Adventure Time!

The first game's ending was still the coolest

That's right, another final boss bites the big one as I take down Zeromus and finish off Final Fantasy IV. Holy crap, if you were a US gamer in the late 80's/early 90's and went through this game after Final Fantasy... This is what sequels should be! Little did most of them know that the series has had three games to evolve but hey, details.

Final Fantasy IV is the first game in the series to really put the full effort into the story. Sure, Final Fantasy II worked hard at it but it was still limited by the NES hardware as well as the common perceptions of what video games could be. If you are interested in classic RPG's, this should be one of the first games on your list. In fact, many regard this as the best game in the series.

No, this isn't Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

While I'm not sure yet if I'd go that far, it's without a doubt the best in the series so far. The combat system has finally upgraded to the ATB system, a combat system that will continue until XI Online in every core game. Inspired by Formula One racing, the ATB system is essentially a bar filling up for each character based on their individual speed ratings. Once the bar is filled, moves can be chosen. Anyone who's played a Final Fantasy game is likely familiar with the system. It's far more interesting than previous iterations and gives a much more tense atmosphere knowing that you have to pay attention to what's going on.

I've already gone over the story in detail so let's just say that it's very good all the way through to the end. Nobuo Uematsu is still on the top of his game here as the music is astounding, particularly for a console like the SNES. Personally, my favorite music is still the compositions from XIII (the best part of XIII, by far IMO) but this music far surpasses the original trilogy, even disregarding the technical advancements.

You Vivi Looking!

That's not to say that the game is perfect. The biggest issue is the horrendous translations. This remains an issue throughout the entire game and will be the toughest barrier for casual players to overcome. The story is wonderful but in order to experience it, you will have to wade through some of the worst dialogue in all of gaming. Sure, the translations were bad in the original trilogy but this is the first Final Fantasy game where it really matters. Frequently, you will encounter scenes that are supposed to bring about various emotions but you'll have a tough time really feeling for what's going on when you're laughing at the ridiculous speeches. Going back to Mysidia after Cecil's exile from Baron should be a very sobering experience but I couldn't stop grinning at the poorly worded insults being thrown my way.

The side quests also mark a low point for me. Sure the fact that they exist at all is great but the odd placement of having every side quest available at the end of the game makes it feel a bit too gamey for my tastes. Sure, Chrono Trigger did the same thing but those side quests were interesting in their own right, Final Fantasy IV's are usually no more than fetch quests. The one exception is the land of Summoned Monsters which was very cool and added more to the story.

Still, Final Fantasy IV marks an obvious and definite high point in the series. Not only did it introduce some of the most important new systems and features to the Final Fantasy series but it stands as a fun game experience even today. To avoid the horrible translations though, I highly recommend revisiting this one in one of the many ports available (GBA, DS, PSP, Android, iOS) Also, in the time since I posted my last blogs, Square-Enix has released Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on Android and iOS. Interlude is still available only on the PSP, sadly enough.

Next up on the list, a bit of a side-step in the series...

Remember that nice green hue?

More on this oft forgotten title next time!

Game on!

Game Rankings:

Final Fantasy II < Final Fantasy < Final Fantasy III < Final Fantasy IV