Often lauded by long-time FF fans or oldschool JRPG connoisseurs as the peak of the series, I've been wanting to play this game for a LONG time but happening upon a copy in a retro game story finally gave me that chance.
In many ways, FFIV is the template on which modern JRPGs are built. It was one of the first with a big, sweeping story with high stakes, multiple "worlds", and a party of characters who, gasp, have actual personality and development! While the plot and character arcs are hardly ground-breaking these days, I'd imagine they were amazing for their time, featuring themes of redemption, overcoming trauma and even a few major deaths.
This is all aided by an excellent re-translated script by Tom Slattery. In fact this script is why I chose to experience this version first, as it lacks the censorship and rampant mistranslations of the SNES version (where characters "swoon" or "fall down" instead of die, I wish I was making that up) or the awkward pop-culture references of the GBA/PSP version. It's very flowery, think Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon, which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it.
Gameplay-wise, it's interesting. The DS version is the most difficult iteration of FFIV by far, to the point where the iOS and Steam ports made its default difficulty the "Hard Mode". And I admit, there were many, many times the game kicked my teeth in: as just one example this version turns the first Golbez battle from effectively an interactive cutscene into a brutal fight you actually have to win, that comes DIRECTLY AFTER ANOTHER BOSS. (And starts with 3/5 of your party KO'd) And the enemies in the final and optional dungeons are... something else.
At the same time, this is a rare old-school FF where strategy actually matters and buffs and debuffs are vital. The best tip I can give is Slow works on every boss. Always, always use it. For many dungeons or bosses, I'd get wrecked the first time, but come back the next day with a new strategy and find they weren't so bad.
The core party members all have clearly defined roles and are very good in said roles, the White and Black Mages feeling especially fun later on. The DS version's main addition to the gameplay is "Augments" but... I'll cover that in the negatives section.
Something great about this game that I've missed in modern JPRGs is it goes for "quality over quantity" in its sidequests. I'd estimate there's no more than 10 total sidequests in the game, but all (besides the ongoing Namingway meetings) involve a new area or dungeon, end with a unique boss fight, and give a VERY worthwhile reward. Either a strong item, a new skill for a character (such as a powerful summon) or closure on the fate of a guest party member. I'd take this over a hundred "gather 20 bear skins" missions any day.
But no game is perfect, and I've got a few clear negatives to discuss. The first pertains to both story and gameplay: FFIV REALLY loves temporary party members. I guess it was a limitation of the old party systems, but you'll be meeting a ton of playable characters who don't stick around, and most get enough development that you'll wish they did. There's a few who were so developed I was shocked and saddened to find they were temporary. And not in a good way (see FFVII), I mean I would've vastly preferred them in both story and gameplay to...
Edge. Edge is the one party member I never "clicked" with and him being part of the "final five" felt like a waste to me. His relevance to the plot is over after one dungeon, his gameplay role isn't much beyond "he's really fast and has some ailments I guess", and he's clearly meant to be a comic relief character but that's hard to tell when he gets next to no scenes. It's telling that most of his pause screen dialogue boils down to "I have no idea what's going on but I guess I'm stuck with these guys." Out of everyone, THIS is the guy who gets to stay?
For gameplay, there's the Augment system, which lets you assign new skills to party members (and also influences their stat growth, not that the game ever tells you this...). Giving up to 2 Augments to temporary party members rewards you with more augments when they leave. On paper, this is supposed to ensure you aren't punished for giving Augments to someone you didn't know was temporary... the problem is that all the best skills in the game are locked behind doing this, meaning you have to carefully "ration" your Augments to avoid missing them, and it can be VERY tight. For example, missing ONE optional Augment early on prevented me from getting the amazing Dualcast. Also, every Augment uses up one of your character's menu slots, even passive skills like MP +50%. It's a great idea in theory but... it shouldn't be this easy to miss out on the best tactical options in such a difficult game.
And as I mentioned, the difficulty can be frustrating. It's usually well-designed, but there's one or two enemy types (looking at you Red Dragons) that feel unfair, mostly summed up as "if they decide to spam their AoE attack you're DEAD, if they don't they're no problem."
