Final Fantasy IV (1991)

Final Fantasy 4 is in, my opinion, the single greatest Final Fantasy game ever. This game blew me away when I was fortunate enough to play it 8 years ago, and to this day, it still ceases to amaze me. Whether you play the water-downed American version, or J2E's FF4 Hardtype translation, you're in for one hell of a game.

STORYLINE:

First time I played this I thought the storyline was the best ever. However, after playing through FF2j, I find that this is not true, and in fact, its story resembles a lot like FF2j! This said, the story still is really well done. A power hungry empire (as most empires are in Final Fantasy games heh) by the name of Baron is on a mad quest to cease the Four Crystals of the Elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water (the same four crystals on FF1, FF2, FF3, FF5, FF Mystic Quest, and maybe even FF9!). The guilt-stricken leader of the Red Wings (Baron's fleet of airships) questions his Kings actions as to why...and the story builds from there.
- Overall 85% -

GAMEPLAY:

The best feature of this game is the gameplay. Unlike the later Final Fantasies, each character has specific uses: Rydia, Rosa, and FuSoYa, for example, are magic-users to the bone. You won't see any of these people 'opening a can of whoop-ass' for all you wrestling fanatics when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, but when they learn their powerful magic, they will become an important element of your fighting force (as well as the strongest). All you badies head for the hill. And then there are characters such as Cecil, Kain, and Yang, which are your mighty warriors. These guys can really dish it out and take a lot of damage in return, unlike the magic-users of the game. And then there is Edge...poor Edge...he excels at neither. He can't hit like Cecil or Kain, and he can't cast magic like Rydia or FuSoYa. However, he is unusually well rounded for the game! He gets a few decent-to-good magic spells, a few decent-to-good weapons/armors, and the best non-magical attack in the game: Dart. This variety of characters makes for exciting gameplay. Everyone has their rules (and Edge was two! magic-user to an extent AND fighter to an extent). This is really neat as it makes for a more balanced party.
- Overall 100% -

GRAPHICS:

Heh. Speak of the devil...The graphics in this game resemble those of the Nintendo Final Fantasies. Nothing too fancy, but decent. They have definitely improved since the days of Nintendo. That's without a doubt. Although they can't compare to the graphics of the other SNES FF games, Final Fantasy 5 and 6. But hey, the game is like 8 years old for Pete's sake. The spells amazed me when I was nine or ten (when I first played it); they're still kinda nice today. The graphics were good for it's time, and I am rating them as if it were still '92 or '93. So back then, these graphics were above average (as most Square games are, keep it up-just try to focus on other things besides graphics in your newer Final Fantasies).
- Overall 90% -

MUSIC:

Hey!...this music is pretty catchy! That's what you'll tell yourself as you wander aimlessly from town-to-town or dungeon-to-dungeon. I like this music, even still today. It's upbeat at times, and it's slow and sad at times. It really helps strengthen the mode or tone of the story (which any good game's music should do as it adds to the overall feel). The Final Fantasy series is almost legendary for it's music - no arguments here - and FF4 is no exception.
- Overall 95% -

REPLAY VALUE:

I've without a doubt played through this game more than any other Square game (except for maybe Chrono Trigger, as you can play through it in 20 minutes and beat it, heh). I find myself playing through it more than FF7 and FF8 combined (that's not hard, I played through each game once) and I still rather play through it for the hundred-billionth time than FF7/8 a second time. Yes, it's that good.
- Overall 100% -

(It's the only game I can come back again and again)

OVERALL:

I can sum this up it a word (sorta): indescribable. That's all I have to say about that.
- Overall 99% -

Be sure to check out our complete list of other Final Fantasy Reviews.

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