The thing most people miss when discussing the character fakeout deaths in this game is that Palom, Porum, Yang, and Cid all give themselves to save their friends, thus they are rewarded with renewed life. This is in stark contrast to Tellah, who destroys himself out of desire for revenge.
@thirdplanet4471
Жыл бұрын
Okay thats an interesting thought I never considered
@matthewj7800
Жыл бұрын
Yup! Does Tellah make an appearance with everyone else right before the battle with Zeromus? I can’t remember.
@BillyLavoie
Жыл бұрын
He does with Anna
@shadowdoglaw257
Жыл бұрын
@@matthewj7800yes he’s standing next to Edward
@SuperSugar
Жыл бұрын
This is a great point! Thanks for sharing.
@loganhayse8771
Жыл бұрын
The fact that Nobuo Uematsu felt that someone else had better music than him just makes me appreciate both of them even more. It's always humbling to hear someone whose considered an expert in his field give someone else praise while belittling his own.
@diegoarmando5489
11 ай бұрын
Hot Take: Noriyuki Iwadare has the most impressive body of work. I mean, the same guy composed Langrisser, Lunar, Grandia, most of Ace Attorney (including two of its three strongest OSTs in AA3 and AAI2), and the criminally-underrated Monstania.
@loganhayse8771
11 ай бұрын
@@diegoarmando5489 AA had some great tracks. I'm assuming you mean Godot's track with that smooth sax as he takes a sip of coffee?
@Awesmic1
Жыл бұрын
Andrew Bluett, if I had to put anyone's face in the Mount Rushmore of Final Fantasy retrospectives, you're definitely one who deserves it, full stop. These last 3 retrospectives - including this one - have me put in awe. From the meticulous research to the finely-tuned script to the articulate delivery of the narration, I could feel the passion and care put into this work with every chapter. I can only imagine what a popcorn-worthy event the next two retrospectives are gonna be like. Keep up the phenomenal work, and stay encouraged.
@CatVisionTM
Жыл бұрын
Big agree!
@Chelaxim
Жыл бұрын
Andrew Bluett,RRPGReviews,Resonant Arc and ClementJ64. I'm going to give an edge to RRPGReviews to actually doing a complete series retrospective...as in actually playing Final Fantasy XI. People when playing Dissidia and World of Final Fantasy be like: wow Shantoto sure does seem to streal every scene she's in...not going to play her game tho...
@lauraharris559
Жыл бұрын
So I've watched an embarrassing amount of FF4 perspectives, but this is by far the most detailed informative iteration ever. Very well written. I very much enjoyed thank you
@StewNWT
Жыл бұрын
me too FFIV is my favourite game of all time - so I've consumed all the media related to it.
@lauraharris559
Жыл бұрын
@StewNWT I'd have to put ff6 above it but ff4 was my first love
@StewNWT
Жыл бұрын
@@lauraharris559 Love FF6 - wish we'd gotten FF5 back on the SNES so we'd have the same emotional attachment to it that we do the other two Secret of mana, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom, Chrono Trigger, Wild Arms 1 and Suikoden 1 are the other games that I have an overwhelming emotional attachment to
@lauraharris559
Жыл бұрын
@StewNWT don't get me started on Chrono trigger n Secret of mana. I'm still so obsessed with them n their sound tracks omg!
@lauraharris559
Жыл бұрын
@@StewNWT also I love that u said lufia fortress of doom. Everyone always skips that. I loved it
@hentaispyder
Жыл бұрын
My Grandmother first introduced me to this game and gaming as a whole. with her passing away recently this brought a lot of tears. thank you for putting so much effort into this video. while not the best game, it has been my favorite FF for years.
@soundofmouse
Жыл бұрын
That's beautiful. RIP, super cool Grandma
@kylemundy8871
Жыл бұрын
Badass grandma bud
@renav.3239
Жыл бұрын
an interesting point to make here about Cecil as a paladin fighting his Dark Knight self it wasnt available in the original SNES version but in all other versions, as a Dark Knight Cecil's "Darkness" ability (only thing the D.K. uses in the first fight as a paladin) damages everything on screen and also damages the user. So by not fighting, and by in fact HEALING himself, Cecil is not destroying the Dark Knight within; he's letting the Dark Knight destroy himself. That's the juxtaposition between the Dark Knight and the Paladin; the formers power comes from reckless decay, the latters from preservation and protection.
