Final Fantasy IV DS

Gameplay

The Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV has had a whole load of enhancements over the original game, which was released in 1991, and the most obvious updates are those on the graphical side.

The Nintendo DS is never going to be able to offer up fantastic pixel-pushing power and all games on the platform are definitely held back by the fact that DS platform struggles even to run optimised versions of Quake.

Still, despite the technical hold-backs, Final Fantasy IV DS manages to look pretty good for the most part and makes the most of the hardware it can – everything is now in lovely and colourful 3D, with full voice acting and the occasional FMV sequence ported over from earlier remakes of the game.

The gameplay system too has seen some updates, ranging from the banal to the inspired. At the most basic, the control system has been updated to take the Nintendo DS touch screen into account – you can now move about using the stylus, and we suggest you do as it’s a lot easier than holding down the ‘Run’ button and mashing the D-Pad back into the chassis.


Other gameplay updates are a little better thought out and really do show off cleverness. Take Whyt for example, one of the summon monsters in the game. In any other game these summon monsters would make a quick appearance when you used or encountered them and that would be it, but here you can take time to update and customise Whyt using the touch screen and stylus combo. You’d be surprised how strong an attachment you can build with him because of this.

Then, obviously, there are minigames too. This is a Nintendo platform obviously, so every game on it has to have at least one minigame or activity and I’m struggling right now to think of an exception to that rule. Here though, the minigames are worth a bit more than as an idle and pointless distraction and can be used to increase the power of Whyt in battle.

Aside from these enhancements though the basic gameplay for Final Fantasy IV DS is the same as it’s been in nearly all the FF games...and if you ask us then that’s perhaps the biggest failing, not of the game, but of the series. By updating and remaking FF IV, SquareEnix has made it abundantly clear exactly how little the series has changed over the years and how desperately an overhaul is perhaps needed.

Now, yes, we know that there are some fairly big tweaks. Job systems and Digital Mind Waves and Kittens From Venus and so on have all cropped up over the years, but underneath the gameplay has remained basically the same and the turn-based gameplay and old-school presentation of Final Fantasy IV do make it seem a little outdated.


Naturally though, if old-school Final Fantasy is what you’re after or you fancy a simple, traditional RPG with easy to grasp mechanics then Final Fantasy IV DS is exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re hoping for something a bit more up to date though then the very structure of FFIV means that it may seem like it’s left behind a little.

Conclusions

As a Japanese RPG, Final Fantasy IV falls prey to a lot of the same pros and cons of other games in the genre. The pros? Well, it’s certainly long and it’s got a whole bunch of little extra features in there to give it more depth and replayability – form the New Game+ option through the expanded bestiary.
The cons meanwhile are that the storyline is convoluted, dense and intimidating. There’s a lot of characters talking about their feelings and their ethics all the other things that the floppy-fringed sword-swingers care about. The story also feels like it’s needlessly padded out at points, which somewhat undermines the really nice touches like being able to see the thoughts of the characters as you play the game.

By and large though, the game is still an enjoyable and adventurous romp, with graphics which are impressive for the platform and an intuitive control system driving the entire experience. The addition of the new minigames and the way that they tie into the game directly rather than proving a pointless aside is something else we approve of.

Final Fantasy IV DS isn’t a massive step forward for the series, nor is it a hugely original or must-have title. What it is though is is a capable and enjoyable adaptation of a classic, if overly wordy, game that should prove a good fit for anyone who wants some old school RPG fun.

What our scores mean