Final Fantasy 4 - Review

Review Breakdown
Battle System	4
Interaction	4
Originality	3
Story	5
Music & Sound	5
Visuals	3
Challenge	Almost Impossible in the PS1 remake
Completion Time	20-50
Overall
Fond Memories

First off the storyline is clichéd just the right amount so we have that relaxed feeling but just the right amount so we don't hate it. You follow the path of Cecil a Dark night and leader of the red wings trying to stop the mighty kingdom of Baron from collecting the crystals. Even at the very tip of the iceberg this game already has more emotions than in FF6. The plot itself is a master peice and the way everything flows is wonderful. On your first go through if you don't feel emotions for the fallen party members in the plot then you shouldn't even read any more. In this game you don't know what is going to happen next and the plot twists are abundant and critical till the end. Nobody will ever see the plot twists coming, and if you do you need to spend more time leveling up since you probably had only a few hours. You are always are in a dazed and confused attitude in this game and you really don't know anything that will happen.

The battle system is the simplest it can ever be in any RPG. It is just that you gain skills by leveling up, no complex job trees, or huge element charts just a simple no-brainer. the level of hardness is incredible to say the least.. Also how much you explore and level up is how much involved you will be in the plot. If you don't train a lot and you are treating this game like an adventure game you can finish it in 20 hours without getting any of the plot and no emotions. But if you spend a little more time to get everything and explore the world at every point in the game you will be enlightened with so much emotions and plot it will not pare up with any other game on the market. This may seem unreasonable and out of the way but really it isn't because there aren't many secrets and the exploring of the map is pretty much just a few hours as well. If you don't care for this you will be ruining a masterpiece. This games greatness is based upon if you feel for the characters or not, if you do this game will be a masterpiece, if not you need to train more. This game strives on individualism and a simple style. Even with all these simple stuff the new battles are hard and interesting. Most of the random encounters later in the game have a lot of secrets to them and you really have to dig deep to crack their armor in the right place. Some of the enemies are practically immune to magic while others have devastating counters to magic attacks and lesser ones on physical attacks. This game is always challenging and every single enemy has a chance to kill you if you crack the armor the wrong way. What I mean when I say crack the armor I mean hit the enemy with certain attacks. The random encounters hardness is constant always high but the boss battles are ether extremely impossible or extremely easy. On the last area you need to level up almost at least 10 levels to stand a chance against anyone but most of the battles are won by wits alone and can be won at any reasonable level. The hardness isn't just levels and it isn't just your Rpgamer knowledge, it is a combination of the two in the greatest way like a cake this one is just perfect. I think what K. ito said in the producers room was the best way of explaining the battle system "Good luck finishing."

The normal RPG is a pyramid; at the bottom there is the music and the characters holding everything up. The characters are lovable and are each super human in one way and human in another. The characters have different personalities and backgrounds than any one else. When reading the manual you see so many but in realty you can only use 5 and you only will have 5 characters at a time anywhere on the world. What I'm trying to say is that there is no way to switch someone out of your party since you will only have one party throughout the game. This bit of information may be classified as a spoiler but it moves the plot and it is what gives it that tick. It is so lovable, unpredictable, powerful and honorable how the characters of Final Fantasy 4 rise and fall.

FF4's RPG sense of mind is the greatest thing about this masterpiece. Many decision in the game is based on your inferring to what to do next and you should be able to do it since too should be the character. After leveling up so long and so tirelessly you would have to be able to make these decisions. If you get stuck on what to do next just try to think "What would Cecil do?" and you will most likely get it. Also many of the feelings of the character are not there but your supposed to feel that way inside your mind aren't you? Anyone who says the killing off of a character is just to get another character doesn't know how to truly play an RPG. It is true though that every time a player dies another one comes in but your not supposed to see that if you are already mourning for another character. If you play it like it is a Old-age game with 16-bit graphics you will weave through this sense but if you play it with the respect it deservers than you will fell all the tension of the characters and emotions about death. For many the plot is moving to fast and you just need a minute to find out what everyone is doing but if combined right these two create the characters you know and love and are when you are playing this masterpiece. The combined simple design and the reckless plot ads up to you throwing yourself into the massive river that is FF4.

Every FF4 review isn't complete without this.

The Music is incredible and one of Nobou's best works. When you play an RPG and get into a fight of any kind the battle music has to make you believe you are in a life or death situation and move you to play even better, this game does exactly that. But during the field you need to feel as if you are at the place yourself and the music in this epic does the job. In a ninja village you feel clandestine, and merciless, when you are in a monk village you feel as if knowledge poured into you as you fell respect and honor. But also at the same time the battle music must have a familiar sense as it is in real life anywhere you are also done well in this game. Also the music must be hard and heart pounding but keeping a good classical style and regular tempo (again) this game accomplished that very well. This is obviously one of Nobou Uematsu's greatest works.

Lastly the ending will blow your mind over and over and over. The last boss is so high powered that it gives you a huge joy once you beat it over and over again. The whole ending is a perfect way to wrap up a complete game. The Game also incorporates a lot of humor into it and it really breaks the mood lets you start back again with a fresh mind and a relaxed feel. A simple bonk on the head is pure comedy to an Rpgamer who has just beaten one of the hardest bosses he/she has ever seen. Also when a simple bonk in the head is played in the old style graphics it is hilarious. Maybe it is just the seriousness of the old genre or the simple delusion after such a hard game but its something. The only flaw this game has is that after finding the weak spot in enemies the battles becomes formulamatic especially during training. All of the Characters, plot, storyline, game play, hardness, and battle system are all almost perfect and this is truly the greatest RPG cut down to its basic goodness. Only accomplished Old-age Rpgamers shall Exit this wonderful game in style and with their minds blasted open enough to here the prelude 3 times in a row.