Released on June 2, 2009 on WiiWare, this date marked the US debut of the previously Japanese exclusive cell phone sequel to the legendary Final Fantasy IV. This multi part saga continues the story of the paladin, Cecil Harvey, and his many companions from the world of FFIV. One episode, Rydia's Tale, has been added to bonus content with the rest of the episodes to be released monthly until September 2009.

The story takes place some 18-20 years after the events of Final Fantasy IV. Cecil and Rosa's son, Ceodore, is training to become a knight near the town of Mythril. Accompanying him on the quest for the Knight's Emblem are the previously unknown veterans of the Red Wings (and series' mainstays) Biggs and Wedge. Biggs is kind of a bastard in this game, cautioning Ceodore that his royal blood will not grant him any special favors on the test. Shortly after the completion of the trial and Ceodore's knighthood, the second moon reappears in the planet's orbit. What forces are behind its mysterious reappearance and the sudden threat of a powerful unknown girl whose summoning powers seem to rival Rydia's?

Before we talk about graphics, it is important to know that this game was originally a cell phone game. Saying this should be enough, but you never know. The graphics look like Final Fantasy IV (which I thought was a great nostalgic touch) but others, who may not have played the pre-FFVII Final Fantasy games will be left scratching their heads. I do not want to psychoanalyze them, so I will just say the graphics are functional. One really can't rate them in comparison to anything, so let's just say that. Some of the minor graphical changes, like new sprites for the main characters, are great touches. If I had to name a disappointment, it would be the lack of new enemy sprites. Seems like they were trying to cut corners...

The music consists of remixes of the original pieces, with a new title screen theme. This piece is reminiscent of the Prelude and fits right in. As for the rest of the score, it is a bit hit or miss. Most of the songs sound identical, perhaps a bit tinny due to the cellphone system structure. I did notice that the "Long Way to Go" theme of the Mysidia Tower of Worship sounded superior. Me like.

The sound effects are the same as well as all the spells and weapons, which is also expected. Moving on.

One of the hardest areas to address in a sequel is its gameplay: Change too little and you risk being unable to attract a new audience. Change too much and you'll lose the established audience from the previous game. It is a balancing act indeed.

The After Years decided to go for the established fans, greatly pleasing this reviewer (who is not a fan of the 3D Final Fantasy remakes on the Nintendo DS; they are fine games, but would have been much better in high res 2D, rather than low-res and choppy 3D.) The point being that the gameplay in this game is identical to the system used in Final Fantasy IV. All stats and magic spells are gained by leveling up, no materia, no junctioning, just simple RPG mechanics.

There are some changes, mostly because the game would be a little too close to others without them. The second moon continually influences the game's system, affecting not only which monsters appear in each area but your party's attacks. Some phases can bring very tough monsters in certain areas, so be sure to check the towns to know which phases for which areas to avoid. There are several phases of the moon, from full moon to new moon. Each of these phases affects different things. One phase can bring greater attack power, another more powerful black magic. These phases encourage the player to show some variety offensively if they don't want to have a needlessly difficult time.

The Band system works much like the Team Tech system of Chrono Trigger. Unlike that system, the Bands must first be discovered by selecting characters, rather than simply gaining the right character abilities. You select the Band Command and which characters to try; thinking of their ingame relationship helps to figure out who is likely to have such attacks. If you are correct, the attack is completed and permanently added to your commands. I've only discovered a few, all of which involve attacking multiple enemies, like Ceodore's team up with Biggs and Wedge. A neat addition with much needed visual flair. Let's hope some really impressive Bands are in the works for later chapters, I can certainly think of some key character combinations that would yield great team up attacks!

I was a bit surprised at the high difficulty of the After Years. Much like the original Famicom version of Final Fantasy IV, many enemies can just kick your ass if you don't use each character's abilities well. Rosa had to heal pretty much all the time. The same is true in this game, even to the point of some unfairness. There are enemies that will counter specific attacks with abilities designed to freeze your character. If this happens with other monsters still alive, you may soon be dead.

This was an aspect of Final Fantasy IV that I didn't care for, at first. It seemed to make the combat needlessly difficult and frustrating. Now I recognize that it is really part of the strategy. These battles quickly become tedious; as your combat techniques are limited (and the encounter rate is still very high) so having the player not just have to press one button over and over does a lot.

There are several tough bosses in the game that require careful attacking and diligent healing. Of course, level grinding is always an option if you are stuck in a tough spot. Because grinding can take time, the game will encourage you to move. Still, as with most RPG's, this game is only as hard as you make it. Just be prepared for a lengthy time investment if you want to cruise through it.

Both currently available quests have replay value through the presence of a tough bonus dungeon. This extra area contained different treasures each time you go through, so multiple trips are worth it. Also, once you finished each section, you can save your progress for importing into future chapters. This suggests that these scenarios will benefit from the extra stuff gained from the bonus dungeons. Here's hoping!

In summation, it is true retro gamers that are likely to get the most enjoyment out of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, as it takes more than playing FFIV to "get" this game. You have to be familiar with the story and the gameplay mechanics, especially how to tackle certain enemies and suchlike. In creating this game, Square Enix has shown that they care about fans of all their games, not just the most popular ones. Looking forward to future installments, and the identity of the Man in Black!

-Ugly Bob

article id: 540 | poster: uglybob