One of the greatest JRPG's of all time FF4 pixel remaster may not be the definitive way to the play the game but the games story and characters are still among some of the best in the series.
Dark Knights are cooler
Kain cool
this game has a pretty good GBA port (and a weird DS remake where FuSoYa's stats go DOWN on a level up! but we'll talk about that LATER) and so this version of the game isnt SUPER necessary? it cuts out the developer's room in the dwarven castle which is mondo sad, and also doesnt have the optional stuff at the end of the game (including choosing your party for the final dungeon)... furthermore, and this is both a good and bad thing, this version is markedly easier than the others. the XP requirements for leveling up are less so just by playing the game you level up faster. this was probably due to the fact that you can run diagonally now, meaning you'll get less random encounters. still, it felt a bit too much. bosses i remember struggling against once upon a time didnt mean dick to me here. this includes Lugae and his frankenstein freak, i think Golbez in the dwarven castle, and uh, zeromus? still it was nice to play it again! FF4 pisses me off bc of the low accuracy mages have and that part in the story where you have three fucking wizards with you. also dark knight cecil needed a longer duration in the story!!!
conclusion? kain in the after years is sexy BEFORE he gets paladinised. play FF6 instead
conclusion? kain in the after years is sexy BEFORE he gets paladinised. play FF6 instead
My favorite game, but probably the worst version I've played. It's not bad by any means, but despite some nice QoL adjustments, there are some things about it that I find lacking or annoying.
Regarding QoL adjustments -- I love only needing one arrow to use a bow. I also appreciate that the Trap Door monsters in the Sealed Cave have enough of a delay on them now that you can respond to their targeting.
Strangely, the design for the same areas as usual ended up a little weird at times, with the areas that should normally scroll from off-screen not doing so until you reached them in larger rooms. This might not sound like a big deal, but it's really awkward in smaller rooms with hidden secrets. The house in Mist is a good example of this, with the room above the front room not actually visible because of a secret off to the right via an entrance through the fireplace. The end result is that you have to move far enough north to see something that should be visible without any effort, while a blank area is the point of fixation in the room. It's extra strange because the map doesn't display this well either in some scenarios, as if they were trying to eliminate the scrolling aspect of the map and cut borders of the map a little too short.
The inconsistency with hidden walls is also weird, as FF3 had highlighted areas whenever you walked into a hidden passage to show your pathing. Unlike the vanilla version of FF4 that obscures passages completely or gives them a slight dark-blue tint (depending on your version), this one elects to display the paths in tile form when you're on them inside buildings and other structures that aren't considered dungeons, while paths in the towns themselves or dungeons are completely clear and indiscernible while traversing them. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just another weird inconsistency that doesn't make a lot of sense.
Finally, I am inclined to agree with people that aren't fond of the pixel art -- this version didn't really feel like an improvement to me, other than glossing up of cutscenes, which wasn't pixel art as much as just use of modern effects and design to elicit something you couldn't get from a regular 16-bit experience at the time.
The game is still grand, I had a fun time in spite of these little things that nagged at me, but I'd rather play any other version again. And I will.
Regarding QoL adjustments -- I love only needing one arrow to use a bow. I also appreciate that the Trap Door monsters in the Sealed Cave have enough of a delay on them now that you can respond to their targeting.
Strangely, the design for the same areas as usual ended up a little weird at times, with the areas that should normally scroll from off-screen not doing so until you reached them in larger rooms. This might not sound like a big deal, but it's really awkward in smaller rooms with hidden secrets. The house in Mist is a good example of this, with the room above the front room not actually visible because of a secret off to the right via an entrance through the fireplace. The end result is that you have to move far enough north to see something that should be visible without any effort, while a blank area is the point of fixation in the room. It's extra strange because the map doesn't display this well either in some scenarios, as if they were trying to eliminate the scrolling aspect of the map and cut borders of the map a little too short.
The inconsistency with hidden walls is also weird, as FF3 had highlighted areas whenever you walked into a hidden passage to show your pathing. Unlike the vanilla version of FF4 that obscures passages completely or gives them a slight dark-blue tint (depending on your version), this one elects to display the paths in tile form when you're on them inside buildings and other structures that aren't considered dungeons, while paths in the towns themselves or dungeons are completely clear and indiscernible while traversing them. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just another weird inconsistency that doesn't make a lot of sense.
