPGs that were driven by engaging stories with large amounts of character development and intriguing plots. I feel obliged to provide a brief, relatively spoiler-free recap. The story of FF IV focuses on the tale of Cecil, a Dark Knight in the employ of the Kingdom of Baron, which bases its power off a large fleet of airships. The game opens with Cecil overseeing the ‘procurement' of one of several Crystals held by a neighboring kingdom. As Cecil and his men cut down innocents to claim their prize, they find themselves questioning the motives of their king. Upon returning to Baron to hand off the Crystal, Cecil speaks his mind to his lord and voices his disapproval of such mindless slaughter. He is quickly relieved of his command and sent on a strange mission with Kain, his longtime friend and Dragoon. From the moment Cecil and Kain embark upon their quest, and once the theme music that you will hear so often throughout the later games in the series kicks in, you suddenly realize that you are on the threshold of something more than a simple hack-and-slash RPG. You are about to immerse yourself in a story that will draw you in and never let you go until the end credits roll.

Of course, all this is well and good, but if anyone who is used to the flashy CGI that has become the unfortunate hallmark of Final Fantasy[i] steps into [i]FF IV, it must be emphasized that this game was built for a 16-bit engine and is comprised entirely of sprites. It is difficult to believe that a sprite-based game could actually deliver the narrative punch that FF IV packs, especially in this day and age, but the fact of the matter is that it delivers on all accounts. Still, buyer beware: you'll find no pretty ballroom dance movies or 10-minute CGIs based on some inane interpretation of ‘time compression' here. FF IV provides your standard meat-and-potatoes gaming experience. Luckily for you, this is the prime rib of JRPGs.

Of course, any time you see a ‘remake' of a game hit store shelves, you're stricken with fear that you're paying full price for a direct port of the original. Now, don't get me wrong-if someone dropped a portable version of FF IV in my lap with nothing changed, I'd still play it, but the beauty of FF IV is the attention paid to improving the original localization.

First, the dialogue has been completely overhauled with a keen eye and sharp redaction. From the moment the game opens, anyone who has played the original will see an immediate improvement in the text and recognize its impact on the development of Cecil's story. From there on out, the game's dialogue continues to improve, and the result is a much tighter story and plot. I would go into further detail, but in the interest of spoilers, I have to refrain.

Luckily, overhauled dialogue is not the only enhancement that FF IV brings to the table. An automatic dash function has been built into the game, eliminating the plodding travel that was a source of frustration for me-at least in the original. The major improvement, however, requires me to tell you now that spoilers are ahead … vast, paradigm-shifting spoilers … so read on with caution.

Once you open the path to the Moon and unlock the end-of-the game content, you have the option to rotate Cid, Palom, Porom, or Yang into your party whenever you please. A new dungeon will open up on Mt. Ordeals, full of end-game equipment for these returning characters. The impact of this new content is amazing-Yang, for example, is a Ruiner of Worlds, and having him in your party when you face off against Zeromus for the final confrontation is fantastic. Once you have cleared the game, an optional dungeon opens on the moon that requires you to beat the game with a specific character in order to open up their ‘trial' within this dungeon. This is not as hard as it sounds-you can just reload your clear data, plug in some new members, show Zeromus just who his daddy really is once again, and the unlocking will occur. This dungeon is downright ... insidious. I won't go into more detail (frankly, because having only played around in it a bit and having my ass handed to me is enough to talk about), but I will warn you that the perils contained within this dungeon ramp up FF IV's difficulty curve to stratospheric proportions. With that said, this is all bonus content-the gravy alongside the meat and potatoes-and it will cater to any hardcore gamer out there.

The proper name for this ‘remake' should be ‘Final Fantasy IV Enhanced' because this is a remake that does so much justice to the original and takes it to an even grander scale than originally intended. FF IV was a joy and delight to play, and given that the game is not terribly long (I believe my playtime was 15 to 20 hours or so) and yet offers a bevy of additional content, the experience is much like a massive gaming buffet: feel free to help yourself to seconds, even if you know your stomach will be killing you afterwards.

I cannot recommend this game enough to anyone who owns a Game Boy Advance. I fired up FF IV expecting a trip down memory lane. When the dust had settled, memory lane itself had been completed changed... for the better.

Dec 28, 2005 | 5 comments
Lunatic Clam