Happy new year and welcome to another edition of Retro Game of the Week. Now that you are all partied off it's time for another great game to play. You might have a hangover and be on the couch all day but that won't stop you from enjoying games right? Well, I hope not. This time around we have a Wiiware title released in 2009. I know this is a retro gaming related post and it does hold true as the game plays like an oldie. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years takes you back to a world of great adventure! If you are a Final Fantasy veteran(Like me) You are going to enjoy this one as it'll take you to events years later after the original Final Fantasy IV story ended. Wouldn't you enjoy such a great blast from the past? I know I did!
The game starts you off in a quest to become a knight. You play as Ceodore, son of Cecil who is accompanied by Biggs and Wedge to help you on your quest. As usual you should know that when characters are named Biggs and Wedge, they usually hit the bucket real quickly(Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy VI did this). The game plays like its 1991 counterpart and delivers remixed music from the same with great success. It's such a blast from the past listening to the battle music of Final Fantasy IV once more. The world of Final Fantasy IV hasn't change much and there will be more than one familiar face I'm sure you'll recognize with ease. Remember, it has been years after so some of these characters are either older or just grown up. Moving on, the battle system delivers the same Final Fantasy IV experience although there may be times that battles just keep coming up over and over without letting you explore more than two steps. It's bearable though mainly because fighting is so much fun. The game does have a very unbalanced gold to experience ratio as once you move further in the game, you will get over 3k of experience while only gain around 500 gold. It's not surprising though as the original was somewhat like this. It's helpful in the end as leveling up is quite easy. I was able to level up over fifteen times in less than an hour!
The game will have a very interesting story that mainly involves Cecil and this mysterious girl who is after the crystals. Kain also makes a big entrance and is part of the main story. I wish I could tell you much more but I wouldn't want to spoil everything, it's just a great ordeal! You will for sure venture into similar territory and might get confused for a second thinking you are playing Final Fantasy IV once more but you are not! This is The After Years after all meaning it's not a new world but an older one.
I do suggest this game for hardcore Final Fantasy veterans and retro RPG fanatics. I don't think it's for everyone as it contains a lot of old school gameplay that might scare some gamers off(Not me!). The game does deliver a fascinating experience and has many extras with it as well. Sadly, that's the bad part of it as you'll need to spend 800 wii points (8 dollars) For the first part of the main story and another 800 wii points (8 dollars) For the second part of it. Then you have all the side stories from all the characters of the original which will cost you 300 wii points (3 dollars) Each! And there are around five or six of them which means you'll be spending a vast amount of money for it. But there is light at the end of the tunnel as there is going to be a release of all of this for the good old PSP with the Ultimate Final Fantasy IV Collection. I'm going to be savvy here and wait for it to come out, it will be a game to add to my collection for sure~! Until next week!
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