Finally, I am inclined to agree with people that aren't fond of the pixel art -- this version didn't really feel like an improvement to me, other than glossing up of cutscenes, which wasn't pixel art as much as just use of modern effects and design to elicit something you couldn't get from a regular 16-bit experience at the time.
The game is still grand, I had a fun time in spite of these little things that nagged at me, but I'd rather play any other version again. And I will.
Honestly I mainly played it to get the references while playing Endwalker. it's pretty good and the story is great.
the pixel remaster music is an absolute BANGER!!
the pixel remaster music is an absolute BANGER!!
Beaten: Jan 22 2022
Time: 12 Hours
Platform: Mac
Final Fantasy IV is just so cool. It takes everything cool from 2 and 3 and pushes it all further, mixing it with new ideas like ATB and tying character development to job classes and just really stretching its legs on the new hardware generation. Not that I played the original version mind you, this was the Pixel Remaster. Well, first I started the GBA version (and actually got very close to the end), but ended up taking a break from that and decided to restart with the remaster (mostly for that sweet sweet OST). Aside from the OST change, the remaster is definitely a bit easier, but it’s also much less janky feeling and actually bugged than the GBA version. Both versions definitely have their merits. Now as far as the core game itself goes, I’m not sure I could find anything wrong with it if I tried. It doesn’t have the cinematic grandeur of later FFs, but it doesn’t feel like it’s really missing? Instead, like I said above, this feels like an expanded take on what the Sakaguchi had accomplished with the NES FF games. Specifically it feels like an attempt to take what 3 did, with it’s (multi) world-spanning adventure, character classes with distinct abilities, exploration-focused back half, and just really cool lore, but bring back the grounded and focused storytelling from 2. What resulted is hard to describe as anything other than a masterpiece.
Final Fantasy IV’s characters are all deeply characterized, mature people, dealing with their situations in pretty relatable ways. They want to serve their countries, love their families, and live the lives they’ve set out in front of themselves. Cecil is a Dark Knight sure, and he seems to be proud of his position in his nation’s military, but he also chose that role for its vertical potential. It’s a career to him, a way to earn a living. He’s got a life, a loving girlfriend, and even all of that doesn’t prevent him from getting caught up in the myriad deceptions that make up the game’s plot.
All of the characters are like this. They’re normal people (in this world, at least), fighting for the ones they love. Sure they want to save the world, but they’re saving it for the people they know, the people they knew. The whole front half of the game is about pulling these people out of their lives and into this grand design. You watch an army take what it wants by military might alone and you’re powerless in its wake.
But you’re not locked into this powerlessness. Eventually the grounded, dour first half gives way to exploring the edges of the map, flying around in your airship to your heart’s content, trying to stay at least a little bit ahead of the big bad. It’s still not happy, but it’s hopeful, and it’s where the game really opens up. Even as it’s doing this though, it never loses sight of the story, and never leaves you floundering when it doesn’t want you to. It’s a game with a strong sense of the player’s state of mind, and it always knows how to get you to feel the way it wants you to.
Now, the newest thing here is probably ATB, which if you’re not aware, is kinda Final Fantasy’s defining battle system. It’s the series’ longest running mechanic for sure, at least. (6 games!!). Basically, rather than a normal turn based system, everybody’s turn is on a timer. That timer can be manipulated, whether by speeding it up, slowing it down, stopping it, whatever you want to do (provided you have the MP) to get yourself going faster than your enemies. You can also just wait, let the time pass, to get past an enemy’s prickly phase (like a boss who readies a counter move). It’s a cool idea, but not one I’ve ever fallen in love with. I’m much more of a fan of the system in games like Lost Odyssey and FFX, which get the variety of turn order from ATB but make it less about getting your menu selection up to speed. Still though, the games with ATB in them are balanced around it, and this one is no exception.
The last thing I wanna say about FFIV is that wow, this is the 3rd or 4th Final Fantasy game I’ve played that just kind of is Star Wars. Now, maybe less of this one is Star Wars than 2 or 12, but it outpaces 6 on that front. What’s interesting here though is that rather than a straight homage to SW, it feels more like a remix? For example, there’s at least three characters I could call versions of Darth Vader, and I Love Them All. It feels like Sakaguchi melting Star Wars around themes of his own creation, and I think what came out has a pretty unique flavor to it.
