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    Final Fantasy IV

    Game » consists of 16 releases. Released Jul 19, 1991

    Final Fantasy IV is a critically acclaimed RPG in the Final Fantasy series and one of the first of its kind to tell a heavily character-driven story. It also created the Active Time Battle system.

    Short summary describing this game.

    Final Fantasy IV last edited by Marino on 02/24/24 06:45PM View full history

    Overview

    Final Fantasy IV (originally released as Final Fantasy II outside of Japan), is a console RPG in the Final Fantasy series first published by Square in 1991. It quickly became a fan favorite, a factor that has fuelled the several remakes of the game that have been created to date. The game's first appearance was on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and was released twice in Japan and once in the US: The US version was made purposefully easier, and the Japanese market would later receive the same version with the subtitle "Easy Type" three months after the original. Square later capitalized on its growing popularity with ports on the Sony PlayStation and the Game Boy Advance, and in 2008, nearly two decades after the original release, a completely overhauled remake was developed for the Nintendo DS.

    The game has had both critical and commercial success. It has also had a direct impact not only on future Final Fantasy games but on RPGs in general, with the introduction of a storyline driven by characters and character interaction and the use of new gameplay mechanics, such as the Active Time Battle system. Final Fantasy IV also made use of Mode 7, which allowed 2D backgrounds to be rotated and viewed in a way that gave the impression of 3D. The music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu.

    A sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, was released for mobiles in 2008 and on WiiWare in 2009.

    Gameplay

    The overworld (DS)
    The overworld (DS)

    Final Fantasy IV lets the player take control of a party, led by the protagonist, Cecil Harvey. Throughout the game, the party explores towns and dungeons to progress the story. The individual locations are all tied together in an overworld, which the player can traverse on foot, though by the end of the game, a hovercraft and a number of different airships are available to get around the overworld faster and to cross shoals and oceans.

    Random encounters populate the overworld and dungeons. When the player is met by one, the party is thrown into a battle against up to five enemies. Winning the battle rewards the party with experience points, gil, and occasionally a dropped item. Gil is the game's currency and is used in shops to buy new weapons, armor, or other items in towns, while by accumulating experience points, a character may gain a level and subsequently receive a boost in stats. The party will also come across bosses over the course of the game, who are often tougher to defeat than regular enemies from random encounters as they usually have more health and stronger attacks.

    The town of Baron (SNES)
    The town of Baron (SNES)

    Besides fighting through dungeons, there are also a large number of castles, towns, and villages that usually include several NPCs, an inn (where the party can rest for the night for a small fee), and a few shops. Progress can be permanently saved either in the overworld or at save points sparsely scattered in dungeons or, more rarely, towns. The DS remake includes a portable-friendly quicksave feature that lets the player save at any point, but once this quicksave file is loaded, it is erased.

    Though Final Fantasy IV has twelve playable characters in total, only five are present at any one time. This means that the player never decides the party members. Cecil is the only character who remains in the party for the entire duration of the game, and characters often leave the party due to story-related reasons with very little warning. Party members' equipment can be customized, as well as the party's formation. The party is arranged into two rows, front and back, and each row holds a maximum of three members. Characters in the back row receive slightly less damage compared to the front, being further back, but attacks do less damage.

    Battle System

    The ATB system (GBA)
    The ATB system (GBA)

    Final Fantasy IV has an ATB (Active Time Battle) system, which was eventually used in many subsequent Final Fantasy games. Each character has a gauge that fills up automatically as time passes. A character with a high speed statistic will have their gauge filled more quickly. When a character's gauge is full, the character can perform an action. In Final Fantasy IV, attacking, using an ability or item, summoning, and casting a spell all counts as one action. Once this action is complete, the gauge is reset. Enemies also have their own gauges, but these are kept hidden to the player. Slow and Haste spells can be cast to affect how quickly gauges are filled.

    Members on both sides all enter a battle with a number of HP (hit points), the game's equivalent to health. Damage is dealt to someone by performing physical or magical attacks. When someone's HP reaches zero, they are KO'd and no longer play a part in battle unless they are revived. A side is victorious when all of their enemies are KO'd or Petrified (turned to stone), although a battle ends earlier if one side flees. Party members have options to restore HP, through Cure spells and items like potions, and revive a KO'd character, through Raise spells and phoenix downs.

