Sora96 17,256 Posted March 5, 2015 FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS is a sequel to FINAL FANTASY IV, set seventeen years after FFIV’s events. All characters and areas return in addition to plenty of new characters. Originally this game was developed for Japanese mobile phones before being ported to WiiWare and remade for PlayStation Portable. More recently it’s been fully remade in 3D for iOS & Android using a further advanced version of the engine used to remake FINAL FANTASY III and FINAL FANTASY IV for Nintendo DS also developed by Matrix Software. I played the Android version. The game looks good on my smartphone, even better than FINAL FANTASY IV’s HD remaster. Sound is good, but they've basically just re-used everything from FINAL FANTASY IV with the exception of a few sound effects and music tracks. Controls are very nice for touch screen devices. Gameplay is fun with a very nice combat system including a brand new feature in Bands which combine the power of 2 or 3 characters for a very powerful attack that proves extremely useful even in the final bosses. The game was originally made in an episode structure and despite all episodes being included the stories are still separated which makes a letdown when you have to start a new tale and half the tales feel like you're covering the same events multiple times. The tales also start slow but some get quite interesting down the stretch. If you didn't like FINAL FANTASY IV, do not purchase this game. This is pure fan service, and not all fans will even enjoy it. You're going to the exact same locations and so many of the assets from the HD remaster of FINAL FANTASY IV have been re-used. The story has its moments. Some parts are quite good but some are pretty bad. The final tale brings everyone together and you can pick your own five-person party from every playable character in the game which is kind of exciting, however most characters are pretty useless without plenty of grinding. There is also plenty of bosses in this final tale, thankfully four of them are completely optional. The final bosses can prove a challenge, but Bands are so overpowered in this game they make quick work of the final bosses. After you defeat the final boss there is an interesting playable sequence, some will find it annoying but don't worry, you won't die or anything. There's also plenty of achievements to collect, in addition cloud saving and gamepad support are expected soon. FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS isn't as good as FINAL FANTASY IV, not even close. But it does have its moments along with some fun gameplay. Takashi Tokita and his team have done a fantastic job remaking it in 3D, but the problems that existed in its original releases still remain. It’s hard to recommend this game to all fans, but if you can find it cheap give it a chance and if you be patient with it, you might actually like it. 7/10 3 Joker, WakelessDream and Soravids reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ultima Spark 753 Posted March 5, 2015 Didn't you do this last year? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859 Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I know probably most people won't agree with me, but I actually enjoyed more THE AFTER YEARS than FFIV. I played the PSP version of THE AFTER YEARS and the DS version of FFIV, and, as for graphics, the DS one is better, and I still prefared THE AFTER YEARS. I don't know why I enjoyed THE AFTER YEARS so much, probably because of the story. I personally think that visiting once again every single place from FFIV and meeting the characters from it was a good idea, specially for those who have finished FFIV, as you already know the places and the people, so it doesn't take as much time as with the first game. There's only one thing that disappointed me, but it's a spoiler for those who haven't finnished the game yet. Edited March 6, 2015 by WakelessDream Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites