#game-review #finishedgame2025 # Final Fantasy IV ![]() [Console:: SNES] [Status:: Beaten] [Approximate Start Date:: 2024-12-23] [Finish Date:: 2025-05-21] [Clear Time:: 30h 23m] [Total Play Time:: 30g 23m] [nReplays:: 0] ## [Rating:: 73] # Playthrough Notes - Playing on the Mister, been meaning to start this one for a long time. - Directed by [[Takashi Tokita]] - died at zeromus, really not interested in replaying that final hour of the game tbh. # My Thoughts - Scarmiglione looks like an old potato - Apparently Baigan was supposed to be a difficult boss? I did not have much trouble with him or Cagnazzo - Golbez is just Darth Vader levels of evil - I'm a big fan of this game's pacing. There's a very streamlined feeling for the most part. - The only time I was worried I was going the wrong way was returning from Mt. Ordeals. - Yeah the pacing in this one's really solid. There's always pretty obvious start and stop points which make for this game feeling almost episodic at times. - RIP the twins - Character death as a means of shaking up the party dynamics and gameplay. - Don't get attached to your party. - Grinding isn't the worst, but I definitely feel like it's pertinent, especially when I get a new party member like Cid. - Gotta remember to buy the appropriate gear and weapons for new characters too since it seeeeeeeems like I lose all of the equipment that I put on party members when they leave the parry - This might be why all of the equipment is really simple (for everyone but Cecil), you don't feel as bad about losing it when you do lose it. - Much like [[Dragon Quest V - Hand of the Heavenly Bride|Dragon Quest V]], I feel as though MP is a very SPECIFIC resource. I cannot be willy-nilly with it - Tellah out of MP is as useful as we might expect - There's not an immediately easy way to recover MP. - I gotta have a LOt of healing items on hand (tents, Potions, etc.). Luckily they're *pretty* cheap? - Post reuniting with Rydia, I'm less concerned with MP, but with longer dungeons like the Return to the Tower of Babil, I still have to be careful. IT helps that I have both Cecil and Rosa as healers. - That said, I should be using MP to heal before I use my items since I can use items to recover MP, making MP a more renewable source. - haha the chocobo village is shaped like a chocobo - I bought the pass and went to the court of kings LOL. That's a pretty good use of 10000 Gil - Sold it later for uh money - The Tower of Babil has TWO save points, that's how you know it's a big deal. - multiple speakers in a text box is a pet peeve. - I like the Sylph CAve music a lot - 5/4 Takepod mix - The CPU Boss is a little bit of a "you're going to have to guess" boss. I didn't really care for it. - I think that they were still figuring out how to do bosses with multiple different "pods" - But you DO see this a lot in later Final Fantasy games and then also [[Chrono Trigger]] (The Future Sentry Guardian Boss). ## Lunar Subterrane is VERY DEFINTIELY the Final Dungeon - This final dungeon is long as BALLS compared to everything else. The closest comparison was the Underworld Tower of Babil,, - But I straight up went through the dungeon for 75 minutes between the entrance and the first save point. This shit's LONG - The final dungeon theme is the Red Wings theme but with a scary interlude! - I got very tired of this theme because of the "BWAH" sound through it all - I'm taking a bit of a break from this just to get myself "geared up" to do the last little bit of the dungeon. - I really gotta gird my loins and just finish this one. ## Everything is So Dramatic, so Pulpy! - there are so many characters who sacrifice themselves! - This is done to service the gameplay, so that there's not a static party, but come on guys, there's gotta be a better way than this, right? - So pulpy! so full of twists! No scene can end without at least one twist. - So Cecil is a Lunerian, and his father sacrificed himself so that the evil lunerian Zomus didn't assume control of a robot that would destroy earth? - Oh and Golbez is his brother. - This is ridiculous lol - Very Star Wars - Cecil and Rosa smooch sprite :] ### Cecil is the Only True Party Constant - After his rejection of the darkness, as I understand Cecil, he will be in the party for the entire time. - Because of all the twists of removing party members and adding party members, I think the only safe way to operate is assuming that Cecil is the only party member that will be there throughout. - This is why I give all the HP boosting items to Cecil. I can't give them to other party members in good faith since it's possible they might leave the party at an arbitrary time. - How do I even trust the game? I guess that's why good equipment is kind of rare. Party members come and go on a whim. ### Game Elements as Drama and Stage Blocking #### Character Sprites - In 1991, they were not doing this as often as they do now. Final Fantasy 4's sprites are so expressive just with the ways that characters move on screen. You can tell even in the first hour of the game how certain movements of sprites tells a story - Cecil facing away from Rosa as she speaks to him is so small, but it says so much. - You can tell Cecil is conflicted when we faces the King in literally the first ten minutes of the game. - Cecil and Rosa smooch sprite :] #### Battles - When Cecil has to fight the General and the Soldiers in the Naipo (?) Inn with Rydia, and the general runs away after all the soldiers are killed, we can see how that would work in a stageplay setting. It's clear that the story is being told through the actions of an RPG's mechanics. - Hey [[Dragon Quest V - Hand of the Heavenly Bride|Dragon Quest V]] does this too, but much more subtly - battle showing tellahs anger at Edward - Battle with edward learning to be atrong for anna with the battle encounter you defeat in 3 turns with edward sing into 3 attacks. He dodged on the last turn for me tight before i gave the killing blow. That's so good. It's a cutscene but it's a battle where the player feels WAY more engaged. - darkness is a self destructive crutch. Its hard not to rely on darkness in fights even if it is damaging to cecil. - When Cecil fights the Dark Knight version of himself to become a Paladin, this is just a giant theatrical Star Wars Episode 5 type thing. - It's Cecil's soliloquy!! - Demonstrating Edge being weak to Rubicante # Favorite Moments / Memories - Cecil in the reflecting cave rejecting his inner darkness. - The way that they use the battles as stages for cutscenes... so good. # What were you doing when not playing this? - # Relevant Links - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588330-final-fantasy-iv/faqs/12766