@soundofmouse
Жыл бұрын
Brilliantly put
@Twinstrumental
Жыл бұрын
It ends on a high note!! 😂 All 4 of these have been brilliant. If you want some music to toss in to part 5,6 etc. feel free to use any of our covers!
@trustytrest
Жыл бұрын
FF4 was my first ever RPG, and it still holds a place in my heart to this day. The simple core concept of the game, seeing a Dark Knight redeem himself and become a Paladin, is still effective and surprisingly uncommon to this day. Usually heroes are blank slates or already start out good, not being legitimately bad people who walk the path of redemption. It says something that one of the only other games I can think where this happens is Deus Ex, the original where he defects from the evil gov't agency.
@catocall7323
Жыл бұрын
Me too, it was brilliant and I still love the storyline and it's bittersweet notes
@driftingswordsmanzer
Жыл бұрын
It was my first final fantasy, it definitely holds a place in my heart. I’ve played it so many times.
@CurlyFromTheSwirly
6 ай бұрын
I love FF4. I had played some Dragon Warrior games, and liked them, but was completely blown away by this plot. There are opinions that Cecil wasn't really evil though. He was just misguided. Actually, since the king raised him it was easy for him to be deceived. Cecil didn't just decide to be spoiled and evil. I loved FF6 & 7 as well, but that's a different story. However, I will say that even though FF6 had better tech development, FF4 was a little better except the ending.
@nrrork
Жыл бұрын
Put the Avenger sword on Kain and have Rydia cast Bio. It'll kill the trap door before it even has a chance to take out a party member. Plus, you gain a TON of levels in that dungeon.
@ericbristow2601
Жыл бұрын
Actually if you cast reflect on the character they target, it will kill the door.
@Zarggg
Жыл бұрын
The first segment, "Coming to America" could be a video essay in its own right. Well done.
@rustyshackle8000
Жыл бұрын
This video is like finding the Holy Grail. I grew up with the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV as a fixture of my childhood. It's definitely not a perfect game, maybe even not one of the best FF games, but it will always be my personal favorite. Thank you so much!
@alpsi285
Жыл бұрын
IV is not just my favorite FF. It's my favorite game of all time
@withbravado1548
Жыл бұрын
This is the best Final Fantasy 4 retrospective I’ve ever seen. Thank you for making this!
@zyrkugilgamesh
Жыл бұрын
kzitem.info/news/bejne/raqBqoitn19qemU
@li21nljasndvkljhnakshedbxxc
Жыл бұрын
Please check the other vids on this channel, its turning out to be be the best FF retrospective series of all
@xamos26
Жыл бұрын
I've enjoyed Final Fantasy for decades now but this one holds a very special place in my heart. My brother and I were never drawn into a game so intensely before this one. The story, the music, the sound effects, every little thing is engrained into me. This video puts many feelings into words I could never have done myself.
@cam9144
Жыл бұрын
I am in the exact same boat. Everything about this game takes me back to 1994 when my brother and I played it together. The OST never fails to get me emotional. This game has been a mandatory yearly play ever since.
@doublestarships646
Жыл бұрын
Thank God someone finally explained a lot of the religious influences in a video. It's amazing how many reviews or retrospects left out so much details of this game. Good job dude.
@sentientmeat96
2 күн бұрын
Check out the homie Ludiscere; he did it 1st n equally as well imo
@doublestarships646
Күн бұрын
@@sentientmeat96 Oh cool! Thanks!
