Final Fantasy IV
Nintendo DS
Game type: Hardcore/RPG/Remake
$39.99
Despite the popularity and marketing push behind Final Fantasy for the NES (Nintendo Power subscribers will remember the hefty, free strategy guide), the Gameboy saw most subsequent sequels (spin-offs, really) in the U.S., while Japan continued to get the home console epics. The first SNES Final Fantasy was consequently branded Final Fantasy II, but its re-releases have all referred to it, confusingly, by its original, Japanese sequential name, Final Fantasy IV, and boy have there been a lot of them. Heck, the title graced the GBA in 2006; so is Square Enix milking it with this 3D overhaul of the original? You bet! But it’s probably easier than trying to top it, as FFIV is the very quintessence of that sadistic, unforgiving, intricate and impenetrable genre of video game: the Japanese RPG.
Perhaps the most pleasing feature of the DS overhaul is its portability: You can clam-shell-shut the DS any time you get overly frustrated (it will freeze the game in sleep mode), grab a stiff drink and pull up a good FAQ, which you’ll probably spend more time on than the game itself. Why? Because there’s no tutorial, an almost comically ramped-up difficulty level (the overworld random encounters, the “pushovers” of other RPGs, often result in sudden death, and bosses will always flatten your party unless you study up) and, most importantly, a huge amount of hidden extras you’d be missing out on if you just played through cold turkey.
In this sense, FFIV excludes two key audiences: the uninitiated, and the nostalgic. Woe be it to any n00bs who try and straighten out the tangled web of convolutions and logic leaps that make up the goals, battles and, of course, plot of this game. And if you are just looking to revisit a memorable childhood experience, know that this is simply not the same game. The original was not only censored, but toned down for slow American audiences, and it greatly benefited from it (well, maybe not the censorship). Strangely, you won’t be grinding (that’s a euphemism for repetitively fighting monsters to increase your party’s levels) to catch up in this one. Instead, the hardest of core must, through trial and error, figure out the clever but utterly random weaknesses of enemies, along with their various tricks and tactics (which have the tendency to send you back to a save point before you can even process their final, deadly animation). It’s “die or buy (the official strategy guide)” game design, and it’s probably meant to be cathartic, or something.
The new coat of polygons is almost reward enough for feeling the pain, however. Identifying some of the blurry and ambiguous 2D pixel blobs of the original for the first time is a pleasure. Sadly, it’s easy to miss a lot of the upgraded geography due to the lower DS screen, which is mainly used as a dedicated map. Navigating by the ugly little map alone is easy, since the monsters are invisible anyway, and doors and treasure are helpfully marked. There are even rewards for completing the map for a given area, reinforcing map dependence.
The brand new voice acting is nice, and the new translation is better than ever; the dialogue and plot are still awful, but they are now unequivocally English. Like other classic fantasy RPGs, FFIV is a torrent of effortless clichés, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar or a PR agent for Square Enix. But that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. The gameplay elements that make FFIV an almost-classic (it’s significance was almost entirely eclipsed by late-generation 16-bit Square RPGs like FFVI and Chrono Trigger), are complemented greatly by the new content and definitely make it worth a play, but only for those knowing full well what their getting into.
What’s new?
One nice addition left out of the original U.S. build is a hidden “Programmers’ Room,” where you can chat up (and battle!) the game’s staff. And guess what? They’re jerks!
When does the fun end?
If you are having fun playing FFIV, you’ll be happy to know it almost never ends. A 20 hour quest, New Game+ stuff, a trading-oriented “Augment system,” secrets, minigames and weird multiplayer stuff will keep you playing.
What else could I be playing?
In a matter of months you’ll be able to play Chrono Trigger on two, tiny screens. The remake isn’t getting the spiffy extra-dimension, but Chrono Trigger is a surprisingly accessible RPG that will work well on-the-go.