FFIV feels like the first one where Sakaguchi got something out that fully encapsulated his hopes for the series. This is the backbone all the others are built upon, even as much as it’s built upon it’s own forebears. What’s here is nothing short of solid gold, and I’m glad I gave it such a good shot. Also, I’d say it’s super reasonable to finish this game in under 20 hours even if you’re taking your time much more than I tend to, which is NUTS for an SNES JRPG. PLAYITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Time: 12 Hours
Platform: Mac
Final Fantasy IV is just so cool. It takes everything cool from 2 and 3 and pushes it all further, mixing it with new ideas like ATB and tying character development to job classes and just really stretching its legs on the new hardware generation. Not that I played the original version mind you, this was the Pixel Remaster. Well, first I started the GBA version (and actually got very close to the end), but ended up taking a break from that and decided to restart with the remaster (mostly for that sweet sweet OST). Aside from the OST change, the remaster is definitely a bit easier, but it’s also much less janky feeling and actually bugged than the GBA version. Both versions definitely have their merits. Now as far as the core game itself goes, I’m not sure I could find anything wrong with it if I tried. It doesn’t have the cinematic grandeur of later FFs, but it doesn’t feel like it’s really missing? Instead, like I said above, this feels like an expanded take on what the Sakaguchi had accomplished with the NES FF games. Specifically it feels like an attempt to take what 3 did, with it’s (multi) world-spanning adventure, character classes with distinct abilities, exploration-focused back half, and just really cool lore, but bring back the grounded and focused storytelling from 2. What resulted is hard to describe as anything other than a masterpiece.
Final Fantasy IV’s characters are all deeply characterized, mature people, dealing with their situations in pretty relatable ways. They want to serve their countries, love their families, and live the lives they’ve set out in front of themselves. Cecil is a Dark Knight sure, and he seems to be proud of his position in his nation’s military, but he also chose that role for its vertical potential. It’s a career to him, a way to earn a living. He’s got a life, a loving girlfriend, and even all of that doesn’t prevent him from getting caught up in the myriad deceptions that make up the game’s plot.
All of the characters are like this. They’re normal people (in this world, at least), fighting for the ones they love. Sure they want to save the world, but they’re saving it for the people they know, the people they knew. The whole front half of the game is about pulling these people out of their lives and into this grand design. You watch an army take what it wants by military might alone and you’re powerless in its wake.
But you’re not locked into this powerlessness. Eventually the grounded, dour first half gives way to exploring the edges of the map, flying around in your airship to your heart’s content, trying to stay at least a little bit ahead of the big bad. It’s still not happy, but it’s hopeful, and it’s where the game really opens up. Even as it’s doing this though, it never loses sight of the story, and never leaves you floundering when it doesn’t want you to. It’s a game with a strong sense of the player’s state of mind, and it always knows how to get you to feel the way it wants you to.
Now, the newest thing here is probably ATB, which if you’re not aware, is kinda Final Fantasy’s defining battle system. It’s the series’ longest running mechanic for sure, at least. (6 games!!). Basically, rather than a normal turn based system, everybody’s turn is on a timer. That timer can be manipulated, whether by speeding it up, slowing it down, stopping it, whatever you want to do (provided you have the MP) to get yourself going faster than your enemies. You can also just wait, let the time pass, to get past an enemy’s prickly phase (like a boss who readies a counter move). It’s a cool idea, but not one I’ve ever fallen in love with. I’m much more of a fan of the system in games like Lost Odyssey and FFX, which get the variety of turn order from ATB but make it less about getting your menu selection up to speed. Still though, the games with ATB in them are balanced around it, and this one is no exception.
The last thing I wanna say about FFIV is that wow, this is the 3rd or 4th Final Fantasy game I’ve played that just kind of is Star Wars. Now, maybe less of this one is Star Wars than 2 or 12, but it outpaces 6 on that front. What’s interesting here though is that rather than a straight homage to SW, it feels more like a remix? For example, there’s at least three characters I could call versions of Darth Vader, and I Love Them All. It feels like Sakaguchi melting Star Wars around themes of his own creation, and I think what came out has a pretty unique flavor to it.
FFIV feels like the first one where Sakaguchi got something out that fully encapsulated his hopes for the series. This is the backbone all the others are built upon, even as much as it’s built upon it’s own forebears. What’s here is nothing short of solid gold, and I’m glad I gave it such a good shot. Also, I’d say it’s super reasonable to finish this game in under 20 hours even if you’re taking your time much more than I tend to, which is NUTS for an SNES JRPG. PLAYITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Decent choice if you like jrpgs. Story can get a bit stupid and has some dumb anime shit but the gameplay was a lot of fun minus the few times I needed to google where to go next and it was pretty interesting seeing what jrpgs were like on the snes. Get the pixel text mod as well.
FYI/Disclaimer: Played on the steamdeck, with no issues whatsoever, I think you have to manually invoke the on-screen keyboard while naming Cecil, but it ran fine, with no crashes, no slowdown, and having the ability to play FF4 in my bed was great. Hoping that all Pixel Remasters will get ported to NS, PS4/ and X1/XSS/XSX.
FF4 huh.
It was fine. A bit better than 3, also different than 3 in many aspects.
An attempt at making a more character-prominent game compared to FF3, with the cast being somewhat more involved in the occurring happenings than before. Story-wise it closely follows FF3's beats. It has more story points than 3, and characters in FF4 have some backstory and motivations, they aren't blank cards like the ones in FF3, but still wouldn't call them terribly complex.
I found the game to have weird difficulty fluctuations while being pretty easy overall. I mean that in the beginning, you have to be more deliberate and thoughtful with your decisions, when the game throws at you some comps that have regular mobs that are melee- or magic- resistant mixed with other mobs, but then in the middle of the game this has stopped occurring, and I was able to start auto-attacking almost everything that wasn't a boss or oddly composed monster-in-a-box.
Bosses usually required paying at least some attention, which was cool.
The free-form 'pick-a-job' system got ditched in favor of characters with predetermined jobs/classes, and it's been done because it's easier to balance the game and make the story go in parallel with the characters. No hard feelings here. The 'pick-a-job' system is cooler from the gameplay pov and offers more involvement, but I see why the change has been been made. Not a fan of frequent changes made to the party composition tho, but every time I got my bearings and was done figuring out how that certain character could/would fit into the party, the game would take a 90-degree turn and change them for the story reasons.
The coolest thing about having easy access to the first 6 games in the Final Fantasy series via the pixel remasters is that you can go back, and see how the series would change over the years, and simply because of that, I find them to be worth playing.
I'm looking forward to FFV, as that one's going to be a replay, it's been some years since then, tho
FF4 huh.
It was fine. A bit better than 3, also different than 3 in many aspects.
An attempt at making a more character-prominent game compared to FF3, with the cast being somewhat more involved in the occurring happenings than before. Story-wise it closely follows FF3's beats. It has more story points than 3, and characters in FF4 have some backstory and motivations, they aren't blank cards like the ones in FF3, but still wouldn't call them terribly complex.
I found the game to have weird difficulty fluctuations while being pretty easy overall. I mean that in the beginning, you have to be more deliberate and thoughtful with your decisions, when the game throws at you some comps that have regular mobs that are melee- or magic- resistant mixed with other mobs, but then in the middle of the game this has stopped occurring, and I was able to start auto-attacking almost everything that wasn't a boss or oddly composed monster-in-a-box.
Bosses usually required paying at least some attention, which was cool.
The free-form 'pick-a-job' system got ditched in favor of characters with predetermined jobs/classes, and it's been done because it's easier to balance the game and make the story go in parallel with the characters. No hard feelings here. The 'pick-a-job' system is cooler from the gameplay pov and offers more involvement, but I see why the change has been been made. Not a fan of frequent changes made to the party composition tho, but every time I got my bearings and was done figuring out how that certain character could/would fit into the party, the game would take a 90-degree turn and change them for the story reasons.
The coolest thing about having easy access to the first 6 games in the Final Fantasy series via the pixel remasters is that you can go back, and see how the series would change over the years, and simply because of that, I find them to be worth playing.
I'm looking forward to FFV, as that one's going to be a replay, it's been some years since then, tho
Folks, it's FF4. I played the DS version first, and I still prefer that version. However, for 2D purists, the sprite work and music here is great.
I've always found FF4 to be the weakest of the SNES Final Fantasy titles. Square hadn't quite figured out how to translate a good story to the jRPG medium, and there's really nothing in the way of character customization or mechanical complexity. All that aside, it's certainly not a bad game, but not one I'd be enthusiastic about recommending.
