Current Events > I'm really enjoying Final Fantasy 4 so far (marked spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

I started playing it on the weekend. Playing the GBA one, and I'm hoping that the PSP one has the After Years unlocked from the beginning. That, or that the Steam version goes on sale.

I'm up to The Underground. Cid has taken the airship topside to reinforce the armour, we've fought Golbez for the seventh Dark Crystal, and Rydia has come back to save the day.

I have a thing about RPGs where I want my entire cast as close to being the same level as possible. That's why I like Final Fantasy 5 and 10 - it probably folds into me being a control freak or something, but I want an optimised party with everyone at the same level, blasting at the highest capacity they can. I resurrect dead party members and heal them before the end of fights, I don't like when parties are split up etc. That's one reason why I've had such a hard time cracking into FF6, despite how beloved it is.

Final Fantasy 4 has a heavily rotating cast, and enjoying the game on the merit of its story as well as balancing the need to grind with its old-school sensibilities has given me a different flavour than I'm used to with RPGs. My current party is pretty well-balanced despite all the chopping and changing, and I've honestly really bought into the story.

So far, my favorite moments have been the entire gameplay segment of Cecil washing up on-site and becoming a Paladin, Tellah using Meteor on Golbez, Cecil gaining Rydia's trust before she falls overboard, Edward helping the party weaken the Dark Elf and Rydia coming back to save the day against Golbez in the Underground. For the most part, I've really enjoyed all of the story beats. I'm invested in the characters and I have like an involved narration happening in my mind, I'm just really enjoying myself.

It's showing its age, but I think it's well-structured from point A to point B. Like gameplay-wise, 5 blows it out of the water. I would also bet that later games really expand in the story department as well. 7, 9 and 10 have good stories, but I'm not sure right now the exact ways they take it over the top in a way that 4's story doesn't - I'll know when the game's over. Weakest link so far is how sparse the weapons and armor are.

The most interesting aspect of the world so far is the Land of Summons, imo. Rydia emerging from the realm as a woman/older teenager is kind of a captivating plot detail, she's spent years training her magic and becoming a summoner but for Cecil and co it's been like three weeks. Rydia's entrance is easily an 8/10 story moment for me.

Next up is the Tower of Babylon, and I hear that somewhere along the way there's a wall boss who's gonna beat my ass. Anyone got some grinding tips, or some advice on getting better gear? I already did the Eplan Castle or whatever before I went underground, and I got some fire mail for Kain as well as the Blood Lance. Team is averaging level 25.

Rtdia is still underage wtf

Final Fantasy 4 is what sparked my love for RPGs. It's my favorite game of all time. I own virtually every single Western release, and I've beaten it multiple times on each version. Know that the GBA version is the weakest version released. I highly recommend playing the Steam version, or the Complete Edition on PSP.

Don't sleep on the 3D version, either. It's the same game, but plays so fundamentally different that it's a welcome breath of fresh air.

Rydia rejoining the party after the dwarf Castle segment blew my mind for the hype it caused. Going from the sinister Golbez theme to the Four Elementals theme was so fucking boss. Such an epic moment.

DB_Insider posted...

Rtdia is still underage wtf

So she's a teenager, got it. She literally walked in from offscreen having aged up, and that's all I know.

Alucard188 posted...

Final Fantasy 4 is what sparked my love for RPGs. It's my favorite game of all time. I own virtually every single Western release, and I've beaten it multiple times on each version. Know that the GBA version is the weakest version released. I highly recommend playing the Steam version, or the Complete Edition on PSP.

Yeah, I've been getting the double move glitch a lot on this version. I don't mind so much because it's in my favour, fuck it, but I can see how the game might be a bit flawed.

And while this is my first playthrough, I did look up which versions of the game there are to decide which one to play. The PSP one seems like one of the best, though I don't have it at the moment. If anything, the American release from the 90's seems like the worst with its fucked up prices and other additions to make it easier.

Alucard188 posted...

Final Fantasy 4 is what sparked my love for RPGs. It's my favorite game of all time. I own virtually every single Western release, and I've beaten it multiple times on each version. Know that the GBA version is the weakest version released. I highly recommend playing the Steam version, or the Complete Edition on PSP.

Agree that if you like it you should check out the 3D version, I think it's mobile app stores still.

If you get the PSP version don't feel obligated to check out The After Years. Unless you're a super die hard fan of the game it's not great. Which I am, and Is till think it's meh. But it's fun once.

Just about the same for me but it isn't my favorite of all time. It's maybe number two or three. I love FF4.

I mean I liked The Answer from Persona 3 well enough. I'll probably enjoy the After Years.

Yeah, IV is in my top 5 FFs. Something about the pacing just feels perfect to me. It has that simple and charming structure like older 8-bit RPGs or Dragon Quest, but also still fresh with none of the mazelike dungeons or aggressive grinding, and how fleshed out the story is for a game of that era. Everything just feels tight.

Hayame_Zero posted...

Yeah, IV is in my top 5 FFs. Something about the pacing just feels perfect to me. It has that simple and charming structure like older 8-bit RPGs or Dragon Quest, but also still fresh with none of the mazelike dungeons or aggressive grinding, and how fleshed out the story is for a game of that era. Everything just feels tight.

This speaks to me because I actually played the first two Dragon Quests last year. I really enjoyed them on their own merits.

Honestly, FF4 feels less gamey to me than those ones. It's a good story and I'm liking the bosses and stuff, but the grinding/looting feels a bit stiff and lacking. I did sack an abandoned castle and got some flame gear, so that was cool, but... idk. Honestly I think I just prefer 5 on a gameplay front, 4 is okay and has a good story but 5 really cracked this nut wide open.

FFV has the better gameplay, but FFIV beats it everywhere else.

So I'm out of the Underground.

The thing about FF4 being so old is that I've run into plenty of spoilers about it over the years. Sometimes it's in videos, like when I'd watch a lot of WatchMojo with my friend, other times it's because the statute of spoiler limitations is deemed to be up. Because of that, I know some parts of the game ahead of time - like how Yang and Cid aren't really dead, and make it through to the After Years.

And let me tell you, I'm really fucking looking forward to how the game explains how Yang survived being in an exploding control room, and how Cid - who was blown up ON SCREEN WITH A MASSIVE BOMB - survived being blown apart like that.

Anyway, I'm doing the Eblan Cave now, and my party is almost at level 30. The Underground was a great place to grind XP.