After a ridiculously grueling play session that ended at about 6 AM this morning (at which point I abruptly fell asleep), I finally finished the Android version of Final Fantasy IV. It really is no wonder that my initial playthrough of Final Fantasy IV for DS stalled out right around when I got to the moon. The difficulty level really ramps up on a level that can't adequately be compared to other versions of the game. For comparison, I've generally finished my runs of Final Fantasy IV on other platforms at anywhere from level 45 to 50 with 16 to 21 hours of playtime. On the DS and Android versions of the game, my playtime is closer to 30 hours with levels in the mid to high 60s. I've never considered FFIV an easy game (barring the initial North American release), but the Matrix Software versions of the game really take it to a new level. Of course, this makes the final battle even more satisfying to complete, even if the laborious trek leading up to it might have been a little much.
I've always really enjoyed Final Fantasy IV's combat system because even though it consists primarily of selecting options from a menu, it manages to feel stressful and frenetic. Enemies make decisions in real time, meaning that the player must think quickly to decide the appropriate course of action. It's important to stay on top of keeping the party healed and buffed while dishing out the appropriate amount of damage. I've always found this challenging playstyle addictive since the very first time I played one of the game's many versions. There are many completely turn-based games that somewhat replicate this feel, but none really replicate the intensity that I'm looking for. For whatever reason, Active Time Battle is a relatively rare thing outside the main Final Fantasy series, and of course it's a concept that even that series eventually abandoned.
Games like Etrian Odyssey and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne are punishingly difficult, but they also give you an adequate amount of time to consider your actions in combat. In Final Fantasy IV, it is important you execute your actions as quickly as possible lest you are struck down by the enemy's frequently powerful attacks. Bosses often employ spells capable of destroying the party in a single blow if the right strategy isn't executed. The final boss in particular casts the dreaded Big Bang attack which will generally wipe out the party if everyone doesn't Defend just beforehand. Fortunately, he rumbles ominously to forecast the attack.
The Android and DS versions of Final Fantasy IV distinguish themselves from other versions of the game both graphically and through gameplay. Although the trajectory of the game is largely identical to other versions, the game's graphics are completely redesigned and rendered in 3D--albeit primitively, since it was designed to take advantage of the Nintendo DS's limited hardware. The Android version's textures are noticeably improved, but it's still pretty apparent the game is a port from a technologically weaker device. Final Fantasy IV for DS and Android also distinguishes itself from other versions with its interesting Augment system.
Final Fantasy IV is well known for its large cast of mostly temporary characters. Cecil encounters a number of allies over the course of the game and eventually settles on a motley band of adventurers in the game's latter half and sticks with them for the game's remainder. Some versions of the game (like the WonderSwan Color and Game Boy Advance versions) addressed this issue by allowing the player to field a party of whatever characters they wished for the game's final sections. I found this to be a fun and satisfying twist on the original game's mechanics and gladly tossed Cid into my final party after acquiring his ultimate hammer in an optional dungeon added just for the Game Boy Advance version's release. In the case of the DS and Android versions, Matrix elected to instead scrap the modular party and use the Augment system instead, a mechanic in which various temporary party member abilities could be transferred to other characters. It became possible for Cecil to use Kick and for Kain to use Darkness. A variety of new abilities were introduced with this system as well, such as Phoenix (a passive ability that sacrifices MP to revive all party members when slain), Dualcasting (cast two spells per turn), and Omnicasting (cast single target spells on all targets).
Final Fantasy IV for Android is the fifth version of the game I've completed, the others being the North American SNES release (FF2 Easytype), the fan translation of the Super Famicom version, the Game Boy Advance version, and the DS version. I have no interest in the WonderSwan Color of PlayStation versions of the game, but I am interested in the PlayStation Portable Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection. Unlike the DS and Android versions, it's completely 2D--and gorgeous, too. I've been meaning to try it out for a long time but never got around to it for some reason. If I ever buy a Vita, I'll definitely download it and give it a play. I've heard that it restores the ability to switch party members like the GBA and WSC versions of the game--a feature I've always enjoyed despite it breaking from convention.
Of course, there's also Final Fantasy IV: The After Years to consider, which I've never really played. I played the first episode the game when it initially released on WiiWare, but never got back to it, despite willing to give it a try. It always struck me as a fangame that somehow got an official release, since it so liberally reuses artwork and music from Final Fantasy IV. Of course, Matrix released a 3D remake of the game on Android/iOS and it's included in the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection so there's a good chance I'll be playing it. I've heard some pretty mixed things about it, but I'd be happy to form my own opinions.
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