    Characters also have a reserve of MP (magic points). This number dictates what magic spells or summons can be cast. Each act of magic comes with an MP cost, with more powerful or useful magic usually coming at a higher price, and that cost is subtracted from the character's overall MP reserve whenever it is used. Magic is divided into two types: White Magic and Black Magic. White consists of holy spells that usually focus on healing; Black has spells that look to harm their targets.

    Rydia inflicted with the Toad status (DS)
    Rydia inflicted with the Toad status (DS)

    Another key aspect is the assortment of status effects that can be inflicted on characters. These are usually casted by magic users. Positive status effects include Protect and Shell, which raises the character's physical and magical defense respectively. Blink temporarily makes the character much harder to hit. There are plenty of harmful ones, too. For example, Poison slowly drains the character of their health, while Silence prevents them from spellcasting. Characters inflicted with Sleep cannot do anything until they awaken. Negative status effects can be cured through the spell Esuna or particular items.

    Each playable character in the game also comes with their own unique abilities. Kain comes with the Jump ability, allowing him to stay airborne for a while before crashing down on an enemy dealing double damage, while Yang has Kick, which enables him to deal physical damage to all enemies in one turn.

    In the DS remake, these abilities can be taught to other characters via items called augments, obtained by story events or by other means. There are no character restrictions when it comes to augments, which means any character can learn anything. However, in battle, a maximum of four abilities can be used (not including the auto-battle feature). The fifth slot is given to items. This remake also introduces new abilities that are only available through augments. Some are active, like Tsunami, a powerful water attack, while others are passive, like Treasure Hunter, which increases the chance of enemies dropping items after the battle.

    Summons/Eidolons

    During battle, Rydia can summon an Eidolon to perform a powerful attack on the enemies. When Cecil first meets Rydia as a young girl, she only knows how to summon a Chocobo, but she is eventually able to bring forth much more powerful summons as the game is progressed. By the end of the game, she can summon the following Eidolons, providing all the relevant sidequests are completed and treasures are collected:

    Leviathan using Tidal Wave (DS)
    Leviathan using Tidal Wave (DS)

    Exclusive to the DS version of the game, Whyt is unique to every other summon in that it can fight in Rydia's place, and as it is the only one whose stats can be increased. Boosting stats is done by playing a group of minigames.

    New Game Plus (DS version only)

    The DS remake includes a New Game Plus feature, with which players can begin a second playthrough with some of the benefits from the previous playthrough. Map data, augments (both used and unused), and certain special items are carried over. Gil, levels, and nearly all of the equipment are not. New Game Plus can only be utilized two times for a single "game", meaning three playthroughs of the game are allowed.

    Story

    Warning: This section depicts the events that happen from beginning to end, and thus contains major spoilers.

    The Light Crystals

    Cecil returning from Mysidia
    Cecil returning from Mysidia

    The game starts as Cecil Harvey, Lord Captain of the Red Wings and a dark knight, is returning to the kingdom of Baron, having collected the Crystal of Water from the city of Mysidia on the king's orders. At the castle, he questions the motives behind attacking the peaceful Mysidians and forcefully taking what is theirs, but is subsequently stripped of his rank. Protesting his loyalty to the king, Cecil accepts a mission along with friend and dragoon Kain to deliver a ring to the village of Mist, its power unknown to him. Upon arriving, the ring automatically lets out a group of bombs that explode and destroy the village. In the wake of what has been done, Cecil and Kain vow to rebel against the King of Baron.

    They stumble upon the village's only survivor, a young girl named Rydia, who is devastated by the loss of her mother. Out of rage, she summons Titan, causing an earthquake that separates Cecil from Kain. Alone with an unconscious Rydia, Cecil takes the girl to an inn at the nearest town, Kaipo. When Baron soldiers arrive at the inn looking to take away Rydia, Cecil defends her against them. Rydia witnesses the scene and warms to Cecil after his gesture. Not long afterwards, Rosa (whom Cecil has feelings for) is found outside Kaipo, sick from an illness called desert fever. She grew concerned after hearing about the events in Mist and went in search of him. Cecil and Rydia head to Damcyan Castle for assistance in finding a sand pearl, the cure, and are joined by Tellah, an old sage looking for his eloping daughter.

