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    Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

    Game » consists of 3 releases. Released Oct 29, 2009

    Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a Final Fantasy title for the DS aimed to return to the roots of RPG gaming.

    altered_confusion's Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Nintendo DS) review

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    Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Review

    Final Fantasy: The Heroes of Light takes you back to the DS where you will be controlling a much more manageable amount of characters as you try to solve the mysteries of the world as well save the world for evil. Yes I know we've heard that storyline so many times when it comes to something named Final Fantasy, but the story's enough to make you go through it again.

    The graphics on this average, which to me is big coming from Square Enix. This game definitely has its range of variety, but it doesn't feel as refined as I've gotten used to for Final Fantasy games. I do like the fact that you can effect the appearance of your character by switching out items, though. I actually really enjoy that in games. There's also a fair variety of characters, enemies, and battle areas that you'll get to go through, which is refreshing, but with the rather flat looking colors, there's nothing is going to blow you away.

    The music of the game is exactly like every Final Fantasy, you're going to feel a bit like you've heard this song before, but slightly different. You'll also want to play other games so that you can hear your favorite version of that son.

    The controls have you utilizing most of the face buttons and the D-pad, in my personal opinion just like it should be. Sure there are some tweaks that you're going to want to do to the controls, but its not enough that this game is going to be unplayable.

    Now for the game, did Square Enix bump their head and go back to the stone age? Very limited inventories are just the first thing that is going to kill you about this game. The big one is the fact that you're not going to be able to select who you are attacking in combat. For crying out loud, you could do that in Final Fantasy I, so why take that ability out. I'm not completely sold on the Action Points approach of casting spells, using an item, running away, or attacking. I'm kind of partial to having Mana (or Magic) Points that can be enhanced instead of the standard 6 Action Point maximum. The story gets off to a good start, but you're going to find yourself twiddling your fingers as you get stopped cold and have to do some side story to advance the main one so that you can get back to what you're trying to do, and that's conquer the game. Another issue I found with this game is that there is a sense of an uneven grind required for the game. Don't get me wrong I'm all for being resurrected back at the last save point in a town and being able to continue the story without having to restart the game, or utilizing the hat system in the game that will allow you to change class on the fly. The problem is that you'll go through one part of the game almost one hitting monsters and in a blink of an eye you are on death's doorstep. Yes I know it's the challenge, but this is one curveball that I think is a bit much.

    Now I will say I have not tried this game multi-player, but then again the majority of my more memorable experiences with RPGs are doing the game solo, so I don't think I'll try that out unless I run into someone who has the game. This game had so much hype to it, and it was a must have before it came out. Sadly though now this is a game best left to the rental space. I hate to say this but I have to bomb a Square Enix game, and with that I have to give this game a 5.2 out of 10.

    Other reviews for Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Nintendo DS)

      Final Fantasy - The 4 Heroes of Light. Oldschool to the bone. 0

        Final Fantasy titles get more complex with each new installment, with sweeping stories and involved mechanics.  Most fans of the franchise prefer this kind of evolution, but some yearn for the days when things were simpler.  With The 4 Heroes of Light, Final Fantasy goes back to its roots with an adventure inspired by the series, early entries. The tale begins like many others; a boy wakes up on his 14th birthday and must visit his king in order to be considered an adult.  The premise...

      5 out of 6 found this review helpful.

      Better than the recent numbered entries in the series 0

      Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a side-story that takes its inspiration from the earlier 8-bit and 16-bit installments; a time when games were genuinely challenging and couldn’t rely on flashy graphics to hold a player’s attention.  Players can customize their characters with a variety of skills using the Crown System, which functions like the job system from Final Fantasy 3, though it has some interesting modifications.  One of my favorite artists in the video game world, Akihik...

      2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

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