Is it worthwhile to return to the original version after playing the superior GBA and DS remakes?
Platform: Wii Virtual Console
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Fantasy Role Playing Game
Age Rating: 7+
Release Date: JP August 4th 2009, NA March 8th 2010, EU June 11th 2010
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Game Score: 6.0/10
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Summery:
Is it worthwhile to return to the original version after playing the superior GBA and DS remakes?
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Looking back the the North American releases you may notice that those games weren't released in Europe before on the Super Nintendo until it was ported onto the PlayStation One and upwards. If your wish back then was to play Final Fantasy IV back then on the SNES as a kid in Europe then perhaps your wish has come true with it's release on the Virtual Console for 800 Wii Points. It may be one of the acclaimed Super Nintendo classics of it's time but with the PlayStation, GBA and DS remakes around it only asks the question. Is it worthwhile to return to the original version after playing the superior GBA and DS remakes? Read on to find out.
Final Fantasy IV follows the storyline of the Dark Knight Cecil, Former Commander of the Red Wings in which returns back to Baron Castle after raiding a defenseless village of their Crystal. Cecil questions his orders only for him to be stripped of his Rank and then sent on another task which results in a peaceful Village's destruction. He embarks on a Quest to find out about the corruption of his Kingdom and put a stop to an evil menace known as Golbez. The storyline of Final Fantasy IV was epic and compelling of it's time showing plenty of the scenes Dramatic moments. The only thing you'd want to know about this release if you've played any of the remakes is the translation. In this release however the games Translation is weak because of the spotty English work, with quirky lines like "You Spoony Bard" which can ruin parts of the story but that quote becomes a Fan-Favorite. Cecil comes into contact with many of the excellent characters shuck as the Mighty Dragoon Kain, Karate Master Yang, the Lost Summoner Rydia and the White Wizard Rosa.
Unless you played the Original English Version then played the remakes then you'll notice that the game went through plenty of changes for it's American release. This includes the strippers and the attack commands for some of the characters, ones like Cecil's Darkness attack and Rosa's Pray ability for reasons. Final Fantasy IV takes the player around an over-world map where you fight a group of monsters, stop by at a friendly area to heal up, Buy Items and Equipment to keep you going or to watch sequences which most of the time gives you clues to your next objective. In each Dungeon you'll follow a simple to follow but along the way you'll find some treasure that's either out in the open or inside hidden passageways. When you enter the fields or in the Dungeons be prepared to deal with the Extremely High Encounter Ratings in-which they'll appear frequently and that becomes a pain when sometimes it takes at least 5 steps just to enter another battle. This version of the game has a few side quests but doesn't include any of the Side Dungeons from the remakes which you'll be disappointed but this is the original version which at it's downloadable price still makes the adventure worth reliving again and again for at least 20 to 30 hours.
As already explained you'll be doing plenty of fighting against monsters due to the high encounter ratings it helps for the amount of necessary grinding needed to advance through the game. Final Fantasy IV focuses on turn based combat using it's 1991 innovation called the Active Time Battle system where you take up to 5 different party members into battle. You can edit their formation as you please With this system your enemies don't wait, they carry on attacking till you input commands to your allies to either Attack, use an item or use a magic spell to either heal your allies and boost their stats temporally or to damage multiple enemies. This release sticks to the old school formula of the ATB System meaning that you have one system to work with and you'll have to input commands quickly to avoid taking too much damage for your party. After all these years the battle system can still remain challenging to whatever kind of RPG player you are regardless of experience alongside Boss Battles.
Final Fantasy IV's production values on the Super Nintendo made a big change in terms of Graphics and Sound. The Details like a Cave shaded with Clouds of Mist, Battle backgrounds where each Character stands and Monster/Character designs showcased that the game could not be done on the 8-Bit Nintendo. The games music tracks where the best of it's time with signs of either dramatic, emotional or upbeat and they are still impressive even to this day.
Final Fantasy IV on the Super Nintendo is indeed one of the critically acclaimed titles of it's day but the only problem now is that with the PlayStation, GBA and DS releases it's difficult to recommend another purchase if you have any of those versions. To anyone else who wanted to play the Original Version can play it for 800 Wii points or 900 Wii points to gamers in Europe since the Original Version was not in the European regions before.
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The Pros:
1. Excellent Characters and compelling storyline for it's time
2. Easy to pick up ATB Battle System
3. Impressive Music score
The Bads:
1. Weak Translation
2. Plenty of Edits of the games English release
3. Extreme encounter ratings
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (BlaZer91)
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