For many,Final Fantasy 4was where theFinal Fantasyseries started. Kids around the world were excited to go on a globetrotting fantasy adventure in the pixilated world ofFF4orFinal Fantasy 2. The franchise has grown a lot since then, but a lot of the core tenants of a group of people going on an adventure to save the world still remain. Many things that were introduced in the first six entries have become staples of the series, and withFinal Fantasy 4coming after three of them, it introduced those staples to many.
Final Fantasyis a lot different now than it was originally. The jump to 3D went extremely smoothly for the mainline games, withFinal Fantasy 7smoothing things over by using sprites that look like 3D models for the overworld and models for battles.Final Fantasy’s gameplay kept changingentry after entry, with each iteration trying to maintain the same experimental spirit that classicFFhad when it jumped fromFinal Fantasy 1to2. However, thanks to remastering efforts, the old games are still around for people who want to catch up on them, andFinal Fantasy 4now offers a unique experience because of its relative simplicity.
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Final Fantasy 4’s Story is Simple
Released in 1991 for the SNES,Final Fantasy 4tells the story of the Dark Knight Cecil Harvey. He and his best friends gradually realize that dark forces are disturbing the peace in their world, and build up their strength to go face them. It’s a very simple story, but one that hides a lot of surprising wrinkles.Final Fantasy 4juggles a surprisingly large cast of playable characters, constantly cycling them in and out of a five-man party. It’s a step up from the falsified fifthparty member slot in the JapaneseFinal Fantasy 3, though the experience designing the cutscene-like interventions of guest party members may have helpedFF4build its own mid-battle cutscenes.
While the main plot may sound simple, its characters drive the plot with their, again, simple yet strong storylines. Cecil and his friend Kain realized too late that they are participating in acts of mass murder in the name of their formerly good king. Cecil spends roughly the first quarter of the game trying to redeem himself from this. He ends up meeting and helping a mixture of new and old acquaintances, and in doing so finds his way to a trial that lets him become a Paladin. Narratively and mechanically reinvented,Cecil leads his party through thick and thin. No one else has quite the same narrative arc that Cecil does, but considering that he’s framed as the protagonist, that’s not a bad thing. Revelations of his true backstory continue up until the end game, and he builds relationships with other characters in the meanwhile.Final Fantasy 4is a testament to the fact that a good story can be told in few words with minimal flair.
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The Gameplay of Final Fantasy 4 Revolves Around The Basics
The mechanical change from Dark Knight to Paladin Cecil is just a sample of whatFinal Fantasy 4’s battle system has in store. Every character is distinct, drawing on the job system fromFinal Fantasy 3while refusing to allow players to deviate from a character’s given job. Compared to both future and past games,Final Fantasy 4’s job system seems inflexible, but the game makes it work.
The game’s designers always knew what party the player would have whenever they tackled a given challenge. This allows them to ensure that the player always has a well-rounded team with diverse strengths and weaknesses. In some ways, it took more design consideration than the freeform scenarios thatlater systems likeFF7’s Materiapresented.
Aside from that,Final Fantasy 4is the quintessential JRPG. A team of characters sets out into the world, traversing a world map and dungeons along with the occasional town. The various systems and ideas present in past entries have been refined by the time ofFF4, meaning that even if the journey doesn’t deviate much from its initial formula, it won’t need to. Map design has improved, items and magic both remain useful throughout the game, and enemies behave in recognizable ways that incorporate visual changes in boss fights.Final Fantasy 4 may seem quaintby today’s standards, but it did push the JRPG genre forward back in the day, and its merits still hold true.
Final Fantasy 4 Makes A Great Entry Point For The Series
While the game is still a fun entry, some fans believe thatFinal Fantasy 4doesn’t have a lot of value compared to other entries in the franchise.Final Fantasy 5stepped up the gameplayin a big way with useful job options and even more creatively designed bosses, whileFinal Fantasy 6combinedFF4’s preset character classes with a Magicite system that eventually gave way toFF7’s Materia. The DS remake ofFinal Fantasy 4may be a better experience than the original, considering that it not only adds voice acting but also steps up the difficulty. Series veterans may want to seek out that version for a more fulfilling experience.
However, for newcomers and those who wish to see the series’ roots without going back to the archaic original trilogy,Final Fantasy 4should be a good time. It establishesFinal Fantasy’s base aesthetic and works in variousFinal Fantasyelements like Chocobos, crystals, Cid, and airships in a fairly natural way. The player will get to see takes on several ofFinal Fantasy’s oldest jobs, and the knowledge they gain from that will serve them in most otherFFgames with similar classes.
Few will say thatFinal Fantasy 4is their favorite entry in the series, but its strengths are quickly evident. Besides, there aren’t many new places to get classicFinal Fantasy’s Active Time Battle system and turn-based JRPG gameplay.Final Fantasy 4is a simple game, but from a certain point of view, that might be the best reason to play it.
Final Fantasy 4 Pixel Remasteris available now for Mobile and PC.
