RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Reviews > Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy Chronicles)
Squaresoft made some modifications for the American re-release of this great game. First off, the version of Final Fantasy IV packaged in Final Fantasy Chronicles is the original version of the game , uncensored and more difficult than the previous American release. For example, some words and phrases were changed such as "Pray" and "Holy" being replaced with "Wish" and "White". Final Fantasy IV Hard Type also has some new items and skills such as the main character Cecil's new ability to attack all enemies at once. The last major change is the story. When the game came to America, Squaresoft had to rewrite a large part of the story to accommodate parts that were censored. For the re-release of the game, Squaresoft decided to take the original story of the Japanese Final Fantasy IV and make a pure translation.
The battle system is the same as in the Super Nintendo version. A maximum of five characters battle against monsters they encounter. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. Rosa the white mage has good defense against magic but poor defense against physical attacks. Also, each character has their own special abilities. A dragoon is able to jump and a black mage can use black magic but the reverse is not true. You can separate your characters into battle lines such that front row members make stronger attacks but in turn take more damage from enemy attacks while back row party members attack less powerfully and are hurt less by physical attacks. The player also has the choice between active mode (monsters attack at any time) and wait mode (monsters don't attack while selecting magic or items).
There are spells and summons to be learned in Final Fantasy IV. A magic spell is usually learned when characters that are able to use magic pass a certain level but some are learned from events in the game. The summoner, Rydia, starts off with a few summon spells which and learns the rest by defeating other summon monsters.
The game play is pretty good, very similar to that of the original Super Nintendo version. The only difference is that Squaresoft added the option of running in villages and dungeons. This is quite useful since before the characters could only walk which made moving slow and tedious.
Final Fantasy IV's soundtrack was composed by the man who did most of the other Final Fantasy games' soundtracks, Nobuo Uematsu and thus it is in a style similar to the other Final Fantasy games. The songs are well composed and are suited to the situations where they play (the love theme isn't used as the last boss' background music).
As far as originality, the game is a classic. It is a founding example of the RPG genre. Five characters walk around the world, go into villages to find information, buy weapons and armor, go into dungeons to find treasure, kill monsters and fulfill their mission.
The graphics are the same as the Super Nintendo version since Squaresoft didn't remake the in-game graphics. They did however create two movies, one at the beginning and one at the end, which are about the same quality as the movies in Final Fantasy VII, the first game in the series released on the PlayStation.
The game isn't irreproachable though. A few problems are apparent when playing the game. There is a one in four chance that the PlayStation doesn't recognize the game when it is inside the console. It also takes a long time to save the game onto the memory card. Squaresoft found a way to solve this problem by letting the player save to a small portion of memory on the PlayStation. This space isn't permanent though so when you turn off the PlayStation the data there is lost. There is a third problem where sometimes the music stops and another song starts for no reason before returning to the correct song.
Even with these problems, Final Fantasy IV is a classic that has returned like many other great names in gaming history. Even if this game takes only about 20 hours to finish and doesn't offer much replay value, it remains one of the best in Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series.
| Game Stats | |
|---|---|
| Genre | RPG |
| Platform | PlayStation |
| Format | CD-ROM |
| # of Players | 1 |
| Released Jap | N/A |
| Released US | 06.29.2001 |
| Released EU | N/A |
| Aprox. Length | 20-30 hrs. |
| Reviewer Rankings | |
| Battle System | 9.0 |
| Gameplay | 9.0 |
| Music | 9.0 |
| Originality | 8.0 |
| Plot | 9.0 |
| Replay Value | 6.0 |
| Sound | 8.0 |
| Visuals | 8.0 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Overall | |
| 8.3 | |
Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy Chronicles)
By: SquaresoftReviewed By: kaeru
At the end of 1991, Nintendo came out with its new game console the Super Nintendo. Shortly after, Squaresoft, a company well known for its RPGs and its famous game series Final Fantasy, released a second game from the series in America for the Super Nintendo. The game, known as "Final Fantasy IV Easy" in Japan (an easier version of the game with parts of it censored to make it accessible to both children and adults) was a great success at its release and quickly became one of the classic games for the Super Nintendo. In 1997, Squaresoft decided to re-release the game on Sony's PlayStation console after making modifications to the game (mainly adding movies at the beginning and end of the game). Because of bugs that appeared when it was re-released in Japan, Squaresoft chose not to export the game to the other side of the Pacific. However, public demand finally lead to an American re-release, available since July 2001 under the name "Final Fantasy Chronicles", a compilation of two of Squaresoft's great games, Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger.Squaresoft made some modifications for the American re-release of this great game. First off, the version of Final Fantasy IV packaged in Final Fantasy Chronicles is the original version of the game , uncensored and more difficult than the previous American release. For example, some words and phrases were changed such as "Pray" and "Holy" being replaced with "Wish" and "White". Final Fantasy IV Hard Type also has some new items and skills such as the main character Cecil's new ability to attack all enemies at once. The last major change is the story. When the game came to America, Squaresoft had to rewrite a large part of the story to accommodate parts that were censored. For the re-release of the game, Squaresoft decided to take the original story of the Japanese Final Fantasy IV and make a pure translation.
The battle system is the same as in the Super Nintendo version. A maximum of five characters battle against monsters they encounter. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. Rosa the white mage has good defense against magic but poor defense against physical attacks. Also, each character has their own special abilities. A dragoon is able to jump and a black mage can use black magic but the reverse is not true. You can separate your characters into battle lines such that front row members make stronger attacks but in turn take more damage from enemy attacks while back row party members attack less powerfully and are hurt less by physical attacks. The player also has the choice between active mode (monsters attack at any time) and wait mode (monsters don't attack while selecting magic or items).
There are spells and summons to be learned in Final Fantasy IV. A magic spell is usually learned when characters that are able to use magic pass a certain level but some are learned from events in the game. The summoner, Rydia, starts off with a few summon spells which and learns the rest by defeating other summon monsters.
The game play is pretty good, very similar to that of the original Super Nintendo version. The only difference is that Squaresoft added the option of running in villages and dungeons. This is quite useful since before the characters could only walk which made moving slow and tedious.
Final Fantasy IV's soundtrack was composed by the man who did most of the other Final Fantasy games' soundtracks, Nobuo Uematsu and thus it is in a style similar to the other Final Fantasy games. The songs are well composed and are suited to the situations where they play (the love theme isn't used as the last boss' background music).
As far as originality, the game is a classic. It is a founding example of the RPG genre. Five characters walk around the world, go into villages to find information, buy weapons and armor, go into dungeons to find treasure, kill monsters and fulfill their mission.
The graphics are the same as the Super Nintendo version since Squaresoft didn't remake the in-game graphics. They did however create two movies, one at the beginning and one at the end, which are about the same quality as the movies in Final Fantasy VII, the first game in the series released on the PlayStation.
The game isn't irreproachable though. A few problems are apparent when playing the game. There is a one in four chance that the PlayStation doesn't recognize the game when it is inside the console. It also takes a long time to save the game onto the memory card. Squaresoft found a way to solve this problem by letting the player save to a small portion of memory on the PlayStation. This space isn't permanent though so when you turn off the PlayStation the data there is lost. There is a third problem where sometimes the music stops and another song starts for no reason before returning to the correct song.
Even with these problems, Final Fantasy IV is a classic that has returned like many other great names in gaming history. Even if this game takes only about 20 hours to finish and doesn't offer much replay value, it remains one of the best in Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series.
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