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Final Fantasy IV
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Original Japanese Super Famicom cover |
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| Developer(s) | Square TOSE (PS, GBA) Sting (WSC) Matrix Software (DS) |
| Publisher(s) | Super NES JP / NA Square PlayStation JP Square NA Square Electronic Arts PAL SCE Europe Game Boy Advance JP Square Enix NA / PAL Nintendo Nintendo DS JP Square Enix |
| Designer(s) | Hironobu Sakaguchi Takashi Tokita |
| Writer(s) | Takashi Tokita[1] |
| Artist(s) | Yoshitaka Amano |
| Composer(s) | Nobuo Uematsu |
| Series | Final Fantasy |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, WonderSwan Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS |
| Release date(s) | Super NES JP July 19, 1991 NA November 23, 1991 PlayStation JP March 21, 1997 NA June 29, 2001 PAL May 17, 2002 WonderSwan Color JP March 28, 2002 Game Boy Advance JP December 15, 2005 NA December 12, 2005 AUS February 23, 2006[2] EU June 2, 2006 Nintendo DS JP December 20, 2007 NA July 22, 2008[3] EU September 5, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Console role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | PlayStation ELSPA: 11+ ESRB: T (Teen) (13+) OFLC: M15+ USK: 12+ Game Boy Advance CERO: All ages ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) |
| Media | 8 megabit cartridge (SNES) 1 CD-ROM (PlayStation) 64 megabit cartridge (GBA) 1024 megabit cartridge (Nintendo DS) |
Final Fantasy IV (ファイナルファンタジーIV Fainaru Fantajī Fō?) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan, but has been ported with minor changes to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as well as by TOSE to the Sony's PlayStation, Bandai's WonderSwan Color, and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. In May 2007, Square Enix announced that it was developing a remake of the game for the Nintendo DS.[4] The game was re-titled "Final Fantasy II" during its initial release in North America, but later localizations used the original title.
The player takes the role of Cecil, a Dark Knight from the kingdom of Baron, on his journey to save the world from the evil Golbez. Struggling to prevent Golbez from acquiring powerful Crystals, Cecil learns of his heritage and travels through three realms to battle Golbez's minions. His lover, best friend, and other warriors join him for the adventure.[5]
Final Fantasy IV introduced innovations that became staples of the Final Fantasy series and role-playing games in general.[6][7] Its "Active Time Battle" system was used in six subsequent Final Fantasy games. Its character-driven plot, use of the new technologies (such as Mode 7) and critically acclaimed score by Nobuo Uematsu has prompted critics to consider Final Fantasy IV one of the greatest games of all time.[8]
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In Final Fantasy IV, the player controls a large cast of characters and completes quests to advance the story. Characters move and interact with people and enemies on a field map, which may represent a variety of settings, such as towers, caves, and forests. Travel between areas occurs on a world map. The player can use towns to replenish strength, buy equipment, and discover clues about their next destination.[5] Conversely, the player fights monsters at random intervals on the world map and in dungeons. In battle, the player has the option to fight, use magic or an item, retreat, change character positions, parry, or pause. Certain characters have special options.[5] Player characters and monsters have HP or hit points (represented by a numerically based life bar); attacks reduce hit points until none are left, at which point the character faints or the monster dies. If all characters are defeated, the game must be restored from a saved game file.[5] The player can restore the characters' hit points by having them sleep in an inn or use items in the party's inventory, such as a Potion. Equipment (such as swords and armor) bought in towns or found in dungeons can be used to increase damage inflicted on monsters or minimize received damage.[5] The player can choose whether characters appear on the front line of a battle or in reserve. A character's placement impacts distribution of damage received and inflicted.[5] The game's story is linear—the player can usually advance the game through only one path, although limited side quests are available.[9]
Final Fantasy IV introduced Square's Active Time Battle (ATB) system designed by Hiroyuki Ito, who was one of the battle designers with Kazuhiko Aoki and Akihiko Matsui, which differed from the turn-based designs of previous RPGs.[10] The ATB system centers on the player inputting orders for the characters in real time during battles.[11] An important precedent, ATB was used in many subsequent Square games. Each character is balanced through certain strengths and weaknesses; for instance, a strong magic user may have low defense, while a physical fighter may have low agility. Like other Final Fantasy games, characters gain new, more powerful abilities with battle experience. Magic is classified as either "White" for healing and support; "Black" for offense; or "Summon" (or "call") for summoning monsters to attack or carry out specialized applications.[5] A fourth type—"Ninjutsu"—consists of support and offensive magic and is available to only one character. Magic users, who account for eight of twelve playable characters, gain magic spells at preprogrammed experience levels or fixed story events. The developers have balanced point gains, items, and rewards to eliminate long sessions of gaining levels.[6] Due to the Super Nintendo's greater processing power, Final Fantasy IV contains graphics improved over past Final Fantasy titles and concurrent Super Nintendo games.[12] The game employs the Super Nintendo's Mode 7 technology to give enhanced magic spell visuals and to make airship travel more dramatic by scaling and tilting the ground for a bird's eye view.
