It has been 30 years since Final Fantasy IV first graced Super Nintendo Systems across the world. Now, a new set of players (many who hadn’t been born at the time) will get a new opportunity to experience this 2-D JRPG classic on PC (Steam), Android and iOS devices on September 8, as part of the Pixel Remaster series.
What is Final Fantasy IV?
In FINAL FANTASY IV, The Kingdom of Baron sends their elite airship fleet, the Red Wings, to attack the surrounding countries. Distressed by his mission, Cecil, a dark knight and captain of the Red Wings, decides to fight against the tyrannical Baron with his trusted friend and his paramour at his side. In his search for the crystals, Cecil must travel over land, under the ground, to the Land of Summons and even to the moon. Along the way, players will join forces with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner and many more skilled allies. – Square Enix
Final Fantasy IV was an important game in its hey day. The game introduced the Active-Time Battle system to the series, and more importantly, it made some strides in terms of story telling for the genre.
Final Fantasy VI remains amongst the most popular 2-D entries in the series, and it should remain a decent play-through on supported devices even 30 years after its debut.
What Improvements Can We Expect from a Pixel Remastered Final Fantasy IV?
According to Square Enix’s press release these are the improvements that we can expect on this Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster:
- Universally updated 2D pixel graphics redrawn for modern hardware, featuring iconic FINAL FANTASY character pixel designs created by the original artist and current collaborator, Kazuko Shibuya
- Beautifully rearranged soundtracks, overseen by the original composer, Nobuo Uematsu
- Improved gameplay, including updated controller controls, modernized UI, auto-battle options and more
- Quality-of-life improvements including supplemental extras like the bestiary, illustration gallery, music player and the ability to save at any time
In short, this pixel remaster should offer the best looking, and sounding version of the game. Tweaks made to the interface, and the game’s gameplay should make Final Fantasy IV more accessible (the new save anywhere feature is most convenient) for newer generations used to more efficient systems in their Role-Playing Games.
What About Home Consoles and the Nintendo Switch?
Unfortunately at this time, there doesn’t seem to be a version of the game made specifically for those machines. The omission of a Switch version is interesting given the handheld’s popularity (nearly 90 million units sold), and its affinity for smaller 2-D games (RPG or otherwise).
Hopefully, Square Enix will eventually bring Final Fantasy IV over as a stand alone title or as part of a collection for home console players who are not comfortable playing on their cellphones.
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