Overall, I can see why this game is held in such high regard, and the DS version is a great way to experience it, provided you're okay with the difficulty.
In many ways, FFIV is the template on which modern JRPGs are built. It was one of the first with a big, sweeping story with high stakes, multiple "worlds", and a party of characters who, gasp, have actual personality and development! While the plot and character arcs are hardly ground-breaking these days, I'd imagine they were amazing for their time, featuring themes of redemption, overcoming trauma and even a few major deaths.
This is all aided by an excellent re-translated script by Tom Slattery. In fact this script is why I chose to experience this version first, as it lacks the censorship and rampant mistranslations of the SNES version (where characters "swoon" or "fall down" instead of die, I wish I was making that up) or the awkward pop-culture references of the GBA/PSP version. It's very flowery, think Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon, which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it.
Gameplay-wise, it's interesting. The DS version is the most difficult iteration of FFIV by far, to the point where the iOS and Steam ports made its default difficulty the "Hard Mode". And I admit, there were many, many times the game kicked my teeth in: as just one example this version turns the first Golbez battle from effectively an interactive cutscene into a brutal fight you actually have to win, that comes DIRECTLY AFTER ANOTHER BOSS. (And starts with 3/5 of your party KO'd) And the enemies in the final and optional dungeons are... something else.
At the same time, this is a rare old-school FF where strategy actually matters and buffs and debuffs are vital. The best tip I can give is Slow works on every boss. Always, always use it. For many dungeons or bosses, I'd get wrecked the first time, but come back the next day with a new strategy and find they weren't so bad.
The core party members all have clearly defined roles and are very good in said roles, the White and Black Mages feeling especially fun later on. The DS version's main addition to the gameplay is "Augments" but... I'll cover that in the negatives section.
Something great about this game that I've missed in modern JPRGs is it goes for "quality over quantity" in its sidequests. I'd estimate there's no more than 10 total sidequests in the game, but all (besides the ongoing Namingway meetings) involve a new area or dungeon, end with a unique boss fight, and give a VERY worthwhile reward. Either a strong item, a new skill for a character (such as a powerful summon) or closure on the fate of a guest party member. I'd take this over a hundred "gather 20 bear skins" missions any day.
But no game is perfect, and I've got a few clear negatives to discuss. The first pertains to both story and gameplay: FFIV REALLY loves temporary party members. I guess it was a limitation of the old party systems, but you'll be meeting a ton of playable characters who don't stick around, and most get enough development that you'll wish they did. There's a few who were so developed I was shocked and saddened to find they were temporary. And not in a good way (see FFVII), I mean I would've vastly preferred them in both story and gameplay to...
Edge. Edge is the one party member I never "clicked" with and him being part of the "final five" felt like a waste to me. His relevance to the plot is over after one dungeon, his gameplay role isn't much beyond "he's really fast and has some ailments I guess", and he's clearly meant to be a comic relief character but that's hard to tell when he gets next to no scenes. It's telling that most of his pause screen dialogue boils down to "I have no idea what's going on but I guess I'm stuck with these guys." Out of everyone, THIS is the guy who gets to stay?
For gameplay, there's the Augment system, which lets you assign new skills to party members (and also influences their stat growth, not that the game ever tells you this...). Giving up to 2 Augments to temporary party members rewards you with more augments when they leave. On paper, this is supposed to ensure you aren't punished for giving Augments to someone you didn't know was temporary... the problem is that all the best skills in the game are locked behind doing this, meaning you have to carefully "ration" your Augments to avoid missing them, and it can be VERY tight. For example, missing ONE optional Augment early on prevented me from getting the amazing Dualcast. Also, every Augment uses up one of your character's menu slots, even passive skills like MP +50%. It's a great idea in theory but... it shouldn't be this easy to miss out on the best tactical options in such a difficult game.
And as I mentioned, the difficulty can be frustrating. It's usually well-designed, but there's one or two enemy types (looking at you Red Dragons) that feel unfair, mostly summed up as "if they decide to spam their AoE attack you're DEAD, if they don't they're no problem."
Overall, I can see why this game is held in such high regard, and the DS version is a great way to experience it, provided you're okay with the difficulty.