An engaging narrative that puts the warriors of the earth against a threat from the stars. Cecil, a Dark Knight of the King Baron and captain of the Red wings, that follows the orders of the king blindly even if this costs innocent lives, which divide him between the duty and the mercy. Cecil ends up unraveling the king who removes Cecil from his position as captain and sends him to the village of Mist, where his quest for redemption and revenge begins.
It joins several characters to this narrative, Rose to White Mage and beloved of Cecil, Kain the Dragon that fights with its own loyalty, Rydia the Summoner with a tragic past among others. Try to look like a rather generic narrative, inside it lies an exciting story that spans the world.
Exploration is simple and good. The map by taking a update graphically makes navigation in the vast world very simple, the Dungeons are located at the foot of their local villages facilitating the identification of their destinations. Most dungeons have clever labyrinths and some secret paths to be found, as well as some treasures. There are not many puzzles or interactive elements, but poisonous marshes and other obstacles can keep things interesting.
Each dungeon has its difficulty, even if the difficulty of the game itself is not high, but always in attention if some of the teammates are level too low may be the player’s disgrace.
One of the things I loved about this title was being able to attack enemies at a full speed thanks to the active time battle system. Even though it is a turn-based combat, the time continues to flow as the player passes between the characters of the team giving commands of what to do increasing the intensity. Of the 5 characters allowed in the party all of them have their class specific abilities, there is no customization of the skills, only unlock them by level up. The automatic system on battles is another positive point on this title, it increases considerably the elevation of the characters when it comes for explored Dungeons. The various strategies that can be used against Bosses is exciting because in one we use eidolons while in other spells like Flot (used against earthquakes).
Interlude is an interesting epilogue that brings together the main cast for an exciting ceremony, and tells tips for upcoming events, preparing the player for The After Years.
17 years of peace have passed, when a mysterious girl with a conceivable power begins to chain eidolons without further explanation.
The various chapters allow the player to express the calamity of all his favorite characters in 10 different scenarios. The various individual stories interline with each other filling in the gaps and explaining the mysteries of Final Fantasy IV.
The various characters that the player already knows, will make him feel more the dynamism and personality of them. New allies will also be in the limelight, giving the player a taste of Cecil’s story in his son’s vision.
After Years Works similarly to FFIV, using the same battle mechanic, adding two new tactics like the moon that will affect battles (whether normal foes or against bosses) by weakening or increasing attacks and spells depending on face and join attacks in which first the player will have to discover the combination during the combat, unlock new skills (some of them quite useful in bosses battles) with the party characters.
In my opinion the downside in After Years is reuse of the same Dungeons and Bosses. Which even makes sense since the game takes place in the same world as FFIV, being able to at least review the same Dungeons four times. But fortunately these trips have passed quickly because the player will already know what to do.
The new dungeons and bosses that intensify the end, it will be worth going through the dungeons again to reach them.
I loved the presentation of both games on PSP. The two openings (CG) of each use the same classic visual style which is not without its impressive.
Upgrading the look of the spiret and monsters is also a good thing to note, not forgetting the effects of spells, the haze of caves that contribute to a frightening and cold environment.
The soundtrack combines well with the various moments of action, love, loss among others. Even the combat sounds are decent.
This collection has extensive gameplay and extra content. More than 20 hours for FFIV including optional Dungeon and Secondary missions imported from the GBA version and over 30 hours for The After Years with several dungeons offering good bosses with valuable items that can be loaded in the last chapter against the last Boss. Not forgetting that there will be other dozens of bosses there are waiting for the player to challenge them.
This package surely satisfies all the desires of a player in love with the genre.
Final Fantasy IV
Yep
Pros
- Story
- Several characters to know
- New look
- Good battle system
- Very content Extras (Fiend book, play list, dungeons, secondary missions)
Cons
- Random Battles
- Repetitive