is a
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
and an
enhanced remake
A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software sh ...
of the 1991
SNES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
game, ''
Final Fantasy IV
known as ''Final Fantasy II'' for its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, it is the fourth main instal ...
'', also known as ''Final Fantasy II'' in North America for the SNES. It was released as part of the ''Final Fantasy'' series 20th anniversary celebrations on December 20, 2007 in Japan, on July 22, 2008 in North America, and on September 5, 2008 in Europe.
The game was developed by
Matrix Software
, commonly referred to as Matrix Software, is a Japanese video game development company located in Tokyo. Founded in July 1994 by former members of Climax Entertainment and Telenet Japan, the company has since created games for a number of syst ...
, the same team responsible for the
3D ''Final Fantasy III'' remake, and was supervised by members of the original development team:
Takashi Tokita
(born 24 January 1965) is a Japanese video game developer working for Square Enix. He has worked there since 1985, and has worked as the lead designer for ''Final Fantasy IV'' as well as the director of ''Parasite Eve'' and ''Chrono Trigger''.
...
served as
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
and director,
Tomoya Asano as producer, and
Hiroyuki Ito
, is a Japanese game producer, director and designer who works for Square Enix. He is known as the director of ''Final Fantasy VI'' (1994), ''Final Fantasy IX'' (2000) and ''Final Fantasy XII'' (2006) and as the creator of the Active Time Batt ...
as battle designer. Animator
Yoshinori Kanada
was an influential Japanese animator originally from Nara, Japan. He is best known for his popular 1984 work ''Birth'', one of the first (after Dallos) original video animations released in the market. Though he did not create many character des ...
wrote the new
cutscene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
s.
The game was well received by critics and fans alike; it was praised for being sufficiently faithful to the original while expanding on many gameplay and story elements.
[
The game was released for ]iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
on the App Store
An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...
in 2012, for Android in 2013 and for Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
in 2014.
Gameplay
''Final Fantasy IV'' retains the original Active Time Battle System
In video games and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based.
Real-time
Real-time games have game time progre ...
from the initial Super Nintendo
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
release. Similar to the previous remake of ''Final Fantasy III
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is the first numbered ''Final Fantasy'' game to feature the job-change system. The story revolve ...
'' on the Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
, the control of stylus
A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more precision w ...
is limited and optional in order to retain the same control input while allowing other players to use the Nintendo DS's unique touch control scheme. However, the remake features a new ability system known as the "Augment System", or the in the Japanese version. The system allows for certain character-only abilities to be transferred to other characters who did not have them in the original and previous re-releases of ''Final Fantasy IV''. Up to three abilities can be transferred to temporary party members. When leaving the party, temporary characters will yield abilities of their own, the number of which is dependent on how many abilities they were given. There are also other abilities; some scattered around the world, and some that become available after certain story events. This new system entails another new feature: command menu customization. All commands in a character's battle menu, except the "Items" command, can be replaced with augments. This includes individual abilities that are ordinarily contained in a group (e.g. "Curaga" can be added directly to Rosa
Rosa or De Rosa may refer to:
People
*Rosa (given name)
* Rosa (surname)
*Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose)
Places
*223 Rosa, an asteroid
*Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States
* Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, G ...
's command list, rather than only being accessible through the White Magic sub-list). The Augment System was devised to replace the system in ''Final Fantasy IV Advance
known as ''Final Fantasy II'' for its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, ...
'' where the characters that were temporary in the original version became playable again at a certain point, as the developers felt that this system changed the game too much.[
Other exclusive enhancements to the DS version of the game include Minigames. Unlike the main game, minigames are stylus-control only. Their function is to increase the power of ]Rydia
is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. She appears in ''Final Fantasy IV'' as one of its protagonists. She is able to summon entities, as can others from her village. She was created by Yoshitaka Amano. Her design in '' Final F ...
's personal Eidolon, , who takes her place in the battle line-up, and acts under computer control according to abilities assigned to him by the player. The minigames can be played in either single-player or wireless (not online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
) multiplayer modes. The game also features a New Game Plus
A New Game Plus, also New Game+ (NG+), is an unlockable video game mode available in some video games that allows the player to start a new game after they finish it at least once, where certain features in NG+ not normally available in a first ...
. This allows players to start a new game with certain enhancements, such as rare or secret items and equipment, carried over from a previously completed game. Certain other new features are only available in a New Game Plus, such as hidden bosses on the face of the moon and the summit of Mt. Ordeals. Because of the voice-acted scenes, Namingway cannot change any character's name as he did in the original game. After realizing this, he travels the world, changing his own name to fit each occupation he takes up. Examples of his name changes include "Mappingway" (charting the maps on the lower screen), "Campingway", and "Weddingway". Following Namingway around the world and engaging in his sidequest yields numerous rewards. With the removal of the limit on items that the player can carry, Fat Chocobo no longer stores items, and instead can be called on in order to access the new bestiary and the video and music player, as well as the Whyt minigames.