@sentientmeat96
Күн бұрын
@@doublestarships646 np - hope u enjoy
@StewNWT
Жыл бұрын
Also the music that plays during the ending for this game - esp when the red moon departs earth's orbit and off into space makes me cry. It is so fucking magical
@jmh8817
Жыл бұрын
All this time I thought FF's iconic character-centric storytelling started in IV as a natural consequence of having more cartridge size for loads of text and the staff having enough preestablished solid game mechanics that they could spend more time on writing a good story. But no, they actually needed a WSJ editor to tell them "make it more like this". That's wild. There's a parallel universe out there in which Sakaguchi and Torishima never talked face to face, FFVII is an entirely different game that doesn't make people think about the cinematic potential of the medium and as a consequence storytelling in videogames as we know it didn't happen. Amazing series. Really looking forward to future entries.
@chuckelator
Жыл бұрын
Final Fantasy IV is my favorite Final fantasy, and its in my top five games of all time...I love it so much..
@drakeamendola7647
Жыл бұрын
This is not only one of the best documentaries I've seen covering the development, reception and impact of a Final Fantasy game (and KZitem has more than a few of those!) but also a fantastic piece of capital c Criticism in the classic sense. An absolutely engaging and entertaining watch!
@kayzaac
Жыл бұрын
The augment system pushed the 3D version way up for me. Cecil being a paladin didn't ever feel like it truly translated into gameplay until I set him up with Draw Attacks + Brace. *That* was when the paladin truly sheathed his sword. I never used to think that tanks were actually an effective class in any of the older FF games, but that game changed my outlook. Plus, imparting stuff from one party member to another was just spicy and fun, with various advantages which were much appreciated cause the DS version was hard as hell, and I loved that. Going back to the whole thing about translating story and character into gameplay, the harder difficulty of the DS version made me see finally how strategic and exciting FF4's battle could actually be. Can't praise it enough for that.
@genericworm2346
Жыл бұрын
a neat fact about zeromus EG in the GBA version is that the Dark Eidolons do an entirely different thing here. in this fight they basically cast bad breath and bypass his status immunities. I cleared the lunar ruins with every character and turned him into a toad for the entire duration of one fight :3
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
That's amazing.
@Fall-oo6mt
7 күн бұрын
lol me too, i laughed my ass off when that happened
@MegamanNG
Жыл бұрын
This is what I have been waiting for. Been binging this so much that I yearn for this. I really am. Now the wait begins for number V aka my favorite FInal Fantasy game ever.
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
You won't have to wait as long as you did for this one.
@MegamanNG
Жыл бұрын
@@AndrewBluett Can't wait. Been my go to videos to binge.
@MegamanNG
Жыл бұрын
@Kieran and Jade Yes indeed. I wait even now because I'm wondering what happened with V's development. Not to mention that we're heading into The Lost Decades.
@Rakka5
Жыл бұрын
Wonderful video. People always talk about 6,7 or 10 as the greatest Final Fantasy games, but 4 is easily up there too. It's a masterfully done game that has aged beautifully, especially with the new remaster.
@WesleyWyndam-Pryce
10 ай бұрын
IV is my second favorite and I see it as perhaps the most important Final Fantasy aside from the original game that started it all. IV is what took the series to a new level and changed lanes so as not to be just another Dragon Quest clone. It paved the road and what came after was all due to the success of Final Fantasy IV.
@CurlyFromTheSwirly
6 ай бұрын
@CelesChere9999 4 was definitely a milestone in the series/franchise. So was 6, as it broke away from the clasd system, introduced magicite which became materia in 7. For me, I found myself comparing 4 & 6 (which were released as 2 & 3 in America). After beating 6 I said to myself, 4 was the better game but the end to 6 was awesome.
@TheNuts1225
Жыл бұрын
One thing that's funny about the 3d version is that you can carry over your soma drops into new game plus and give them to Tellah so he can cast meteor. It one shots everything and is hilarious.
@emeraldnoir7099
Жыл бұрын
The muiscal theme for the 4 fiends will always be a favorite of mine. It sets such a monterous tone for the for lords of the elements and the way the game uses it in the first battle against one is amazingly well done. You get a normal boss theme, then defeat the creature as normal. but then.... You get a surprise attack from the now dead-form of the creature and that epic battle theme plays as the true battle begins. I love their theme.
