Final Fantasy IV (SNES) retrospective

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Zack Burner
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Joined: May 3rd, 2019, 6:01 pm

Final Fantasy IV (SNES) retrospective

Postby Zack Burner » November 4th, 2019, 10:36 am

Time now to go over a game from one of my favorite franchises: Final Fantasy. I'll start with one of my favorites IV, though in America it's the 2nd. You are Cecil Harvey a Dark Knight ordered to obtain an elemental crystal from a village of wizards, when the elder questions Cecil's intentions, Cecil feels uneasy. After being ejected from the Red Wings for questioning the king, Cecil and his friend dragoon Kain are ordered to deliver a package to a village of Callers. What happened to the king is Cecil's question in this epic story of honor, betrayal, manipulation, and development. The characters Cecil travels with are all memorable and bring something different to the table. Cecil develops more as the story progresses from anti-villain to noble defender of honor. Unlike other FF's where you can change party members, here you don't get that, the storyline lets you gain and lose party members depending on circumstance, and every character has their strengths and weaknesses. The weakest character of all is Edward (Gilbert) a bard who uses a harp as a weapon, which only does mediocre damage, his song isn't very effective, and when his health is low, he hides which can be inconvenient at times. The monsters themselves are all interesting some even emerge from the darkest corners of your imagination such as a Demon Wall or the Calcobrena (complete with creepy music!). Who the real foe is I won't reveal here, but it will take you by surprise. Looking at this title today, there's some things to praise and some to slam. I already mentioned one negative about inability to change characters, but that will depend on your preference. The graphics haven't exactly held up over the years, though thankfully other versions of this game have fixed that up. The music stands tall even today, courtesty of the great Nobuo Uematsu with many memorable tracks such as the theme, the Terrible Battle (where you fight the Four Fiends), and much more. The gameplay still holds up with the ability to use magic on many monsters though you would need to use strategy still for some foes. So is this game worth playing today? More yes than no I'd say.

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