Plot
The original storyline of ''Final Fantasy IV'' is retained, and some of the previously missing script has been worked into the DS version in the form of flashbacks, including Golbez
''Final Fantasy IV'', a role-playing video game released by Square in 1991, revolves around Cecil Harvey, a knight of Baron who embarks on a quest to defeat Golbez, a man that is controlling the king of Baron. During Cecil's quest, he is join ...
becoming Zemus
''Final Fantasy IV'', a role-playing video game released by Square in 1991, revolves around Cecil Harvey, a knight of Baron who embarks on a quest to defeat Golbez, a man that is controlling the king of Baron. During Cecil's quest, he is joine ...
's pawn and the childhoods of Cecil
Cecil may refer to:
People with the name
* Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name)
* Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Canada
*Cecil, Alberta, ...
, Kain, and Rosa.
Development
The official developer blog (maintained by producer Tomoya Asano) has outlined several key features of the remake. As in the original, players can reform their party with whomever they choose as party leader. When the player enters the menu, the party leader will now appear on the bottom screen where the player can read their thoughts about what is happening in the story at that time (the development team suggests players check this feature often for humorous anecdotes).[
Other developer blog entries have focused on the art and programming of the game. According to the art director, Matrix tried to make each location of the game feel unique. For example, the desert kingdom of Damcyan has taken on a ]Middle-Eastern
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
flair, Fabul has been given a Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
feeling, and Eblan has been given the feeling of a Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
residence, which was not possible in the Super Famicom edition due to limited data capacity.[ The game displays more characters and enemies on screen during battle compared to ''Final Fantasy III'', which required the modeling team to reduce the number of ]polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
s per character. The main programmer also suggests that the game is much larger than ''Final Fantasy III'' from a data standpoint, and compressing all the data to fit on a 1Gb ROM was difficult, largely due to the voice data.
According to director Takashi Tokita, the scenario writer and lead game designer of the original release, three quarters of the original script had been left out of the original Super Famicom version.[ In a Q&A feature on the official Square Enix Members page, Tokita corrected this by saying that the original story script was never cut, but during the development of the original release, the game's text could not fit and had to be revised to a quarter of its intended size.][
]
Music
In June 2007, Square Enix held a casting for a vocalist to sing a rendition of ''Final Fantasy IV''s "Theme of Love" composed by Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Jo ...
. Megumi Ida was selected from approximately 800 applicants to perform the song[ The song was arranged by ]Kenichiro Fukui
is a Japanese video game composer and electronic musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He was also an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's " Kiss Me Good- ...
, with the lyrics penned by scenario writer Takashi Tokita.[ It only appears in the Japanese release of the game, over the ending credits - international versions cut the song in its entirety and replace it with a music track from the game itself.
]
Reception
As of July 9, 2008, the game has sold 612,044 copies in Japan.[ Worldwide it has sold 1.1 million copies.][
''Final Fantasy IV'' was well received by critics. It was a nominee for Best RPG on the Nintendo DS in ]IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's 2008 video game awards.
Writing for TechRadar
''TechRadar'' is an online publication owned by Future and focused on technology. It has editorial teams in the US, UK and Australia and provides news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2007 and expanded to the US in ...
, Christian de Looper and Emma Boyle called the remake one of the best Nintendo DS games and said it “cements FF4 in the memory books as one of the best RPGs ever.” Dorkly
CollegeHumor is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles. Aside from producing content for release on YouTube, it was also a former humor website owned by InterActiveCorp ( IAC) until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the websi ...
’s Tristan Cooper placed the game at #20 on a list of the best Nintendo DS games and said the remake made ''Final Fantasy IV'' feel even more epic. Lifewire
Lifewire is a technology information and advice website. The website's owner is Dotdash Meredith, originally About.com, which launched Lifewire in 2016 as one of its spin-off vertical sites.
As of April 2022, it had a global website ranking of 1 ...
’s Alex Williams called the game one of the best role-playing games on the Nintendo DS and highlighted the “complex, character-driven plot.”
See also
* List of Square Enix video game franchises
This is a list of video game franchises by Square Enix, a Japanese video game development and publishing company formed from the merger of Enix and Square on April 1, 2003. Square Enix acquired Taito in September 2005, which continues to publish ...
Notes
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Final Fantasy 04
Role-playing video games
Android (operating system) games
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy video games
IOS games
Nintendo DS games
Video game remakes
Japanese role-playing video games
Windows games
Matrix Software games
2007 video games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by Junya Nakano
Multiplayer and single-player video games
fr:Final Fantasy IV#Nintendo DS