Final Fantasy IV Preview

There’s no better feeling than getting completely lost in a good RPG. It’s the ultimate form of escapism; a place where you can forget all of life’s troubles and assume the role of a legendary hero. And having spent much of our youth captivated by Squaresoft’s many contributions to the genre, it’s hard for us not to be psyched about the forthcoming re-release of Final Fantasy IV on iOS and Android.

By
Share this
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter

A port of a remake of a seminal RPG.

There’s no better feeling than getting completely lost in a good RPG. It’s the ultimate form of escapism; a place where you can forget all of life’s troubles and assume the role of a legendary hero. And having spent much of our youth captivated by Squaresoft’s many contributions to the genre, it’s hard not to be psyched about the forthcoming re-release of Final Fantasy IV on iOS and Android.

Final Fantasy IV

Before we go any further, a quick history lesson: Final Fantasy IV was originally released in the US as Final Fantasy II. This is because the actual second and third games in the series hadn’t been released outside of Japan at the time, and the leap in numbers would have confused consumers. Now that the dust has settled and that’s less of an issue, the game is recognized as Final Fantasy IV worldwide.

It’s bad form to spoil the story of an RPG, but let’s just say that there’s an evil king and a ragtag group of hopefuls who want to rescue the world. You play as Cecil, a former servant of the king who slowly realizes the evilness of his ways. You also travel to the moon, which was (and still is) incredibly awesome.

Final Fantasy IV

The forthcoming mobile version is based on the Nintendo DS re-release, which featured enhancements such as 3D graphics, mini-games, a “new game plus” mode, and, most importantly, a shift in roles for the Fat Chocobo. Where once it let you store additional items, it now grants you access to mini-games, the bestiary, and an in-game video/music player. You can expect all of these features (and potentially more, who knows?) in this port, although the changes made to the beloved Fat Chocobo are clearly the major selling point.

Final Fantasy IV will hit iOS on December 20, with the Android version expected to follow in Spring of next year. I realize that doesn’t give you a ton of time to brace yourselves for the awesomeness that is Fat Chocobo, but you have to try.

And with that, we’ll stop talking about Fat Chocobo. For now.

[images courtesy of Gamer]