I've always found FF4 to be the weakest of the SNES Final Fantasy titles. Square hadn't quite figured out how to translate a good story to the jRPG medium, and there's really nothing in the way of character customization or mechanical complexity. All that aside, it's certainly not a bad game, but not one I'd be enthusiastic about recommending.
This is THE final fantasy.
(Pixel remasters are great)
(Pixel remasters are great)
a collection of really cool moments, five party members rules. wish the final boss wasnt so stinky
pretty goooooooood
I played this game solely from my desire to play through every mainline Final Fantasy game. Given the amount of people that state this is their favorite Final Fantasy, I am disappointed that I did not enjoy it that much. I feel like the music and job system were better in FFIII. The ATB bar is cool, but not "new to me" but I get that it would have been revolutionary at the time. I do enjoy that there is some semblance of a story with each character having a class/job tied to them, but it just didn't sink it's hooks into me. I also completed the old 3D version also released on PC with the After Years "expansion" of the game, but I really have no interest in visiting it.
This review contains spoilers
characters dont die, i'm a pussy
Still holds up.
Great soundtrack and decent gameplay
Pros:
- a classic game with possible the biggest influence on the series as a whole
- lovingly recreated in this remastered version with great soundtrack and visual quality
- a detailed map and autosave function
- introduction and perfect implementation of the Active Time Battle system
- rich, huge overworld with a distinctly modern feel
- satisfactory, smooth difficulty curve
- short dungeons and a manageable encounter rate
- some of the best characters story arcs in the series to far...
Cons:
-... and some truly annoying and useless ones (looking at you, magic twins)
- the plot is not developed to its actual conclusion and leaves some threads dangling
- surprise attacks are common and drag down the pacing
- some action commands are practically useless (Steal, Pray...)
- the infamous hunt for summoning items with ridiculously low encounter chances
- limited, repetitive soundtrack with the weakest battle theme of the series thus far
- a short and underwhelming final fight
Magic Moment: Rydias character development and surprise appearance at a dramatic moment of the story.
Verdict: This is a true classic. A Final Fantasy game that influenced the series for years to come and showed the world what the future of JRPG would feel like. This particular version makes it easily accessible and is presented wonderfully.
Highly recommended.
- a classic game with possible the biggest influence on the series as a whole
- lovingly recreated in this remastered version with great soundtrack and visual quality
- a detailed map and autosave function
- introduction and perfect implementation of the Active Time Battle system
- rich, huge overworld with a distinctly modern feel
- satisfactory, smooth difficulty curve
- short dungeons and a manageable encounter rate
- some of the best characters story arcs in the series to far...
Cons:
-... and some truly annoying and useless ones (looking at you, magic twins)
- the plot is not developed to its actual conclusion and leaves some threads dangling
- surprise attacks are common and drag down the pacing
- some action commands are practically useless (Steal, Pray...)
- the infamous hunt for summoning items with ridiculously low encounter chances
- limited, repetitive soundtrack with the weakest battle theme of the series thus far
- a short and underwhelming final fight
Magic Moment: Rydias character development and surprise appearance at a dramatic moment of the story.
Verdict: This is a true classic. A Final Fantasy game that influenced the series for years to come and showed the world what the future of JRPG would feel like. This particular version makes it easily accessible and is presented wonderfully.
Highly recommended.
My first ever Final Fantasy that I’ve played start to finish, and what a solid start!
I really enjoyed this game. The cast of characters grew on me a lot over the course of the game, and by the end I was a big fan of (almost) all of them. The music was gorgeous, and the combat + runtime didn’t overstay it’s welcome.
I did feel like the game was a bit rushed—to my knowledge this was the first FF game where they tried to focus on more of a fleshed out plot, but that didn’t stop it from feeling a bit all over the place.
All in all though, I’m glad I decided to start my FF journey with FF4 PR, and I’m eager to jump into FF5 next!
I really enjoyed this game. The cast of characters grew on me a lot over the course of the game, and by the end I was a big fan of (almost) all of them. The music was gorgeous, and the combat + runtime didn’t overstay it’s welcome.
I did feel like the game was a bit rushed—to my knowledge this was the first FF game where they tried to focus on more of a fleshed out plot, but that didn’t stop it from feeling a bit all over the place.
All in all though, I’m glad I decided to start my FF journey with FF4 PR, and I’m eager to jump into FF5 next!
Another game in the Pixel Remaster series down! FF4 has been remade (again for the... fourth or fifth time?) to ape its original SNES look but with some modern touches and I am replaying it for the first time in over a decade since its previous remake for the Nintendo DS. I only got about halfway through the game in that last one since it was DAMN tough and I don't think I ever made much headway in the original (not owning a SNES) so this is my first real attempt at the game and I've no particular nostalgia for it. In fact I wasn't even going to GET this version of the game but got so hyped for FFV coming out soon that I just couldn't help myself and bought it!
Good
-The music, duh!
-Characters actually...
Bad
-Melodramatic at times
Meh
-Combat was fine?
Good
-The music, duh!
-Characters actually...
Bad
-Melodramatic at times
Meh
-Combat was fine?
Improvement over 3 especially in QoL and writing, but the last act kind of falls apart with a very unnecessarily drawn out dungeon (there's literally a room with no chests, and enemies that do single digit number damage in endgame which is also kind of long in itself to walk through), bleh final boss, questionable writing decisions, but it's still a pretty good game.
Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster
Personalmente mi FF favorito, aunque soy totalmente consciente que no es tan bueno, cuando lo jugué me pareció una obra maestra.
El pixel no cambia mucho a la de PSP, pero me gusta más la versión de PSP.
(8/10)
Voy con retraso del #1Month1FF
Personalmente mi FF favorito, aunque soy totalmente consciente que no es tan bueno, cuando lo jugué me pareció una obra maestra.
El pixel no cambia mucho a la de PSP, pero me gusta más la versión de PSP.
(8/10)
Voy con retraso del #1Month1FF
The increased story focus is appreciated, although it's not as developed as a more modern RPG's would be. Gameplay wise the characters have more going on than their FF3 job system equivalents, although the frequency with which the game both gives and takes away party members can be a little annoying.
Just like FF3 was a much better version of FF1 that seemed to not have learned much from FF2, FF4 is a much better version of FF2 that seems to not have learned much from FF3.
This is the first Final Fantasy to just have a decent story with no caveats. It’s not some masterpiece of storytelling, but it’s a pretty good story and it even has some really cool intersections of story and gameplay, especially the Mount Ordeals section. The Mount Ordeals section and Cecil’s character development in general is by far my favourite part about the storytelling.
My least favourite part about the storytelling are some of the female characters. There are exceptions (Rydia is pretty good and Yang is also pretty bad) but overall, the female characters don’t really get to talk or do much. Porom gets to be the voice of reason to the much more interesting Palom, Rosa gets to say “Cecil…” a billion times, Yang’s wife gets to be Yang’s wife, and I am not sure if there are any other female characters that appear more than once. Oh right, there’s Barbariccia but uhhhh yeah
There’s also a gameplay-related story issue. Up until now, Final Fantasy protagonists have been kids and teens, so it made sense that they were weak. Kain and Cecil, two of the highest-ranking soldiers in Baron’s army being as weak as they were at the start of the game was a bit weird.
Speaking of the gameplay, this game made some pretty radical changes to the combat. The ATB system was overall very fun but when you have all 5 party members (take notes modern games, you can have more than 4 party members) it can get a bit stressful.
There’s also not as much variety as in FF3 due to each party member being forced into a job and not having much/any build variety within those jobs. The fact that black magic is near-useless again doesn’t help and neither does so many party members leaving before you properly get used to them.
Just like the game itself, I saved the worst for last. The last dungeon is awful. It’s not quite as bad as Crystal Towers/World of Darkness, but it’s close. It’s a massive spike in difficulty. Before I started it, I blasted through Odin and Bahamut so quickly that I was worried the rest of the game might be a bit too easy. I wish it had been.
At some point I was considering if I should stop opening chests because Behemoth is a pretty rough fight and it was becoming a bit of a drain on my resources. When Behemoth started becoming a random encounter, I couldn’t believe it. And then eventually there is a double Behemoth random encounter. One big issue with this difficulty is that Rosa, as your only healer, just doesn’t get to do non-healing things anymore.
I ended up being slightly too weak for the final boss and probably could have beaten him with some grinding but at this point I was very tired of this game, out of ether, and also streaming the game for my partners and I didn’t want to bore them so we just ended up watching the ending on Youtube.