@josephsmith7668
5 күн бұрын
I first gained sentience watching my dad flying over the magma pits to the eidolon village. This game is my childhood man.
@archagenteverlasting1239
Жыл бұрын
I'm so excited! Final Fantasy IV is just an incredible work. Really happy to hear your thoughts.
@B33FY2011
Жыл бұрын
Wow, after watching these 4 retrospectives, I can't wait for the next one to drop. I have never seen or heard these games been talked about in so much detail. These are the best I have ever seen on KZitem, and I am glad that I have become a patreon of yours, absolutely brilliant work.
@starro54
Жыл бұрын
Final Fantasy IV is my favourite Final Fantasy game. Arguably my favorite game of all time. To see such a well-written, well-researched, and deeply passionate retrospective makes me so happy!
@justin-md4xm
Жыл бұрын
It was like a college thesis
@SussyPoster69
Жыл бұрын
This video introduced me to a film I would have never watched otherwise. It's right up there with my favorites. Thank you so much
@jjcoola998
9 ай бұрын
This video unlocked an old memory from elementary school of us kids on the playground arguing about how to pronounce "Paladin" since back then that was not a word you'd see anywhere.
@katdoghawk
Жыл бұрын
Learning a lot of cool things here. One that just kinda blew my mind was the rabbit on the moon myth. I always thought the punishment Goku doled out to Monster Carrot in Dragonball was a bit harsh... but now I get it--he put the rabbit on the moon! I love it
@felipejanuariodeoliveira3185
Жыл бұрын
"Babe, wake up, new Final Fantasy Retrospective just dropped" Seriously, everytime I get the notificafion, the serotonin flood is instantaneous. Congratulations for another excellent video, I can't wait for the 6+ hours retrospective on FF Mystic Quest bwahahahhaha
@alanpapercuts3717
Жыл бұрын
Didn't think there was anything about FFIV left for me to learn. I was wrong.
@ACameronUK
Жыл бұрын
I’ve really enjoyed watching all these retrospectives so far ☺️ thanks for all the great work
@davidhill8565
Жыл бұрын
Instead of involving himself in Final Fantasy VI, Takashi Tokita would later spearhead Live-A-Live, which stayed in Japan until 2022.
@derpaderpaderpader
2 ай бұрын
This is the game that i grew up playing with my cousin. Yes, we played. There was never a dull moment to talk about whether it was killing a Red Dragon 3, looting some dragon or glass armor, and even maybe getting the pink tail. FF 2 (IV) for life!
@guillermoalcala5047
Жыл бұрын
Your retrospective is AMAZING, you have no idea how much I enjoyed watching this full video. Keep up the GREAT work man, I truly appreciate what you did since FFIV is one of my childhood treasures I used to play with my brothers when we were kids. Greetings from Monterrey, México!
@medyoscientific
Жыл бұрын
Holy shit. Whereas most retrospectives focus on a game's place within the broader series, with MAYBE some comments on the development cycle, you blow us away with the entire matrix of connections to Reaganism, Nintendo's marketing semiotics, copyright struggles, AND everything else, too. Incredible work.
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I find too many people look at FF games within the context of the wider series with a modern lens, with just a bit of obligatory historical context that doesn't really have much weight. It's why a lot of people reduce FF3 to just a lesser FF5, for example. But this series has so much rich history that goes totally unobserved and underdiscussed as a result.
@notsyzagts7967
Жыл бұрын
More tangentially related information doesn't necessarily make for a better video. You're obviously one of those people who think "more is more". To each their own...
@medyoscientific
Жыл бұрын
@@notsyzagts7967 Just like all quick-draw armchair psychoanalysis over the internet, I think that's overly reductive, because i do think that more *quality information is better. Not all of it was absolutely necessary, but it sure as hell gave more context than other retrospective vids. In any case, as you say, it is what it is.
@jobdoneproductions
Жыл бұрын
I did not expect an ffiv analysis to start with shots at reaganism but I'm here for it
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
My only regret was that I couldn't get footage of me pissing on his grave.
