A character-driven story defined Final Fantasy IV, which took the franchise to a whole new level. Cecil, a skilled knight who starts to question his country’s militaristic ambitions, is the game’s protagonist. The plot is still deeply engaging 32 years after its release, and the cast of characters holds it all together with their own interpretations of a world about to break into chaos.
As the narrative progresses, the party members come and go, and pacing is almost perfect. Several plot points actually influence the way characters behave in battle, granting them new abilities. This was the first time Final Fantasy attempted to combine gameplay with storytelling. Thus, the whole adventure has an impressively cohesive feel, from the story direction to the turn-based action to leveling up your heroes.
In Final Fantasy IV, weaker characters may die if a monster even sneezes at them — but once you’ve got a few mainstay party members, the difficulty curve evens out. Pixel Remaster exp and money boosters relieve some of the pressure if you’re not up for it.
This instalment introduces the ATB system, an iconic combat system. In addition to adding a welcome layer of strategy to issuing commands, character actions are also governed by a timer. As well as individual party members having their own unique abilities and traits, this makes for an impressively rich turn-based experience.
It’s still a fantastic RPG years after it was released.
Pros:
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A great story.
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Good characters and dialogue.
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Build a good world.
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Turn-based combat.
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The best Final Fantasy.
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Classic music.
Cons:
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A nasty spike in difficulty.
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Maps can feel the same.
I would rate this game for 8 over 10.