Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

Square Enix publishes another Final Fantasy remake and whilst it's not the remake most Final Fantasy fanatics are begging for, this one may just breathe some extra life into the PSP that the console so sorely needs...

2011 marks the 20-year anniversary of one of the greatest Final Fantasy games, so here we now have the Final Fantasy IV collection for the PSP. The original classic was thought to be amongst one of the first of its kind to have a very strong and engaging story, and therefore helped propel future titles into then making Final Fantasy the renowned series that it is today. Over the years, many of the old Final Fantasy games have been and still are being revised today, some good, some disappointing - so what about this one?

Upon first glance, we're warmly welcomed by the classic soothing melodies Final Fantasy games are famous for, a polished white screen appears and we're hit with that gaming nostalgia - suddenly we're spoilt for choice between three titles: the original Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy IV - Interlude or the sequel: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.
As well as this, there are also a couple of other bonus additions - a gallery mode equipped with a music player that contains the original score of Final Fantasy IV, the soundtrack from the DS remake and illustrations that can be unlocked along with remade FMV's. Whilst these additions don't add much to the game, they'll certainly keep die-hard FFIV fans happy.

'The new CGI movies for both FFIV & The After Years look beautiful'

For those who haven't yet had the pleasure of experiencing the main game - you control a Dark Knight named Cecil. To begin with, Cecil performs duties for the King of Baron, but these duties seem to actually be terrible crimes and mostly revolve around the King of Baron looking to obtain certain Crystals. Cecil realises this and stops performing these duties, after which he tries to redeem himself by then getting to the Crystals before the King does. Along the way, Cecil meets other traveler’s who join his party and his fight to save the world. All characters Cecil meets have their own short back-story and are very different from one another, thus giving the narrative a little more depth, which then presents to us that all these people are fighting for different reasons but ultimately pull together for the same one reason - to stop the King of Baron's wave of destruction.

The first scene in Final Fantasy IV begins with an in-game cut scene and what is immediately noticeable all at once is the improved contrast in colour, sharpness of the overall image, how nicely detailed and vibrant the game looks and that character sprites look richer also - whilst still retaining that classic original look of when they first adventured on the SNES.

'Cecil’s 2D-self has never looked better'

Fast forward 10 minutes into this JRPG and you're thrown onto the world map fighting enemies and starting your adventure - which is ideal since it's on a portable device, so there's not much waiting time before your first slices of role-play action. Text during dialogue looks sharp, is easy to read and is well translated this time around. Final Fantasy IV feels seamless with quick loading times, seems to have been rehashed and tweaked in all the correct places but still respects the original release. The whole experience greatly utilizes the PSP's 16:9 format also. Animations are crisp, they don't slow the game down whatsoever and work well within the overall presentation of the game - it's certainly been given much more thought, time and care compared to the PSOne remake back in 2002.

Final Fantasy IV uses the Active Time Battle (ATB) System during encounters, which is the system that was then used for future Final Fantasy titles. If you aren’t familiar with the ATB system, it’s turn-based but also real-time, meaning you must think ahead as to which action you’ll select next; waste time and you’ll be punished. Random battles on the world map and in dungeons are not too frequent, but you'll find it necessary to fight and build your characters levels anyway as some are significantly weaker than Cecil when first joining the party. All party members have unique and unchangeable classes including white and black mages, a summoner, a monk and a ninja. The story gets bigger and even more engaging as more characters join the party and takes approximately 20-30 hours to complete at a casual pace.

Those already familiar with the game can not only reap the benefits of playing through and enjoying this classic once more with the retouched graphics and sound, but can also get excited about the sequel 'The After Years' and the 'Interlude' part that connects both of these games together. The Interlude picks up from the end of Final Fantasy IV, but literally only takes a few hours to finish. The sequel however will take considerably more time, much like the main game. The structure of 'The After Years' is broken down into random episodes, so you get to play as more than just one single character, which is a nice feature. The gameplay and visuals across all three games are identical therefore maintaining continuity throughout.

‘The After Years’ allows you to control Cecil’s son – ‘Ceodore’

Though the aesthetics haven't been changed a great deal, therefore really showing the games age - this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let's not forget that Final Fantasy IV, despite being 20 years old, still tells an absolutely fantastic story of love, remorse, sacrifice, bravery, hatred, and betrayal. No matter how many revisions this game goes through - those core elements will never change. 

For those who know this game well, there's some very satisfying extra content to be experienced here with the Interlude and The After Years. For first-timers who love RPG's, this collection holds a great deal of value, three fantastic titles to explore and at least 60 hours worth of classic role-play goodness – enjoy.

Written by Tom Ragan

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