Despite the last dungeon souring the experience a lot for me (especially because as of writing this the last dungeon was only a few hours ago) and despite the other issues I mentioned, this game is super decent. An important step in the history of Final Fantasy and maybe even video games in general and absolutely worth your time if you want to check it out.
Oh and of course the music is amazing though I can’t hear the boss theme without thinking about this
This is the first Final Fantasy to just have a decent story with no caveats. It’s not some masterpiece of storytelling, but it’s a pretty good story and it even has some really cool intersections of story and gameplay, especially the Mount Ordeals section. The Mount Ordeals section and Cecil’s character development in general is by far my favourite part about the storytelling.
My least favourite part about the storytelling are some of the female characters. There are exceptions (Rydia is pretty good and Yang is also pretty bad) but overall, the female characters don’t really get to talk or do much. Porom gets to be the voice of reason to the much more interesting Palom, Rosa gets to say “Cecil…” a billion times, Yang’s wife gets to be Yang’s wife, and I am not sure if there are any other female characters that appear more than once. Oh right, there’s Barbariccia but uhhhh yeah
There’s also a gameplay-related story issue. Up until now, Final Fantasy protagonists have been kids and teens, so it made sense that they were weak. Kain and Cecil, two of the highest-ranking soldiers in Baron’s army being as weak as they were at the start of the game was a bit weird.
Speaking of the gameplay, this game made some pretty radical changes to the combat. The ATB system was overall very fun but when you have all 5 party members (take notes modern games, you can have more than 4 party members) it can get a bit stressful.
There’s also not as much variety as in FF3 due to each party member being forced into a job and not having much/any build variety within those jobs. The fact that black magic is near-useless again doesn’t help and neither does so many party members leaving before you properly get used to them.
Just like the game itself, I saved the worst for last. The last dungeon is awful. It’s not quite as bad as Crystal Towers/World of Darkness, but it’s close. It’s a massive spike in difficulty. Before I started it, I blasted through Odin and Bahamut so quickly that I was worried the rest of the game might be a bit too easy. I wish it had been.
At some point I was considering if I should stop opening chests because Behemoth is a pretty rough fight and it was becoming a bit of a drain on my resources. When Behemoth started becoming a random encounter, I couldn’t believe it. And then eventually there is a double Behemoth random encounter. One big issue with this difficulty is that Rosa, as your only healer, just doesn’t get to do non-healing things anymore.
I ended up being slightly too weak for the final boss and probably could have beaten him with some grinding but at this point I was very tired of this game, out of ether, and also streaming the game for my partners and I didn’t want to bore them so we just ended up watching the ending on Youtube.
Despite the last dungeon souring the experience a lot for me (especially because as of writing this the last dungeon was only a few hours ago) and despite the other issues I mentioned, this game is super decent. An important step in the history of Final Fantasy and maybe even video games in general and absolutely worth your time if you want to check it out.
Oh and of course the music is amazing though I can’t hear the boss theme without thinking about this
Wow. What a game.
I'm too young to have ever had a chance to play the original SNES version, so I picked this up instead. And let me just say, this is by far the most engaging and incredible Final Fantasy I've played up until this point; the other ones I played were pretty lackluster in comparison.
This game, despite its simple plot and minor issues, was a fun playthrough throughout. I'll never forget it. This game has single-handedly gotten me into RPGs and the Final Fantasy series.
I'm too young to have ever had a chance to play the original SNES version, so I picked this up instead. And let me just say, this is by far the most engaging and incredible Final Fantasy I've played up until this point; the other ones I played were pretty lackluster in comparison.
This game, despite its simple plot and minor issues, was a fun playthrough throughout. I'll never forget it. This game has single-handedly gotten me into RPGs and the Final Fantasy series.
Riveting story, not so riverting gameplay
a tale about the catastrophic repercussions of the italian space program; blowing their budget on a cool gundam robot instead of a rocket ship, forcing them to wage war on hell to recoup their losses. somehow, they were successful
This is the first truly great final fantasy. It's got an amazing story featuring incredible characters one of the best battle systems in JRPG history and an incredible map splattered with fun environments. One of the greatest games ever made.
This game is way easier and shorter than I remember it being. As with the other Pixel Remasters, the music remixes are immaculate and Uematsu is still the GOAT. Also, Kain is a loser cuck incel and a disgrace to the Highwind name.
The best part of the game is when the characters do the spinny jumpy twists