Final Fantasy IV officially DS-bound

MAKUHARI--Square Enix is reviving yet another classic Final Fantasy title on the Nintendo DS. Today at the Square Enix Party 2007, the company revealed that it is currently developing a remake of its 1991 SFC/SNES game, Final Fantasy IV.

Similar to the DS version of Final Fantasy III released last year, FFIV DS will be a total overhaul of the original, featuring full 3D graphics, redesigned characters and monsters, and new dramatic cutscenes. Aside from its graphics, FFIV for the DS is said to feature many new elements, including an "evolved" version of its active battle system.

FFIV is being developed by the same staff that brought FFIII back to life on the DS. Takashi Tokita is executive producer and director, Tomoya Asano is producer, Hiroyuki Ito is battle director, Yoshinori Kaneda is storyboard chief, and MATRIX is working on development.

In a statement, Tokita and Asano said they are working hard to bring more detail and depth to the game's storyline. To do so, one of the things they've done is to redesign the characters with a taller physique than in the original SNES game.

While many remakes lose the original's authenticity, Asano is confident that it won't happen with FFVI because the original SNES developers are working together with them. Tokita should know, since he was one of the developers that worked on the original as well.

Square Enix didn't announce any release date for FFIV DS at the Square Enix Party. Although attendees were treated to an impressive full-CG trailer with lifelike characters, it didn't feature any in-game footage. GameSpot will have more information on Final Fantasy IV as it becomes available in the future.