Introduction

What is this game?

This game is none other than the sequel to Final Fantasy IV. The game was released in 2008, split into various episodes, for mobile phones in Japan. The game was then released on WiiWare in 2009, giving North America and Europe its first exposure to the game. It was then released in 2011 on the PSP, as part of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection. This collection includes the fifth port/remake of FF4, a graphical remake of TAY that doesn't look like it was made in RPGMaker, and some stuff connecting the two I know nothing about (edit: Shaezerus is LPing this part, Interlude, which you can read in the post below this one).

This playthrough will be using the WiiWare version.

What's this game about?

This game is set 17 years after the original (the same amount of time between the original game's release and this one!). Essentially, there's some mysterious girl who comes down and starts fucking up shit, and it's up to our heroes to save the world. The beginning chapter focuses on Ceodore, son of FF4 protagonist Cecil and FF4 token love interest Rosa, but other chapters focus on the original crew, including Rydia, Edge, Yang, and Edward, as you meet characters old and new. By the end of the game, you'll have as many as 22 characters to choose from, 75% of which you will surely never use.

How does this game compare to the original?

The game pretty much steals many aspects from the original. Enemies and music are essentially unchanged, and the game really loves to recreate scenes from the original game. That said, the graphics are updated, and there are new enemies/music among the rehashes. Plus this game adds two new gameplay elements, Lunar Phases (certain attacks are stronger/weaker depending on the moon), and Bands (think Double/Triple Techs from CT).

So, is this game good?

That's a tough question. Overall, I feel there's some good aspects of the game, and sometimes I feel parts of the story work well. However, there's also a lot I feel is pure and utter shit. I'll definitely go into detail on how I feel about certain parts of the game.

So why LP this game?

Most people haven't played it, considering it costs $37 for the full experience on the Wii. FF4: The Complete Collection recently came out for PSP and gives people an alternative way to play it for cheaper, plus it includes a remake of the always-awesome FF4, but it came out recently and most people probably haven't touched it yet. Might as well show off the Wii version and how weird it can look!

SPOILER NOTE: Please stay away from plot spoilers. I don't mind smaller stuff like character spoilers as much, though please use spoiler tags if you do. Don't bother spoilering anything from FF4. This is a sequel, I'm expecting everyone to know the plot of the original. If you don't, play the game or read this fine LP for it.

So let's get this thing started!

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Shaezerus is awesome as hell and is doing Interlude, the side-chapter that takes place between the original and The After Years that is included with The Complete Collection. Check it out!

The Interlude Interlude

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The Let's Play Archive

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

by Mega64

Introduction

Table of Contents