Most of Final Fantasy IV takes place on Earth, also known as the Blue Planet,[13] which consists of a surface world (or Overworld) and an underground world (or Underworld). The Overworld consists of territories populated by different character classes from the series. The Underworld is primarily inhabited by the Dwarven and is covered in rock and magma. A red, artificial moon orbits the planet, upon which two races, the Lunarians and the Hummingway live. A second, natural moon orbits as well, though it is never visited in the game. Travel among the three realms is accomplished through airships.
Besides the humans and Dwarven, there are two other important races in Final Fantasy IV: The Hummingway are a race from the Moon, rabbit-like in appearance wearing blue and yellow clothing with turbans on their heads, however, some appear in pink and white. Most of them only speak in humming noises. One notable Hummingway is named Namingway, whose attire is red, and appears in most towns offering to change the names of the characters who talk to him. In Final Fantasy IX, the player can find the Namingway card in Kuja's castle, or win it from Mario in the card arena. This card allows players to rename their characters.
The Lunarians are a race of human-like wizards who came from a world destroyed which became the asteroid belt, and are identified by a moon-shape crest on their foreheads. They created the second moon that revolves around the world the story takes place on, resting until a time they believe their kind can co-exist with humans. The only known full-blood Lunarians are Fusoya, the guardian of the Lunarians; Zemus, a restless Lunarian who plans on destroying life on Earth so his kind, alone, can inhabit the planet; and Kluya, who is believed to be the first Lunarian to interact with humans. In fact, Kluya fell in love with a human, and had at least two sons with her: Theodor, whom Zemus corrupted and renamed Golbez; and the younger brother raised by the King of Baron as Cecil.
Final Fantasy IV offers twelve playable characters, each with a unique character class. The hero, Cecil Harvey, is a Dark Knight of Baron who serves the king alongside his childhood friend Kain Highwind. Kain was once asked to become a Dark Knight, but instead followed his father's example and became Commander of the Dragoons. Rosa Farrell is the heroine and Cecil's girlfriend; she became a white mage and archer to protect Cecil as her mother protected her father. Cecil is Lord Captain of the "Red Wings", an elite air force unit constructed by his friend, the engineer Cid Pollendina, Baron's airship engineer
During his quest, Cecil is joined by others. Rydia, a young Summoner from the village of Mist, who joins shortly after Kain disappears and Cecil gains her trust by saving her life. Tellah is a legendary sage of Mysidia; his daughter Anna died protecting her love, prince Edward Chris von Muir of Damcyan, who poses as a bard. Yang Fang Leiden is the well-mannered head of the Monks of Fabul. Palom and Porom are twin apprentices from the magical village of Mysidia who assist Cecil as he went to Mt. Ordeals. Edward "Edge" Geraldine is the rowdy Ninja prince of Eblan who has a crush on Rydia. Lastly, FuSoYa is the guardian of the Lunarians during their long sleep.
Cecil and Golbez have been confirmed as the respective hero and villain representing Final Fantasy IV in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, where they will be voiced by Shizuma Hodoshima and Takeshi Kaga respectively in the Japanese version.
