A rare Final Fantasy direct sequel, The After Years follows the adventures of Cecil and Rosa's absurdly named son, Ceodore. Just like in IV, the second moon rises and a grand threat is launched against the elemental crystals that maintain the balance of the world. Yes, history is repeating itself and not just in-universe; much of The After Years is an iteration on IV in a damning and unsubtle way and winds up feeling like a weak imitation of its predecessor. Entire plot points, dungeons, and bosses are repeated with zero variation from IV, rendering a vast swathe of The After Years pointless.

I suppose the main draw is that we get to meet the old cast again? Most of them are still functionally identical to how they worked in IV, but our party is supplemented by the new kids, who are... well, they're basically often so close as to the regular lot as to be the same. The thing I liked about The After Years was its episodic chapters, a holdover from its original mobile release, but it's not worth the price of admission at all. I don't think The After Years is dreadful, but it's certainly pointless and that's as big a crime to some.