    Cecil and Rydia meeting Edward
    Cecil and Rydia meeting Edward

    However, the trio find Damcyan Castle being attacked by the Red Wings, and by the time they reach inside, they find a significant number of casualties, including Tellah's daughter, Anna. Edward, the bard Anna eloped with, is also the Prince of Damcyan, and tells of how Golbez led the Red Wings and took the Fire Crystal for themselves. Tellah, enraged by his daughter's death, leaves by himself to exact revenge on Golbez. After snapping out of a state of mourning by Cecil, Edward helps Cecil and Rydia retrieve a sand pearl from an antlion, and Rosa recovers from desert fever. Through Edward's knowledge, the party learns that Fabul is the next target of the Red Wings, as it has the Wind Crystal.

    Golbez's first appearance
    Golbez's first appearance

    As they head towards the next Crystal, the quartet encounter a Fabul monk, Yang. Yang heeds their warning about the impending attack and takes them to Fabul Castle, moments before Golbez's Red Wings arrive. They are forced to retreat to the Crystal chamber, where Kain, now working for Golbez, defeats Cecil in a duel. At this moment, Golbez makes his entrance, easily fending off attacks from the party, and orders Kain to retrieve the Crystal. While Kain complies, Golbez notices that Cecil cares for Rosa, and kidnaps her before taking his leave with Kain and the Crystal.

    Cecil realizes that they are no match against the airships of the Red Wings, and so the party starts heading towards Baron seeking the aid of Cid, the constructor of the airships. However, while at sea, they come across Leviathan, a feared monster known as the Lord of All Waters. Cecil ends up washed ashore near Mysidia, separated from everyone else. The Mysidians are hostile towards Cecil, but despite this, the Elder of Mysidia agrees to help Cecil in his plight against Golbez, and tells the dark knight that a dark sword cannot slay Golbez. Cecil must first rid himself of darkness at the top of Mount Ordeals.

    Cleansing the Darkness

    Accompanied by twin mages Palom and Porom, Cecil ascends the mountain. Halfway up, he reunites with Tellah, who is seeking to learn the powerful spell Meteor to defeat Golbez, even if using the spell means losing his life. The four of them reach the summit, overpowering Scarmiglione, one of four elemental archfiends working for Golbez, along the way. At the mountaintop, a light greets the party, calling Cecil "son", before teleporting everyone to an isolated room, where Cecil proves his worth by defeating the dark knight version of himself. Cecil is rewarded by being made a paladin and receives a sword of light.

    Porom and Palom agreeing to sacrifice their lives
    Porom and Palom agreeing to sacrifice their lives

    In Baron, after reuniting with Yang (he tells Cecil that Rydia was swallowed by Leviathan), Cecil and his companions attempt to rescue Cid, who is locked inside the castle. They first confront the King of Baron, and find out that another archfiend working for Golbez, Cagnazzo, killed and was impersonating the king all along. After defeating Cagnazzo, the party find Cid and together, they plan to leave on Cid's latest airship invention, which he calls the Enterprise. However, Cagnazzo's last act is to trap the party in a room where the walls are caving in on them. Palom and Porom sacrifice their lives by turning themselves into stone to stop the walls.

    Golbez, meanwhile, arrives at a complication in trying to obtain the fourth and final Crystal, as it has already been stolen by a dark elf, so Kain proposes an exchange to the party: the Earth Crystal from Troia for Rosa. The party kills the dark elf with outside assistance from Edward, who was found recovering in Troia Castle's infirmary. With the Earth Crystal, Cecil and his companions are led to the Tower of Zot to make the exchange. However, Golbez doesn't stick to his end of the bargain after taking the Crystal.

    Tellah confronts the man responsible for the death of his daughter and unleashes Meteor on him, but it does little damage against Golbez (though he loses his hold on a mind-controlled Kain), while mortally wounding the sage. Cecil lashes out at Golbez, but is easily swatted down. As Golbez prepares to deliver the final blow, he becomes shocked by a reason unbenownst to everyone else and walks away. Cecil, Yang, and Cid tend to Tellah, who dies from his wounds, his last words begging for Anna to be avenged. Kain, now free to control his own actions, leads Cecil to Rosa, and the pair are reunited once more. With archfiend Barbariccia killed, Rosa teleports everyone out from the crumbling tower.

