The first Final Fantasy to heavily prioritize having a dramatic narrative. Although it stumbles in spots it still manages to be interesting and goes places that would have been mind blowing at the time of its original release. Final Fantasy IV is also the introduction of the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, has plenty of (sometimes annoying) side content, and contains the best OST of the first four games. It's one of the JRPG greats of the SNES era.
Gameplay? Really good. Story? Fakeouts galore and super on-the-nose dialogue that makes me roll my eyes. The 3D remake has a new script, so maybe that'll be a better experiance?
ATB and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race
For some reason IV was the only classic Final Fantasy I hadn't finish once in my lifetime yet despite numerous attempt at doing so over the last few decades.
I'm both impressed and underwhelmed by it.
The former because the narrative is as Final Fantasy as it gets, with a lot of unique setpieces that are impressive for a SNES RPG. Especially how every single character's personality shines through their body language. A lot of cutscenes contains absolutely no line of dialog whatsoever, yet you FEEL what's going on so clearly just by seeing these sprites eccentrically spin around, emote and jump.
The later because the game is so short and the pacing is so fast that the most pivotal moments in the story doesn't really hit you like it should. You really have to fill in the blank in your mind and assume these characters have been traveling together for weeks and got to know each other between every location you visit, otherwise it doesn't really make sense why they develop such a sense of camaraderie in the span of 30 minutes.
Despite the game being really short, including the extra optional content, I find it pretty insane that the final boss isn't really doable before reaching lvl 70. I was barely level 50 when I reached the final dungeon, and if it wasn't for the Pixel Remaster 4x exp boost option I would have been stuck mindlessly grinding for hours before I could see the end of it.
Out of all the Final Fantasy games, I think IV is the one that deserve a proper remake the most. It's a shame all the attention goes to VII when the original was already an amazing experience through and through. IV really needs more padding so you have time to build up a meaningful relationship with these characters and feel the weight of every sacrifice made along the way.
Also, I think that games that takes inspiration from Divine Comedy are awesome and we need more of them.
I'm both impressed and underwhelmed by it.
The former because the narrative is as Final Fantasy as it gets, with a lot of unique setpieces that are impressive for a SNES RPG. Especially how every single character's personality shines through their body language. A lot of cutscenes contains absolutely no line of dialog whatsoever, yet you FEEL what's going on so clearly just by seeing these sprites eccentrically spin around, emote and jump.
The later because the game is so short and the pacing is so fast that the most pivotal moments in the story doesn't really hit you like it should. You really have to fill in the blank in your mind and assume these characters have been traveling together for weeks and got to know each other between every location you visit, otherwise it doesn't really make sense why they develop such a sense of camaraderie in the span of 30 minutes.
Despite the game being really short, including the extra optional content, I find it pretty insane that the final boss isn't really doable before reaching lvl 70. I was barely level 50 when I reached the final dungeon, and if it wasn't for the Pixel Remaster 4x exp boost option I would have been stuck mindlessly grinding for hours before I could see the end of it.
Out of all the Final Fantasy games, I think IV is the one that deserve a proper remake the most. It's a shame all the attention goes to VII when the original was already an amazing experience through and through. IV really needs more padding so you have time to build up a meaningful relationship with these characters and feel the weight of every sacrifice made along the way.
Also, I think that games that takes inspiration from Divine Comedy are awesome and we need more of them.
Story and character-wise, FFIV is a big step up. The cast is incredibly charming, and everyone gets their time in the spotlight. Unfortunately, a lot of the personality disappears past the halfway point, and most of the cast starts feeling like cardboard cutouts, and the sliver of character development that's there feels superficial and unfulfilling. On top of that, most of the heavy-hitting story moments get completely undone for no reason at all.
It's still a blast to play through, but the second half was such a letdown that it somewhat soured the experience for me.
It's still a blast to play through, but the second half was such a letdown that it somewhat soured the experience for me.
it's kinda like star wars, except vader is your brother, and the emperor is a space ghost on the moon
Dude the story is so bad...like seriously...so many fakeouts and Cecil goes from cool dark knight to beautiful boring paladin...