Review: Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS)

Buy Final Fantasy IV

For many years, I have had a torrid love affair with the fourth entry into the Final Fantasy series. As a young child, I downloaded a rom on an emulator and the rest is history. Life got in the way so I never got around to beating it. Per my usual habits, I'd pick it up, stop, pick it back up and have no idea where I was and then restart it. Rinse, repeat.

I then bought the Final Fantasy Chronicles 2 disk set - which I never beat because the FFIV disk was in my Playstation 2 when it was stolen. On that particular playthrough I was already to the Moon....and so outraged and disappointed that I dare not find another copy and try to pick it up again.

2005 - I pick up the Game Boy Advance version and the guide as an early Christmas present to myself. I did my other usual habit and ended up playing the hell out of it for a few days and then set it aside (I worked two jobs at the time).

Cue Square Enix deciding to not only bring it to DS but completely revamp it - I all but foamed at the mouth at the previews online. Game, preordered. When I picked it up with the guide I again tried to play it but got stuck and set it aside.

Today, after almost a decade of false starts, stops, and everything in between - I have beaten the beast.

Story
Shit is going wrong; terribly, terribly wrong. You are a Dark Knight (no, not Batman) who is following your just and righteous King's orders - murdering people for...crystals? No, that's not right. Too bad you asked questions and are exiled now! Four's story is a fairly realistic one, I believe - as realistic as magic and dragons and summons can be. You meet some new people along the way, you lose some too - but they leave an impression on you - they inspire you to be a better person, to set things right! The depth of every character's personality is refreshing in this game - even if they're with you briefly or for a while, you like them, you genuinely care about them - weird quirks and all. There are a few great albeit predictable plot twists but I genuinely enjoyed the story and that's probably why I have such a soft spot for it and have wanted to completely beat it through all those years.

Gameplay
Gameplay is quite a bit different this time around. That's what I like about the various ports/remakes of 4 - there's always something new; Though I wonder if perhaps they overdid it in this one. The augment system is a new but "not sure if want" addition. It's very easy early on to mess up and screw yourself for the rest of the game (That's what I did the first time I attempted to play through it). On the other hand, they're god-tier when done correctly. So it's got a very significant learning curve - this is a game where strategy is important and you can't just button mash your way through it. I died a LOT. Let me repeat - a LOT. And not necessarily in boss battles - some of the dungeons later on in the game will ass rape you and hard. You have to use a good mix of strategy and knowing when to cut and run.

Also, don't be afraid of the augment system - I wasn't really sure what I was doing until the middle of the game and I beat it pretty easily with my final five around 65-69. The augments also carry over into New Game + so if you have any you haven't used or are aiming for a perfect run, that's the way to do it.

Soundtrack / Graphics
The game's soundtrack is absolutely beautiful - I don't need to go on and on about that. If you love it as much as I do, go do yourself a favor if you haven't already and pick up the Celtic remix CD. Absolute heaven. The minorly tweaked and updated versions of songs for DS are incredible.

Graphics wise, I'm a huge fan of the remake. It was beautiful, well-drawn and had gorgeous colors.

Overall
I think this redesign was perfect for Nintendo and Square to introduce this beloved classic to a new generation. The updated graphics/story not only appeals to newcomers but draws out every last bit of nostalgia from an old fan who picks it up. If you have not played FFIV, do it immediately. If you have but have not played this version, pick it up now.  FFIV was THE first Final Fantasy game to combine it all - great storyline, great characters, the traditional battle system - all establishing what makes the series so popular and a fan favorite.

8/10

- A