Final Fantasy downloadable goodness strikes again, this time in the form of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. This is not another new title it’s actually a sequel to the ever popular Final Fantasy IV or FFII on the SNES.
In case you’re unaware, in Final Fantasy IV players take on the role of Cecil, a Dark Knight from the kingdom of Baron, on his journey to save the world from the evil Golbez. Struggling to prevent Golbez from acquiring powerful Crystals, Cecil learns of his heritage and travels through three realms to battle Golbez's minions. His lover, best friend, and other warriors join him for the adventure. Released on the DS not too long ago this is another great FF to add to the list.
Hit the jump to learn more about it.
The story of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years of takes place many years after the original and centers on a young man named Ceodore, son of the paladin Cecil and the white mage Rosa, who, along with their loyal and steadfast friends, once saved the world from evil born of the second moon. Now, monsters are reappearing in a world that had finally attained peace. The second moon has returned anew. What tidings does this ominous harbinger bring? Familiar faces and new allies join the battle to save the Blue Planet once more. This is the meat of the story in part one, while having multiple other story lines through the form of character DLC which is being released in the future along with a final DLC which wraps all of them up together.
Speaking of the moon, it actually plays a big role in the gameplay, Moon Phase function. Not only is time kept through the phases of the moon, but it also affects your physical and magic abilities. You need to pay attention to what conditions are occurring. This adds another level of intuitive gameplay to the mix. Also new to the game comes in the form of the Bands attack. If you ever played Chrono Trigger this will be familiar to you. Bands attacks are basically attacks done by multiple characters. Mix and combine different attacks and battle commands to come up with new combos.
Unfortunately, the visual style is from the SNES era and not the redone version that was released on the DS. This isn’t a bad thing, it just would have been really nice to of had some kind of updated visuals to keep up with the times. Same can be said about the music score. While it is a nice score, it just doesn’t give the punch that some of the other Final Fantasy titles have had.
Overall, FF:TAY is a great start for this sequel to FFIV. The bad part is that while 800 and 300 points sound small you’re going to be spending roughly 3700 points ($40) to get the full experience. That’s a big chunk of change for a DLC title, so being a fan of Final Fantasy is a must.
Pros: nice story, full final fantasy experience, nice new mechanics
Cons: For hardcore fans, music and visual are lacking
GamePro Score: 3.0
The Info: Platform: WiiWare, Publisher/Developer: Square-Enix, ESRB: E, Players: 1-4, Price: 800 Wii Points
Related Links: Check out the other Final Fantasy post PSN Review: Final Fantasy VII. As well as the PSN Review: Bomberman Ultra and see what else came out this week in the Weekly 360 and Wii (and PS3!) downloads.