Final Fantasy IV begins as the unmatched monarchy of Baron sends the Red Wings to attack the mage city of Mysida to obtain the Water Crystal, one of four powerful Crystals. Cecil, Lord Captain of the Red Wings, questions the king's motives after stealing the Water Crystal, killing the mages who fought to protect their treasure. He is stripped of his rank as a result and with Kain sent to deliver a ring to the Village of Mist and slay the Mist Dragon that guards its borders. [14] Upon reaching the village, they discover the ring holds bombs which wreck the village and slaughtered many of its inhabitants. As the two decide to stop Baron's conquest, Cecil and Kain encounter Rydia, a young girl who appears to be the only survivor from the village, standing over her mother's body. Rydia's mother was the summoner who called forth the Mist Dragon to protect Mist from Baron, its death ending her life as well. [15] Learning that Cecil is the one who killed her mother's Eidolon, the infuriated girl summons Titan to attack him and Kain; causing an earthquake that cuts off the route back to Baron and knocks the three unconscious. When Cecil awakens, he discovers that Kain has disappeared and the girl is injured. He carries her through a desert to an inn at the oasis town of Kaipo.
Soldiers from Baron arrive in the night to take the girl from Cecil on orders from the king of Baron to kill all Summoners.[16] But seeing Cecil protect her from them convinces Rydia to forgive and join him. While in Kaipo, Cecil discovers a bedridden Rosa; searching for Cecil, she had contracted Desert Fever, curable only by a "Sand Ruby", its location known to the royals of Damcyan, so Cecil and Rydia travel north to Castle Damcyan via the Waterfall. Along the way they meet the Sage Tellah in the waterway, hindered by the Octomammoth as he is also traveling to Damcyan in search of his daughter Anna, who ran off there with a bard.[17] The three arrive just in time to witness the Red Wings bombard the castle. In investigating the ruins of the castle, they discover that Anna was killed in the assault when she took the arrows for her lover, who is actually Prince Edward. [18] Edward explains that a man named Golbez, the Red Wings' new commander, orchestrated the attack and stole Damcyan's Fire Crystal,[19] prompting Tellah to leave the party to seek vengeance on Golbez for Anna's death.[20] After Cecil reveals to him his quest to save Rosa, Edward joins him and Rydia in retrieving the Sand Pearl, which is located in the Antlion's nest.
At Kaipo, the revived Rosa joins the party; they resolve to go to Fabul to protect the Wind Crystal from being stolen by Golbez and the Red Wings. While crossing Mt. Hobs they encounter Yang, the head of the Fabul Monks, being ambushed by Golbez's monsters; the party helps him fight them off. Yang requests Cecil's help in defending Fabul after they inform him of Golbez's plot.[21] The Red Wings attack Castle Fabul and Cecil's party falls back to the Wind Crystal's room. There, Cecil is confronted by his friend Kain and learns Kain is allied with Golbez, unaware that his Kain is being controlled. Kain challenges and defeats Cecil in a duel.[22] When Rosa intervenes, Golbez arrives and kidnaps her as he commands Kain to take the Wind Crystal. The next morning, the party concludes that they will need an airship to confront Golbez's Red Wings. They decide to sneak into Baron to acquire an airship from Cid.[23] Yang charters a ship to take Cecil, Edward, Rydia, and himself to Baron. While sailing, however, their ship is attacked by the Lord of All Seas, Leviathan.
