The Final Fantasy Project: Final Fantasy IV, part 1
Artwork from a sketch by Yoshitaka Amano
There’s no game in the series that’s had a more tortured path coming over to non-Japanese markets than Final Fantasy III, but Final Fantasy IV certainly deserves a nod, especially as it’s the subject of a lot of rumors and aspersions that simply aren’t true. Everyone knows that it was released as Final Fantasy II originally, that the version released in the US was easier than the one released in Japan four months earlier, that a lot of it was censored… you get the idea. And, unfortunately, even with the ability to clear up a lot of misconceptions now, they persist just the same.
Let’s start at the beginning. Final Fantasy IV started development after Final Fantasy III‘s release simultaneously with Final Fantasy V… sort of. Square was working on two titles for the two Nintendo consoles: Final Fantasy IV for the Famicom, Final Fantasy V for the Super Famicom. Limitations of resources meant that the idea of another Famicom game was scrapped, and instead all of the resources were brought over to the retitled Final Fantasy IV. The Famicom game was apparently about 80% done and some elements were supposedly reused, but it’s never been stated what, exactly, got reused. (I have speculations, but that can come later.)
Demo Driver 8: Blade Kitten (#353)
It’s nice when something turns out better than you had any expectations it would be, definitely.
While I like Steam’s integration of Metacritic into its client, sometimes that can sort of send up red flags right away. Blade Kitten‘s aggregate score of 52 certainly didn’t do it any favors. But that’s the most straightforward part here.
Blade Kitten is a side-scrolling platformer based off of a comic… or it’s a platformer that also has a comic… or some combination thereof. I’m not clear on the exact timeline. What I am clear on is that Krome Studios employed the artist as creative director, launched the game with Atari, then got caught up in Atari’s slow-motion self-destruction and had to wait for a long while to get the rights back for the game, which apparently kind of killed the comic, too? There hasn’t been an update there since 2012.
All that backstory aside, the game is now back in the hands of Krome Studios, but with a dismal review score. Is it any good? Does it deserve that score? What did it do to garner such vigorous fans other than having a pink-haired catgirl as the main character? Actually, the last one might answer its own question.
The Final Fantasy Project: Final Fantasy’s first generation
Artwork from a sketch by Yoshitaka Amano
You know what I really wish the end of Final Fantasy III signified? That I could move off of my PSP. Sure, I love the system, but I’d really like to be playing these games in a format that allows for proper screenshots. Alas, the rules I’ve laid out keep me on this handheld through Final Fantasy IV and points related, not that things get much better once I move on to Final Fantasy V.
What it actually symbolizes, however, is that I’ve finished up the last game in the franchise that appeared on the NES, or the Famicom if you’d prefer. All three editions are remakes, yes, but the original games started life in the 8-bit era. It’s an interesting element that’s easy to overlook in favor of strict linear progression, but I think it has important implications and information about the franchise as a whole. Yes, in some ways the hardware was just that – hardware, the stuff powerful enough to run these games. But it also has implications for breaking up the flow of the series and how it’s evolved over time.
Telling Stories: Three big memories (and why they stand out)
Over the years, I’ve done a lot of roleplaying. So much so that honestly, I don’t remember most of it.
I don’t mean this in the sense that I’m not paying attention, just that roleplaying enough means that things are slowly going to fade into memory. You can’t be expected to hold onto a decade of memories with perfect clarity if you’d like to remember trivia like the names of your cats and whether or not you paid the phone bill.
But some stuff sticks out, memories that you couldn’t get rid of even if you tried. So here are a few of my best, as well as some thoughts about why I still remember these and what lessons you can learn from them, good and bad. Because there’s a reason why a lot of roleplaying fades into the background as “important but not memorable” while other pieces stick out for years afterward.
The Final Fantasy Project: Final Fantasy III, part 11
Artwork from a sketch by Yoshitaka Amano
Fun story about the endgame area here: while the game was still in design, it was discussed whether the last area should feature a save point or not. It was decided against because it would make the game “too easy.” So instead, you have to fight six bosses and climb through a huge long dungeon with no chance of saving, and if you die for any reason you have to do the whole thing all over. Thanks, guys. That was a great decision and I’m super glad you made it.
Those irritations I’ve had about the remake come full circle here; these bosses posed enough of a challenge in the original, but giving them all extra attacks results in the degenerate state wherein one of them can literally kill you in one turn if you get unlucky. Seriously, you could at least have added a “continue” option for groups that get unlucky. Throw us a bone here. I suppose it is the source of darkness, though, you can expect certain amounts of unfairness.
Recent Work
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Chocobo Dash
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Eliot Lefebvre 