@jozurat5783
Жыл бұрын
I really appreciate how much research and work you put into making your videos. Keep up the good work, and I’ll keep watching them!
@caseyhayes4590
Жыл бұрын
FF3 famicom has insane depth for an 8 bit gme. In some ways FF IV is a step back in everywhere but story.
@osurpless
Жыл бұрын
Yep, a recent realization when playing the pixel remaster is that VI essentially revisited the Onion Knight with Onion equipment secret via the Imp equipment. Both classes that are normally very weak, but with the right equipment?
@MrMatthias
11 ай бұрын
Final Fantasy IV was the first video game I ever truly loved. While I cannot say it is objectively the best, it's still to this day my favorite.
@45jacky77
Жыл бұрын
This was my first final fantasy I played. Everybody says 6 was their favorite on snes and everybody in the western world says 7 is the overall best but to me for will always be m y favorite.
@OG_Gamer_Hoff
Жыл бұрын
I enjoyed this retrospective thoroughly. There a great amount of information and insight that I had not heard in other videos. I cannot wait to see what comes next from your channel!
@leogh1378
Жыл бұрын
Bruh, this is leagues and lightyears exceeding the average youtube retro video game retrospective. Man has immersed me in the cultural context of the game's release, that takes real vision and the talent to express it. And now I've got the whole channel to chew through!
@aparker884
Жыл бұрын
I completed this game on Nintendo DS but I now have the collection on switch. I bought the bundle and I have battle network legacy collection as well because I am going to be having surgery. If I end up staying overnight then I want to have amazing games with me.
@matthewj7800
Жыл бұрын
Yeah this is like a retrospective and iceberg blended together seamlessly. Can’t wait to view your videos for the next two entries.
@HighPriestFuneral
Жыл бұрын
Spectacular work! FFIV is my favorite of the series and you've done it a great service here. I appreciate that you are able to look at things within their context and time, instead of applying modern day sensibilities onto narrative, characters, and systems. Not just that, but some of your inferences are quite impressive. I thought when you got to "the based on" part it was just going to be Star Wars, but no. You managed to intelligently tie it into Dante's Inferno, far beyond just the Four Elemental Fiends. The Biblical allusions are always such an interesting part of Final Fantasy, and the "stations" of Mt. Ordeals are indeed strange. That you also managed to tie Cecil's journey into a somewhat obscure movie with a similar plot synopsis is quite curious. I personally never believed Tokita when he said "Oh yeah, all that was cut... all 80% of it, was just extraneous dialogue detail. Don't worry about it." I feel that there were significant portions of the plot that were excised or pared down from their original intention. For instance, Cid's role is very brief, nothing more than two dungeons. Okay, sure... but the thing is that you don't even get to utilize the power of his hammers in those two dungeons. His weapons have x4 damage against Machines, in which you fight none in the time that he is in the party. You also brought up Porom's useless Cry command which screams cut content and plans. (There's also an odd programmed reaction that you can't use Cover as Paladin Cecil if Dark Knight Cecil is in the party. Well... you *can* use it, but it doesn't do anything.) Some of this may have been put into FF4A and the 3D versions but... I'm a little suspicious, personally.
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! One of the major goals with this series is to examine these games within the context of their time, as someone who is playing through them for the first time in release order, while also imparting more than a Western-centric viewpoint on them as most on KZitem are wont to do. As for Tokita's 80% claims, I personally have no reason to believe anything vital to the main story (i.e. Cecil's story) had been cut. Subplots with other characters likely were pared down significantly if not cut altogether, but we may never know for sure. We don't even know if Theodore's flashback in the 3D version was cut from the originally or fabricated whole-cloth for the remake, where there were far fewer restrictions on the length of the script. Tokita could have restored so much more in later versions, and the 3D version in particular would have been the time to do it. Yet aside from slightly more dialogue and the aforementioned Theodore flashback...nada. Maybe he realized the cut dialogue was best left on the cutting room floor. Maybe he didn't want to do too much that would be seen as changing the story from the 1991 version. Regardless, I didn't go into it because there's little to go off of, and this video was already super long. There are those other interesting battle quirks, like Cid's hammers dealing 4x damage to machines, but all aside from Porom's Cry aren't obvious to the player, and even then her Cry seems to be totally superfluous on the surface due to a lack of explanation in-battle.