Cecil awakens alone on a beach near Mysidia, where he is met with contempt by the town's wizards for stealing the Water Crystal earlier.[24] However, the Mysidian elder understands Cecil's plight, and tells him that to defeat Golbez, Cecil must climb Mt. Ordeals, which he must relinquish being a Dark Knight and become a Paladin.[25] The elder sends twin wizards Palom and Porom to assist and spy on Cecil.[26] On the mountain, they encounter Tellah, who is searching for the forbidden spell Meteor to defeat Golbez.[27] Golbez attempts to stop the party by sending Scarmiglione, one of the Four Archfiends, to kill them.[28] But the party defeats the archfiend, Cecil completes the trials, defeating his darkness to become a Paladin; Tellah also learns the secret of Meteor. Upon returning to Mysidia, the town elder is impressed that Cecil successfully became a Paladin and reveals a legend behind the sword he carries. Deciding to aid them, the Elder allows Cecil use of the "Devil's Road," a pathway that takes the party to Baron. There, Cecil learns that Cid has been arrested and Yang brainwashed into the service of Baron after suffering memory loss. After helping Yang regain his memory, Cecil, Yang, and the others infiltrate the castle and discover that the "king" is actually the Archfiend Cagnazzo who murdered the real king to assume his place.[29] After defeating him, Cid is freed and takes Cecil and his friends to his newest airship, the Enterprise. However, with his last breath, Cagnazzo traps the heroes in the antechamber and causes its walls to move with the intent of crushing the party.[30] In a noble sacrifice, Palom and Porom petrify themselves to halt the trap. [31]
Cecil takes command of the Enterprise and is met at takeoff by the brainwashed Kain, who demands Cecil retrieve the final Crystal in exchange for Rosa's life. [32] Cecil heads for Troia, where the Earth Crystal is enshrined. He learns the Crystal was stolen by the Dark Elf, and his friends and he retrieve it. Kain leads the group to the Tower of Zot, where Rosa is imprisoned. At the tower's summit, Golbez takes the Crystal and attempts to flee. Tellah tries to kill Golbez by using Meteor at the cost of his life, managing to weaken Golbez, and seemingly shatter his control over Kain's mind, who had a realization about Cecil before he left.[33] Kain helps Cecil rescue Rosa and, after defeating the Archfiend Barbariccia, the party escapes to Baron when the Tower starts to collapse.
In Baron, Kain reveals that Golbez must also obtain four subterranean "Dark Crystals" to achieve his goal.[34] Cecil swears to defend the Crystals; Kain gives him a "Magma Rock" he obtained while in the service of Golbez, which opens a passage to the Underworld. They fly through the opening, but their airship is soon damaged while caught in the cross-fire of a battle between the Dwarves' tanks and the airships of the Red Wings, forcing it to crash outside the Castle of Dwarves. King Giott of the dwarves accepts Cecil's offer to guard the Crystals. Cid departs to repair and upgrade the airship; soon after he leaves, Cecil, Rosa, Yang, and Kain discover Golbez has infiltrated the dwarves' crystal room and try to stop his theft of the Crystal. During the battle they are joined by Rydia, now a adult since she was taken by Leviathan to the Feymarch, the land of the Eidolons.[35] However, Golbez escapes with the Dwarves' Dark Crystal, and Cecil sets out to the Tower of Babil to retrieve the lost crystals. King Giott offers the services of his tanks to draw the fire of the tower's defenses while the party infiltrates it. While inside, the party confronts the servant of Golbez, Dr. Lugae. He informs the party that the crystals have been moved to the above ground portion of the Tower, and as his last act Dr. Lugae orders that the Tower's Super Cannon destroy the dwarf tanks. Yang volunteers to stay behind and destroy the Super Cannon while the party escapes, and is presumed dead. Upon escaping the Tower the party is met by Cid and a repaired Enterprise. They are pursued by the Red Wings and fly back to the upper world to escape them; Cid throws himself overboard and detonates a bomb to re-seal the passage, apparently sacrificing himself.[36]
Back on the surface, they find the path to the Tower of Babil's upper half. While following it they was joined by Edge, the ninja prince of Eblan, who seeks revenge for his parents against Rubicante, last of the Archfiends. Inside the tower, the party defeats Rubicante after Edge is forced to kill his parents, now monsters thanks to Lugae's experiments.[37] After falling through a trap door to an Underground portion of the Tower, the party finds an abandoned Red Wing airship and use the dubbed "Falcon" to head towards the Underworld's Sealed Cave to retrieve the eighth and final crystal before Golbez gets to it. After they do so, however, Golbez reveals he still had control over Kain, having him pretend to be normal until the last crystal was in his grasp.[38] Back at the Dwarven castle, Giott tells Cecil of the Lunar Whale, a "ship of light" designed to take travelers to and from the moon. [39] Cid, who was found by the dwarves and nursed by them back to health, fits their airship with a drill and the party drills their way back to the surface. Cecil returns to Mysidia to pray for the Lunar Whale's appearance. It rises from the ocean, and Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, and Edge board it to travel to the moon.
