Final Fantasy IV is probably the title in the franchise with the most amount of ports, remakes and expansions only if we don't consider the seventh installment, which at this point might be a franchise on its own. Why is that?
Final Fantasy IV might be considered the first proper Final Fantasy in story beats, characters and presentation. I won't give you an history lesson but this game was kind of a big deal and cemented FF's position in JRPGs: if the 1st to the 3rd were considered experiments, 4th is THE Final Fantasy we default to when thinking about the series, like Metal Slug or King of Fighters with SNK and Trails in the Sky with Falcom.
This port is accessible, holds a lot of minigames and cute side content the original didn't have but most importantly fixes a lot of issues with the game's balance, since the IV on DS is much harder than the original. I remember reading guides to beat some bosses and it was standard to begin every battle with Slow and Haste, otherwise you'd easily be beaten. Not only, but the most important parts in the story are animated and rendered beautifully, with honest to God gorgeous voice acting and animation. The game presents itself wonderfully and the maps are alive and greatly represent its world.
Sore note: the battles are slower and despite being rendered in 3D they don't impress as much as they should thanks to its slow framerate. I played it on the original hardware, I have no clue if the framerate gets better on mobile or PC, but the DS port didn't really color me surprised. I'd add the GBA port has much more content that is exclusive to that version and it's sadly missing here. Not only that, but the story being very linear means you'll have some characters during certain story sections you might not really want and no job system means you'll have your tools handed to you without any real choice. Also really? Getting a Lv.1 character at Lv. 25 does suck a bit.
So, which version should you play? Remastered, SNES original, DS port or PSP? I have no clue honestly, each has its pros and cons and playing each version to see the differences is not something I'd recommend to everyone. You really have to like the characters and the mood of Final Fantasy IV and it's not for everybody. This port? It's fine enough to get you through the story with some cool New Game + elements, but it doesn't have the most amount of content and if you really don't want to replay a game just for the additional content, I would avoid this port. If you get the PSP version you'll also get access to The After Years, but I don't know if that's a plus or not, so really pick your poison.
Final Fantasy IV might be considered the first proper Final Fantasy in story beats, characters and presentation. I won't give you an history lesson but this game was kind of a big deal and cemented FF's position in JRPGs: if the 1st to the 3rd were considered experiments, 4th is THE Final Fantasy we default to when thinking about the series, like Metal Slug or King of Fighters with SNK and Trails in the Sky with Falcom.
This port is accessible, holds a lot of minigames and cute side content the original didn't have but most importantly fixes a lot of issues with the game's balance, since the IV on DS is much harder than the original. I remember reading guides to beat some bosses and it was standard to begin every battle with Slow and Haste, otherwise you'd easily be beaten. Not only, but the most important parts in the story are animated and rendered beautifully, with honest to God gorgeous voice acting and animation. The game presents itself wonderfully and the maps are alive and greatly represent its world.
Sore note: the battles are slower and despite being rendered in 3D they don't impress as much as they should thanks to its slow framerate. I played it on the original hardware, I have no clue if the framerate gets better on mobile or PC, but the DS port didn't really color me surprised. I'd add the GBA port has much more content that is exclusive to that version and it's sadly missing here. Not only that, but the story being very linear means you'll have some characters during certain story sections you might not really want and no job system means you'll have your tools handed to you without any real choice. Also really? Getting a Lv.1 character at Lv. 25 does suck a bit.
So, which version should you play? Remastered, SNES original, DS port or PSP? I have no clue honestly, each has its pros and cons and playing each version to see the differences is not something I'd recommend to everyone. You really have to like the characters and the mood of Final Fantasy IV and it's not for everybody. This port? It's fine enough to get you through the story with some cool New Game + elements, but it doesn't have the most amount of content and if you really don't want to replay a game just for the additional content, I would avoid this port. If you get the PSP version you'll also get access to The After Years, but I don't know if that's a plus or not, so really pick your poison.
5 Comments
@Zotol I also remember how when I was trying to 100% the Bestiary (please don't do this to yourself) one enemy appears ONLY in the first floor of the Tower of Zot, which cannot be visited ever again, or how if you can't defeat the Frankenstein enemy before it transforms you lose the Bestiary name entry. Brutal for no reason at all.
@petro_sino That sounds annoying as hell... Sucks when games lock off 100 percent content like that
My two cents: the PSP release is the definitive version. It's based on the Advance version, and those two are the only ones that allow you to swap party members for the final stretch in the moon. This is HUGE to me, because Edge always, ALWAYS feels like a huge liability in the moon, so I always swap him for Yang.
The 3D remake is actually my least favorite version, I find the difficulty balance in dungeons to be kinda whack, and the Augments system has poor execution imo.
The 3D remake is actually my least favorite version, I find the difficulty balance in dungeons to be kinda whack, and the Augments system has poor execution imo.
@Artur I think the same too, the PSP is the most optimal way to play the game without the 3D's convoluted difficulty ramps and slow battles. Good point on Edge, Yang feels more like a character compared to Edge "my gimmick is throwing stuff and bad magic".
Yet I feel like the 3D's cutscenes, voice acting and thought bubbles when selecting the menu add a lot in the presentation, unlike III where characterization was barely there and it made the game somewhat worse, here I think it adds up to the experience. But if I wanted to replay the game again, I'd choose PSP or Remastered hands down.
Yet I feel like the 3D's cutscenes, voice acting and thought bubbles when selecting the menu add a lot in the presentation, unlike III where characterization was barely there and it made the game somewhat worse, here I think it adds up to the experience. But if I wanted to replay the game again, I'd choose PSP or Remastered hands down.
Zotol
2 months ago