The 4 Heroes of Light is yet another addition to the Final Fantasy series. Does it live up to the name?

User Rating: 8 | Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden DS
If anyone out there is reading this review, you are more than likely a Final Fantasy fan or intrigued with this series of classic RPG's. If you are a Final Fantasy fan, then you might have pre-ordered this game. Well maybe that's just me; I ordered the game cause I am a die-hard fan of the series. So when I see the title Final Fantasy placed on a game, I expect to have some solid RPG action given to me. Let me get straight to the point, the 4 Heroes of Light is not a bad game. It's just not a great game. Sure I haven't played many hours of this game yet, but from what I have played, it depicts a long and extremely agitating journey through this game to reach the end. The combat system is very nice and I must say, it's a lot easier to figure out then previous Final Fantasy games. A downfall to the system is that you are not able to choose the target you wish to fight. So when you decide to use Magic against an enemy, nine times out of ten, you will kill the back targets. This can be hazardous when the enemy in the front is the one that is destroying your team.
Although this may seem like a pathetic complaint, the game itself is very unforgiving. It's easy to reach different locations around the world; it's not easy to survive long enough to find a save point. When you lose your party, you are forced to return to the last town you visited. Not a bad idea, except for when travelling long distances with no save point available. This proves to be extremely frustrating after having travelled for so long. The enemies are very challenging, sometimes too much which requires for some hardcore grinding. I'm only 5-6 hours into it and I have been forced to level up for about an hour or so. Hopefully this won't make it too boring for me after awhile.
The job class system does look very interesting and is definitely more involving as to what you want your party to be. The customization of weapons and of classes lets you become more involved with your party while creating a unique and diverse playthrough as well. All in all, happy with the customization.
The art direction and music is also a high point for the game. They take a break from the usual realistic type graphics and head for a more artistic sort of direction which looks very beautiful. The music also flows just great when compared to the scenery in the game. I am enjoying the music so far.
All in all, I have very mixed reactions about this game. It definitely is an engaging and thrilling game, but the massive difficulty curve and grind heavy levelling required might throw some people off. If you enjoy that sort of thing, check this game out. As mentioned, I have not played through all of the game yet, but from what I have played, I hope the game will eventually get better.