Upon arriving on the moon, the party enters the Lunar Palace, and there the party meets an elderly man named Fusoya who explains that Cecil's father is a heroic but deceased Lunarian.[40] Fusoya also explains that a Lunarian named Zemus plans to destroy life on the Blue Planet to facilitate Lunarian inhabitation, using Golbez to summon a giant destructive android, the Giant of Babil.[41] Meanwhile on Earth, the forces of the world, including some characters (Yang, Palom, Porom) thought to have died, attack the unleashed Giant. Fusoya, Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, and Edge enter and destroy the Giant. Fusoya breaks Zemus' control over Golbez, and Cecil learns that Golbez is his older brother. [42] After destroying the Giant, Golbez and Fusoya head to the core of the moon to defeat Zemus. Cecil's party follows after reuniting with Kain, now freed from Golbez's spell. After battling to the moon's core, the party witnesses Golbez and Fusoya kill Zemus but quickly lose to his ressurected form, the spirit Zeromus. [43] With the united hopes of all beings combined with a special Crystal provided by Golbez, Cecil and his party defeat Zeromus after forcing him into physical form. [44] Following the conflict, Fusoya decides to enter rest with the other Lunarians, accepting Golbez's desire to be dormant as well. [45] One year after the Lunarians' moon left the solar system, as Kain left for Mt Ordeals, everyone reunites to celebrate Cecil and Rosa's wedding and their coronation as Baron's new king and queen.
After completing Final Fantasy III in 1990, Square planned to develop two Final Fantasy games—one for the Nintendo Famicom and the other for the forthcoming Super Famicom, to be known as Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V respectively.[46] Due to financial and scheduling constraints, Square dropped plans for the Famicom game and continued development of the Super Famicom version, retitled Final Fantasy IV. A mock-up screenshot of the cancelled title was produced for a Japanese magazine, but little other information exists about it.[46]
The score of Final Fantasy IV was written by longtime series composer Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu has noted that the process of composing was excruciating, involving trial and error and requiring the sound staff to spend several nights in sleeping bags at Square Co. headquarters. His notes were humorously signed as being written at 1:30 AM "in the office, naturally."[47] The score was well received; reviewers have praised the quality of the composition despite the limited medium.[10][48][9] The track "Theme of Love" has even been taught to Japanese school children as part of the music curriculum.[49] Uematsu continues to perform certain pieces in his Final Fantasy concert series.[50]
Three albums of music from Final Fantasy IV have been released in Japan. The first album, Final Fantasy IV: Original Sound Version, was released on June 14, 1991 and contains 44 tracks from the game. The second album was Final Fantasy IV: Celtic Moon, released on October 24, 1991, contains a selection of tracks from the game, arranged and performed by Celtic musician Máire Breatnach. Lastly, Final Fantasy IV Piano Collections, an arrangement of tracks for solo piano performed by Toshiyuki Mori, was released on April 21, 1992 and began the Piano Collections trend for each successive Final Fantasy game. Several tracks have appeared on Final Fantasy compilation albums produced by Square, including The Black Mages and Final Fantasy: Pray. Independent but officially licensed releases of Final Fantasy IV music have been orchestrated by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focused on arranging video game music.[51] Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites such as OverClocked ReMix.[52]
Final Fantasy IV has been re-released on several platforms. To date, an easy version of Final Fantasy IV has been released for the Super Famicom, and the game was ported to the PlayStation (in 1997). A graphically enhanced remake was released on the WonderSwan Color (in 2002), and the Game Boy Advance (in 2005). The game was also completely remade with 3D graphics for the Nintendo DS (in 2008).
