Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Final Fantasy IV: An Old Classic I Finally Played

 Reviews, Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Apr 242023
 

As a big Final Fantasy fan, one of the most notable gaps in my Final Fantasy playing history was Final Fantasy IV.

Well, no longer! Last week, I finished playing Final Fantasy IV for the first time.

(Because of the pixel remasters coming to consoles, you might assume I played it there, but the timing was actually just a coincidence; I was playing Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection digitally on my Vita.)

Final Fantasy IV puts you in the shoes of Cecil, a dark knight who begins to question the sinister order the king has given him and becomes an enemy of the kingdom as a result. It has a good story premise and some pretty interesting plot points, although I felt the story suffered from its pacing.

This is a fast-paced RPG. I finished in under 30 hours, which is quick for me playing a Final Fantasy game. But a result of the fast pacing is that I rarely felt I’d gotten to know the characters. It could have really benefited from slowing the pace a bit to show more character interactions.

Click for Final Fantasy IV spoilers
Especially since this game absolutely adores party members sacrificing themselves for you. If I’d been more attached to them, those moments would have hit harder.

On the other hand, I have to keep the context in mind. Coming off of the earlier Final Fantasy games, I can easily see how this would have felt like a huge step forward in terms of storytelling.

I also had a lot of fun playing it. Final Fantasy IV’s combat is a relatively basic turn-based combat system, but each character has a fairly unique way to be utilized in combat. It was challenging without feeling overbearing. Exploration was also enjoyable; while there were only a handful of reasons to deviate from the story path, I appreciated that the dungeons had items and secrets areas without being mazes (aside from a couple).

Now, I did end up with unintentional stress during my playthrough when all of my save files abruptly vanished while I was playing. I’ve had concerns about my Vita memory card for quite a while, but this is the first time it did that. Fortunately, since I was in-game while it happened, I was able to save again.

I’m happy I played Final Fantasy IV. It’s not a new favorite for me, but it was an enjoyable game. Since I have the Complete Collection, I’ll eventually play The After Years, too.

From the mainline Final Fantasy series, I’ve now played Final Fantasy III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XIII, part of XIV, and XV. Since I tried I and II but couldn’t get into them, Final Fantasy XII stands out as the next notable gap, but with Final Fantasy XVI less than two months away, it’s safe to say that’s what my next Final Fantasy game will be.

Have you played Final Fantasy IV? If not, it’s readily available now thanks to the PSP collection, the DS remake, the PC port of the DS version, and the pixel remaster available on PC, mobile, PS4, and Switch.

Final Fantasy XVI Has Gone Gold

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Mar 312023
 

Final Fantasy XVI, my second-most anticipated game of the year, has officially gone gold.

Square Enix made the announcement in a tweet that also includes another look at the adorable Torgal plushies I wish they’d sell as merchandise.

I haven’t been following Final Fantasy XVI too closely to avoid spoilers, although I did check out the “World of Valisthea” trailer to see the gameplay environments, since exploration is the one thing I still have questions about. From that trailer alone, the world looks beautiful.

Final Fantasy XVI is due out on June 22, so if the game has already gone gold, I think it’s safe to say we don’t have to worry about any delays.

While I had some concerns early on, I’ve been getting more and more excited for Final Fantasy XVI. April is supposed to feature news about exploration and RPG elements, so I’ll be looking forward to that. Now, I still don’t have a PS5, since there haven’t been enough exclusives to convince me, but this should be the game that gets me to take the plunge.

Discourse around Final Fantasy XVI has caused this strange divide where some people think it’s a disastrous insult to Final Fantasy and other people think it will be the greatest, most innovative game that ever existed. I fall somewhere in the middle, leaning toward the positive side. While I would have loved a turn-based Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XVI looks like it’s shaping up to be a great game.

Are you excited for Final Fantasy XVI? Do you want to buy a Torgal plush? Were you surprised to hear it’s gone gold this far ahead of launch?

(In unrelated news, I saw an article from Noisy Pixel saying a Tokyo Xanadu sequel is being teased, but since the article warns of spoilers and I haven’t finished Tokyo Xanadu yet, I didn’t look into it any further. Here’s hoping I finish my Tokyo Xanadu playthrough in the near future. Then we can actually talk about the potential sequel tease!)

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis Beta Delayed to Summer

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Dec 122022
 

It’s been a while since we last heard about Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, the upcoming mobile game intended to cover the entire Final Fantasy VII Compilation.

It was supposed to receive a beta test this year, but that never happened.

Well, a new trailer has finally comes out, and it turns out the Ever Crisis closed beta test has been delayed to summer 2023. That’s quite a delay, especially for just the beta.

The new trailer shows a glimpse at how you’ll select episodes to play through, combat from different points in the timeline, and a few other scenes, including a look at the Chocobo Farm, where it seems you’ll be able to trade medals for a Chocobo.

(Seeing the “Draws” menu option reminds me that this is unfortunately a gacha game, but I’m still hoping it won’t be too intrusive.)

We also get another look at short-haired, younger Sephiroth at the end of the trailer.

A few scenes show characters fighting in scenes where they don’t belong, but previous interviews had implied that’s a thing for replaying chapters, so I’m not too worried about it. I have mixed feelings about Ever Crisis since I’m not a fan of gacha games, but I’m still interested in seeing what it will be like.

What do you think of Ever Crisis’s latest trailer?

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