    The Underworld

    The Dwarven Castle
    The Dwarven Castle

    Back at Baron Castle, Kain tells the group that there are actually eight Crystals that Golbez needs. While Golbez has the four Light Crystals, there are four Dark Crystals in the underworld. These Crystals can be used to open a "way to the moon". The party travel to the village of Agart, where they open the seal, and once they reach the underworld, they see the Red Wings engaged in combat against a dwarven tank battalion. Inside the Dwarven Castle, King Giott informs Cecil and his friends that Golbez already has two Dark Crystals (a total of six Crystals in his possession).

    Golbez enters to steal the seventh Crystal from the Crystal chamber, revealing that he intends to use the Crystals to reactivate the Tower of Babil and thus the gate to the moon. With help from Rydia, now a young lady, Cecil's party overpowers their nemesis, but fails to stop him from escaping with the Crystal. Rydia explains that Leviathan carried her to the Feymarch, the land of the Eidolons. She lived among the Eidolons for several years, and because time flows differently in the Feymarch, she now appears to have grown so much in such a short space of time.

    The final Crystal lies in the Sealed Cave up north, but King Giott tells Cecil to go to the Tower of Babil and try to steal the other seven Crystals while Golbez is distracted in acquiring the eighth. On the way to the summit of the tower, Yang and Cid both sacrifice their lives. Yang destroys the Tower of Babil's cannons, which were about to destroy the dwarven army, while Cid activates a bomb to give the rest of the party enough time to flee Golbez's pursuing airship.

    Edge swearing revenge against Rubicante
    Edge swearing revenge against Rubicante

    Cecil and his group also encounter Edge, Eblan's prince, who is pursuing revenge against the last archfiend, Rubicante, responsible for Eblan Castle's slaughter and the demise of his parents. Together, they defeat Rubicante and have the seven Crystals in their sight before they fall down several floors through a trap door. They are forced to abandon their plans of reacquiring the Crystals and make their way to the Sealed Cave. After the group beats Golbez to the final Crystal, though, Kain's mind is once again taken over by Golbez, and the dragoon steals the Crystal from them and takes it to Golbez. When the party reports back the news that Golbez now has all eight Crystals, King Giott tells them to go to Mysidia.

    The Moon

    Fusoya the Lunarian
    Fusoya the Lunarian

    Cecil and his companions make their way back to Mysidia, where the Elder's prayers summon the Lunar Whale, an extremely technologically advanced ship, from the ocean. With it, they travel to the moon and meet Fusoya, a Lunarian and inhabitant of the moon. Fusoya is the guardian of the Lunarians, charged with preserving the tranquility of their slumber. The Lunarians came from another planet, but were forced to flee after its destruction. They came across Earth, but because the people of Earth were still evolving and had not caught up with the Lunarians, they decided to hibernate until Earth had caught up.

    However, one Lunarian named Zemus did not want to sleep, and wanted to destroy all existing life on Earth to claim the planet as their own. He was forced into hibernation with the others, but his will grew stronger in sleep and took a consciousness of its own, reaching out to Golbez and manipulating him to do his bidding. The Crystals function as a source of energy, and all eight combined will be enough to summon the Giant of Babil, a robotic being powerful enough to extinguish all life on Earth. Fusoya also had a younger brother, Kluya. The Lunar Whale belonged to Kluya, and he flew it to Earth where he fell in love with a woman and had two children, one of whom was Cecil. Cecil realizes that the voice he heard at Mount Ordeals was in fact Kluya's.

    Fusoya accompanies Cecil and his party back to Earth to stop the Giant of Babil. Yang, Cid, Palom, and Porom, all thought to have been deceased, are alive and along with Edward stagger the Giant, allowing Cecil's party to enter inside to destroy the controls from within. After successfully obliterating the CPU, they are met by an angry Golbez. Fusoya, however, performs a spell to help Golbez break out of Zemus' hold. Golbez reveals that he is also a son of Kluya, and thus Cecil's brother. Golbez was easily manipulated by Zemus as a young child after his father was killed by villagers and his mother died in childbirth when Cecil was born. Golbez took Cecil and left him at the edge of Baron; Cecil was found and raised by the king. Wanting to put an end to all of this madness, Golbez now sets off to the moon to kill Zemus. He is accompanied by Fusoya.

    Zemus is killed
    Zemus is killed

    Kain, now free from Golbez's mind control, rejoins Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, and Edge, and the five head for the moon's core to assist in defeating Zemus. They see Golbez and Fusoya end Zemus' life, but Zemus' spirit is resurrected as Zeromus, fed by Zemus' hate. Golbez and Fusoya are no match for Zeromus, and are easily defeated. Cecil's party then faces Zeromus, but once again, Zeromus is too strong. All seems to be lost until the prayers of Cecil's friends on Earth, led by the Mysidian Elder, bestow strength and vitality on the party, and the party defeats Zeromus.

    After the final battle, Fusoya returns to hibernation and is joined by Golbez, who admits that he can't return to Earth after everything he has done. As Golbez leaves, Cecil acknowledges Golbez as his brother. Back on Earth, while Cecil is preparing for his coronation ceremony with Rosa, he hears Golbez's voice bidding him farewell as the moon leaves the Earth's orbit. The final scene is the coronation itself, as all of Cecil and Rosa's friends, except for Kain who is on Mount Ordeals, come to see the couple being crowned as Baron's new king and queen.

    Characters

    Final Fantasy IV includes twelve playable characters.

    Cecil Harvey as a paladin
    Cecil Harvey as a paladin
    • Cecil - Dark Knight / Paladin - The game's central protagonist. Cecil Harvey used to command the Red Wings airship fleet, prior to being banished from the Kingdom of Baron after doubting the king's motives. He soon finds himself trying to stop the Earth's Crystals falling into the wrong hands. Cecil's "Dark Wave" attack as a Dark Knight is missing from the North American 1991 SNES release.
    • Kain - Dragoon - Despite being childhood friends with Cecil, Kain Highwind's true allegiance is unclear. Kain has feelings towards Rosa, but hides them to avoid sabotaging the relationship between her and Cecil. In battle, he is a powerful fighter, with strong attacks and armor.
    • Rydia - Summoner - Rydia, a seven year-old girl, is a summoner from the village of Mist, forced to accompany Cecil following the destruction of her home. Though she is handy with magic, Rydia becomes much more powerful later in the game, when she learns how to command powerful magic spells and summon an array of powerful creatures to aid her companions in battle. Her "Summon" command is localized as "Call", and the Eidolons are referred to as "summoned monsters" in the 1991 North American SNES release.
    • Tellah - Sage - A sage hailing from Mysidia, Tellah knows a great deal of powerful magic spells. He seeks to track down his daughter Anna, who has eloped with a bard. Tellah is growing old, and acknowledges that he might not have many years left.
    • Edward - Bard - Edward Chris von Muir is not only a bard with a harp but also the Prince of Damcyan. While not being the strongest of fighters, Edward is a useful addition to the party. For example, his mystical songs can help to put enemies to sleep.
    Rosa Farrell
    Rosa Farrell
    • Rosa - White Mage - An experienced yet kind-hearted mage, Rosa Farrell can learn a number of healing spells to strengthen up the party without having to resort to using up precious items. She is also competent with the bow. Rosa and Cecil have romantic feelings for each other. Rosa's "Pray" ability is missing from the original 1991 North American SNES release.
    • Yang - Monk - Yang Fang Leiden is an extremely respected monk of Fabul, who aids Cecil in his quest. Humble, loyal, and married, he knows how to deal strong physical damage to his enemies that stand in his way. Yang is missing two abilities from the original 1991 North American SNES release: one which enables him to sacrifice his turn to double the power of his next attack; and one which enables him to sacrifice his turn to double his defense for that turn.
    • Palom - Black Mage - Though young and inexperienced, Palom is a talented mage. He comes from Mysidia, and while being noted for his arrogance (he declares himself as "The Mysidian Genius"), this is kept in check by his twin sister, Porom. Palom is missing his "Bluff" ability in the 1991 North American SNES release, which buffed his black magic power.
    • Porom - White Mage - Despite being already proficient in the art of magic, Porom has a great deal to learn. As an apprentice, she wants all the experience she can get. Porom is quite the opposite of Palom, as she has polite and well-mannered compared to her twin brother's confident personality. Porom is missing her "Cry" ability from the North American 1991 SNES release, which flusters the party's enemies and increases the chance for a successful escape.
    • Cid - Engineer - Cid Pollendina is the constructor of the Red Wings airships. He has a daughter in Baron and is the main source of comic relief when he travels with Cecil. Cid is a physical fighter, but can also check an enemy's stats and weaknesses.
    • Edge - Ninja - Edge's hot temper is counteracted only by his thirst for justice. He is the prince of the ancient island of Eblan, and has honed his abilities to a high standard. Edge often flirts with women and thinks rather highly of himself.
    • Fusoya - Sage - Fusoya is a Lunarian and an inhabitant of the moon. First appearing near the endgame, he is aware of why the Crystals are so keenly sought for, and knows some things about Cecil that the protagonist doesn't even know. FuSoYa is missing his whole-party "Regen" battle command in the 1991 North American SNES release.

    References

    Dante Alighieri's Inferno

    Final Fantasy IV features villains named after five of the Malebranches from Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, specifically Inferno. The game's elemental fiends are named directly after Scarmiglione (earth), Cagnazzo (water), Barbariccia (wind) and Rubicante (fire). In the original SNES North American 1991 release, they were spelled "Milon", "Kainazzo", "Valvalis" and "Rubicant" respectively. Another boss encounter features a collection of enemies known as Calcabrina, also misspelled in the 1991 North American release as "Calbrena".

    Mythology and Religion

    As is commonplace throughout the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy IV features references to Norse mythology, Hinduism, Islam and other religions and lore, including but not limited to the following:

    Summons

    Weaponry

    • Ragnarok (Norse mythology); originally localized as a "Crystal" sword in the original 1991 SNES North American release
    • Excalibur (King Arthur)
    • Gungnir (Norse mythology)
    • Murasame (from the Japanese novel, Nansō Satomi Hakkenden)
    • Artemis Bow (Greek mythology)

    Armor

    • Minerva Bustier (Roman mythology)
    • Gaia Gear (Greek mythology)
    • Aegis Shield (Greek mythology)
    • Hades Helmet and Gloves (Greek mythology)

    Other Final Fantasy Games

    The game features several series staples, such as Chocobos, the character Cid, airships, and the Crystals.

    The original Final Fantasy II (which first appeared on Nintendo's Famicom) also contains a town named Mysidia.

    In addition, the music that plays in the Tower of Babil is almost identical to that which plays in an endgame tower in The Final Fantasy Legend (Game Boy), known originally as SaGa in Japan.

    Version Differences

    Final Fantasy IV has been released numerous times over the years with various tweaks that distinguish one from another:

    Final Fantasy IV on the SNES
    Final Fantasy IV on the SNES
    • Final Fantasy IV: The standard version of Final Fantasy IV originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan.
    • Final Fantasy IV Easy Type: A rebalanced version of the game that is easier than the standard difficulty. Certain features and items, such as Cecil's Darkness ability, were also stripped from the game in order to further simplify it. Ailment-specific healing items, for example, were combined into a single, all-encompassing, more expensive healing item. Although it is believed that this is the version of the game originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II for the SNES, Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy IV Easy Type have certain differences, such as thematic censorship, different removed abilities, and a completely different version of Zeromus.
    • Final Fantasy II: To prevent confusion among consumers, the original North American version of the game for the Super Nintendo was renamed because the Famicom games Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III weren't available outside of Japan at the time. This version of the game is largely identical to the Japanese Final Fantasy IV Easy Type edition of the game, but features additional cuts and alterations for the North American audience. Two of the more prominent cuts were removing certain story details about Fusoya being Cecil's uncle and Kain's desire to live in his father's footsteps as a Dragon Knight instead of being pushed into a life as a Black Knight. Some parts of the game were also censored, most notably references to death as well as scenes and dialogue that could have been considered "more PG-13 than PG". In one scene, a blade hanging overhead threatening to kill a captive character is changed to a heavy iron ball in this version. An animation that begins with an embrace and is followed by an implied kiss is altered to just show the embrace in this version. Additionally, characters who are knocked down to 0 HP are categorized as "Swoon" instead of "dead" or knocked out. The "Holy" spell--a white magic spell that causes damage--is instead called "White" in this version.
    • Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy Chronicles release): A PlayStation port released in North America as part of a bundle with the PlayStation port of Chrono Trigger. It is a translated version of Hard Type, but as a port it suffers from long loading times not present in the Super Famicom/SNES release. There is also some choppiness in scenes that utilize Mode 7 because the PlayStation doesn't support it.
    • Final Fantasy IV Advance: A port of Hard Type for the Game Boy Advance, complete with a rewritten translation and an extra dungeon not found in the original console versions. The North American version of the game is known for suffering from numerous bugs, such as Yang's HP not increasing after level 60, some of the weapons being treated as armor, random extra turns being given to characters in battle, and certain weapons designed to be long-range not counting as long-range attacks. Many of the bugs were fixed for other regional releases.
    • Final Fantasy IV DS: A fully re-done version of the game for the Nintendo DS, complete with 3D graphics, a new script with added scenes and dialogue, and voice acting. The game lacks the extra dungeon found in the GBA release, but does contain extras such as the augment feature, New Game, an event theater to watch cutscenes, and Whyt, a new Eidolon for Rydia who can replace Rydia in battle and whose stats can be raised by scoring well in a collection of new minigames. The DS version also added several fully 3D CGI cutscenes. For more information about the key changes of this remake, see the DS page of Final Fantasy IV.
    • Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection: A hi-res version of Final Fantasy IV for the PSP featuring completely redone graphics and the inclusion of the Lunar Ruins bonus dungeon from Final Fantasy IV Advance. The collection also comes with a graphically remade version of the Wii release The After Years and a new Final Fantasy IV Interlude that bridges the gap between the original game and the After Years.

    Soundtrack

    The Final Fantasy IV Original Sound Version was released on June 14, 1991, and includes 44 tracks from the game composed by Nobuo Uematsu. "Theme of Love" is one of Final Fantasy IV's most well-known tunes.

    Track Listing

    1. The Prelude
    2. The Red Wings
    3. Kingdom of Baron
    4. Theme of Love
    5. Prologue
    6. Welcome to Our Town!
    7. Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV
    8. Battle 1
    9. Fanfare
    10. Enter Fat Chocobo
    11. Chocobo Chocobo
    12. Into the Darkness
    13. Battle 2
    14. Bomb Ring
    15. Rydia
    16. Damcyan Castle
    17. Sorrow and Loss
    18. Edward's Harp
    19. Mt. Ordeals
    20. Fabul
    21. Run!
    22. Suspicion
    23. Golbez, Clad in Darkness
    24. Hey Cid!
    25. Mystic Mysidia
    26. A Long Way to Go
    27. Palom and Porom
    28. Battle with the Four Fiends
    29. The Airship
    30. Troian Beauty
    31. Samba de Chocobo!
    32. Tower of Bab-il
    33. Somewhere in the World...
    34. Land of Dwarves
    35. Giott, King of the Dwarves
    36. Dancing Calbrena
    37. Tower of Zot
    38. The Land of Summons
    39. Lunar Whale
    40. Another Moon
    41. The Lunarians
    42. Within the Giant
    43. The Final Battle
    44. Epilogue

    Legacy

    You spoony bard!
    You spoony bard!

    One of Final Fantasy's most well-known quotes also originated from this game as a result of a poor translation in the SNES release. During a relatively early part of the story, Tellah vents his fury at Edward, a bard, and shouts:

    You spoony bard!

    This line became famous enough that it has been retained in all subsequent remakes. It was referenced in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations.

    Final Fantasy IV's presence was also felt in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Culex, a hidden boss in the game who is designed to appear like a Final Fantasy boss, arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom to conquer it, but finds it uninhabitable. on his return home, he encounters Mario and challenges him. His boss theme is the same as the regular boss theme of Final Fantasy IV, while his epilogue tune is also the main theme of Final Fantasy.

    Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

    The sequel to Final Fantasy IV
    The sequel to Final Fantasy IV

    Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is a mobile phone and Wii sequel to Final Fantasy IV. It is set seventeen years after the events of the original, and follows Ceodore, the son of Cecil and Rosa. The first two chapters of the game were released in February 2008 in Japan. In June 2009, they were released for the Wii's Wiiware service in North America and Europe. The remaining nine episodes are now available on Wiiware.

    The After Years features random encounters and an ATB system like the original, but also introduces some fresh gameplay elements, such as the Age of the Moon and the Band System.

    Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

    Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection is a PSP compilation featuring Final Fantasy IV and its episodic sequel, The After Years. The collection also features an all-new episode set between the events of the original game and its sequel. This game allows players to start with either the Interlude portion, The After Years, or the original Final Fantasy IV story. The only exception is that the player must complete the first episode of The After Years to open the other episodes, which can then be played in any order.

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