Because the previous two installments of the Final Fantasy series had not been localized and released in North America at the time, Final Fantasy IV was distributed as Final Fantasy II to maintain naming continuity. Later remakes of the game have been released in North America under the original title. While the game retains the storyline, graphics, and sound of the original, developers significantly reduced the difficulty for beginning gamers. Certain items were less expensive or rare, and several battle commands were removed—including Tellah's Recall (allowing him to use a random magic spell), Edward's Medicine (which used Potions from the player's inventory to heal the entire party), and Cecil's DarkWave (an attack which targeted all enemies but sacrificed a portion of his health). Several enemies and bosses were reduced in strength and assigned special weaknesses. Entrances to secret passages on field maps were outlined in blue, whereas they were invisible in the original Japanese version. The random encounter rate was reduced, although overall enemy health became increased. The translation was changed in accordance with Nintendo of America's censorship policies (at the time before the formation of the ESRB and its rating system), and certain errors were introduced during localization.[53]
Certain character descriptions and elements of backstory have been cut due to space limitations. For instance, Kain's background and relationship with his father and the motivations for Zemus's plans to colonize Earth are not in the game.[54] The logo for the U.S. version features the same font and sword-letter-T emblem used in the Game Boy Final Fantasy Legend series rather than an image of Kain, which was used for the Final Fantasy IV title logo (and was used for its later releases as well). Other changes include the removal of overt Judeo-Christian religious references and certain potentially objectionable graphics. The magic spell Holy has been renamed White. All references to prayer are eliminated; the Tower of Prayers in Mysidia is renamed the Tower of Wishes, though the White Mage in the tower still calls it "Tower of Prayers," and Rosa's Pray command is absent. Direct references to death are omitted, although several characters clearly die over the course of the game. Anything considered too risqué has been censored, such as bikinis on town dancers (replaced by leotards). The Programmers' Room special feature (in which the player can find a Porno Magazine) has been removed.[55] New promotional character art was made for published previews.[56] The runes that served as save points were changed into "Save Circles", which is the letter S in a circle with a fancy border.
In addition to the content edits, one major gameplay function was altered: The multiplayer option, which operated similarly to the same option in Final Fantasy VI, was completely removed, as was the ability to edit controller settings.[57][58]
These edits prompted the creation of an English language fan translation of the original script, produced by J2e Translations.[59] The fan translation uses the original version of the game and not the Easytype.
A modified version of the game was released for the Super Famicom in Japan under the name Final Fantasy IV Easytype. Built from the untranslated template of the US version, the Easytype has been modified to be even easier than its North American counterpart. Because the Easytype was released before Final Fantasy II, fans and critics continue to erroneously claim that the US version was made from this version.[60]
In the Easytype, the attack powers of weapons have been enhanced, while the protective abilities of certain accessories and armor are amplified (such as the Ribbon, which protects against all magic). The developers have removed the instant killing technique of an enemy called The Tricker. The final boss, Zeromus, has been redesigned as a sword-wielding, skull-crowned scorpion, and a new battle pattern has been created for the beast.[61]
A PlayStation re-release debuted in Japan on March 21, 1997. Ported by TOSE and published by Square Co., it was designed and directed by Kazuhiko Aoki, supervised by Fumiaki Fukaya, and produced by Akihiro Imai.[62] This version is identical to the original game, although minor tweaks introduced in the Easytype are present. The most notable changes in the PlayStation release are the inclusion of full motion video opening & ending sequences, the ability to move quickly in dungeons and towns by holding the Cancel button, and the option of performing a "memo" save anywhere on the world map.[62]
On March 11, 1999, this version was released a second time in Japan as part of the Final Fantasy Collection package, which also included the PlayStation versions of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI.[63] Fifty-thousand limited edition copies of the collection were also released and included a Final Fantasy-themed alarm clock.[64]
This version was later released with Chrono Trigger in North America as part of Final Fantasy Chronicles in 2001 and with Final Fantasy V in Europe and Australia as part of Final Fantasy Anthology in 2002. The English localizations feature a new translation, which addresses discrepancies between the original by Takashi Tokita and Final Fantasy II, although certain lines from the previous localization by Kaoru Moriyama - such as "You spoony bard!" - were kept, as they had become fan favorites.[65] The developers have also fixed certain bugs present in the Japanese version, including slow-down issues with music.
A remake for the WonderSwan Color was released in Japan on March 28, 2002. Character sprites and backgrounds have been graphically enhanced through heightened details and color shading.[66] These enhancements have since carried over to the Game Boy Advance port.[60]
Final Fantasy IV was ported a second time by TOSE and released as Final Fantasy IV Advance (ファイナルファンタジーIVアドバンス Fainaru Fantajī Fō Adobansu?). It was released in North America by Nintendo of America on December 12, 2005; in Japan by Square Enix on December 15, 2005; in Australia on February 23, 2006; and in Europe on June 2, 2006. The ESRB rated it E-10 (Everyone 10 and older) and the CERO designated it for all ages. In Japan, a special version was available which included a limited edition Game Boy Micro with a themed face plate featuring artwork of Cecil and Kain.[67]
The developers made several changes for this release. The enhanced graphics from the WonderSwan Color port have been even further improved, and minor changes have been made to the music. The port suffered from a number of bugs and technical issues. The localization team revised the English translation, improving the flow of the story, and certain plot details absent from the original have been restored.[60] The player can change characters among Edward, Yang, Porom, Palom, and Cid after defeating the Giant of Babel, although Cecil must be in the party at all times. Two new dungeons have been added: a new cave at Mt. Ordeals featuring powerful armor and stronger weapons for five additional characters, and the Lunar Ruins, accessible only at the end of the game.[60] New trials exist for each character at this location, reachable only after a particular character has defeated the final boss; for example, Cid's trial involves ferrying people around in an airship, and Rydia's trial involves fighting her own summons. The Lunar Ruins feature some of the best items in the game and another version of Zeromus to fight. This is his alternate scorpion form from the Easytype version, dubbed Zeromus EG. Also available for battle are a superboss named Brachioraidos and lunar versions of the summons, comparable to the dark aeons in Final Fantasy X.[68]
Up to three game saves are possible. In addition, a "quick save" function is available in which the player can save the game anywhere (except in battle or dialogue), but the saved data is lost if he/she continues from that save point. Completing the game unlocks a music player.
Final Fantasy IV (ファイナルファンタジーIV Fainaru Fantajī Fō?) is an enhanced 3D remake of the original Final Fantasy IV. The remake adds a number of features not present in the original, such as voice acting, minigames, and some changes to the basic gameplay. It was released for the Nintendo DS as part of the campaign for Final Fantasy series 20th anniversary. The game was developed by Matrix Software, the same team responsible for the Final Fantasy III remake, and was supervised by members of the original development team: Takashi Tokita served as executive producer and director, Tomoya Asano as producer and Hiroyuki Itō as battle designer. Animator Yoshinori Kanada storyboarded the new cut scenes.[69]
The game was released in Japan on December 20, 2007, in the US on July 22, 2008,[70] and was released in Europe on September 5, 2008.
In Japan, nearly 1.5 million copies of Final Fantasy IV's Super Famicom version were sold.[71] As of 2006, nearly 3 million copies of the game (including original and PlayStation re-releases) have been sold around the world.[72][73]
Major reviewers have called Final Fantasy IV one of the greatest video games of all time, noting that it popularized many common console role-playing game features.[74][75] Reviewers have praised the game for its graphics, gameplay and score.[74][60] Reviewers have noted that Final Fantasy IV was one of the first role-playing games to feature a complex, involving plot.[48][6][10] Nintendo Power proclaimed it set a "new standard of excellence" for role-playing games,[56] It would later place ninth and twenty-eighth in the "100 Greatest Nintendo Games" lists of issues 100 and 200, respectively.[76][77] In addition, the magazine GamePro rated it a perfect 5 out of 5 score in its March 1992 issue.[78] IGN currently ranks it as twenty-sixth on its list of greatest games of all time; it is the highest rated Final Fantasy title on the list.[79] Famitsu released a reader poll in 2006 ranking it as the sixth best game ever made.[80] However, the game's original release was heavily criticized for the poor quality of its English-language translation.[48][60]
Final Fantasy Collection sold over 400,000 copies in 1999, making it the 31st best selling release of that year in Japan.[81] Weekly Famitsu gave it a 54 out of 60 points, scored by a panel of six reviewers.[64] The Game Boy Advance version Final Fantasy IV Advance was met with praise from reviewers,[82] although a few noted the game's graphics do not hold up well to current games, especially when compared to Final Fantasy VI.[83][60] Reviewers noted that some fans may still nitpick certain errors in the new translation.[74]
Final Fantasy IV the After: Tsuki no Kikan (ファイナルファンタジーIV ジ・アフター -月の帰還- Fainaru Fantajī Fō Ji Afutā -Tsuki no Kikan-?) is the sequel to Final Fantasy IV, set seventeen years after the events detailed in the original. The first two chapters of the game were released in Japan in February 2008 for NTT DoCoMo FOMA 903i series phones, with a release for au WIN BREW series phones slated for Spring 2008. The game revolves around Ceodore, the son of Cecil and Rosa, and many of the original cast members will return, with some being featured in more prominent roles than before, among other new characters.[84][85] Recently, it was hinted that The After would be released outside of Japan. [86]
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