@JGRICH61
Жыл бұрын
Beautiful video of the greatest RPG ever made (IMO). I was born in 82 , and the summer of 91 was incredible. Or maybe it was summer 92. Amazing memories. I remember leaving summer camp early , coming home with no parents home and firing up FF4 for hhooouuurs before my parents came home.
@leargamma4912
Жыл бұрын
DQ 5, Chrono trigger, and several others are Leagues better than the pile of dogsh^t known as FF4. I don't get how people love this game
@dimitrisrigakis4367
Жыл бұрын
Just watched two more great (and super lengthy) Final Fantasy IV retrospectives, and I'm ready to dive into this one as well. Seeing so many different people putting so much effort in these great video essays is really astonishing.
@CatVisionTM
Жыл бұрын
Dude thank you for being the only guy making a FFIV retrospective to defend the “spoony bard” beat. It made me and friends laugh when this game was current and still makes me laugh to this day, and I agree it describes Edward to a T. I loved every minute of this, excellent work and thank you so much for it.
@mrbabluep
10 күн бұрын
I thought I know everything about those games already and theres nothing left for me to learn but each new video of yours proves me wrong. Great channel and thank you for hard work!
@tylerconley8761
Жыл бұрын
Your work gets better and better brother! This game is VERY well beloved among the fandom and you did awesome justice to this game. As usual your in depth research and descriptiveness is amazingly thorough and you explain things with a finesse that makes listening for long periods a pure delight..I'm really proud of you dude, watching you grow and improve over the years has been a real treat and I'm anxious to see the next few games come out! Keep it the grind dude..the views and recognition will come! I got a new job and I'll upgrade my patreon soon to send you some more funds each month!
@nicodemous52
Жыл бұрын
When the twins turn themselves to stone, that was the first time a video game had ever moved me to tears. I didn't even care for them as characters, I found them annoying. But nobility of if, really moved me as a kid.
@Faythe1981
Жыл бұрын
Hard same. FFIV is my favorite of the main line numbered FF games. I've probably played through the game tens of times and that scene still gets me.
@juniperbelmont
Жыл бұрын
Saaaame! It's part of why FFIV remained my fav despite my love for 6-10
@Flamsterette
Жыл бұрын
"Nobility of if"? Who's IF?
@soundofmouse
Жыл бұрын
I really didn't expect that, and was actually pretty blown away when it happened. I think they saw how Tellah sacrificed himself for the greater good, and rashly decided in their naive minds that doing the same thing was their duty
@houyo
Жыл бұрын
@@Flamsterette You know, the twins. Iggum and Fuggum.
@jamesjacques6344
Жыл бұрын
Your videos have been such a high standard of quality and grace straight from the get go. You absolutely deserve the windfall of viewership, support, and subscribers you are undoubtedly going to receive.
@zerospirit
Жыл бұрын
Best weapon was always yangs silverware. I remember laughing at throwing a spoon at the final boss for 9999 damage.
@CurlyFromTheSwirly
6 ай бұрын
Edge throws weapons. I always save Excalibur and throw it for 9999 damage to Zeromous. Edge usually gets the final hit.
@andrewlavigne44
Жыл бұрын
Zemus might be inspired in design by the Nosferatu-like vampires in the 70s Salem Lot adaptation. The pose the lead vampire Barlow holds during a fairly famous scene is much like Zemus. This and similar poses was also used in a lot of promo material. It received a 1981 Japanese release in theaters.
@SilortheBlade
Жыл бұрын
I remember teenage me experiencing FFII as a rental back in the day, which then encouraged me to save my money over the summer and buy the console and game. It blew me away at the time. Great review as always.
@houyo
Жыл бұрын
You can't rent FF11, it was an MMO. This is a joke, please do not be alarmed.
@davidhill8565
8 ай бұрын
Final Fantasy IV is the first Final Fantasy game I ever played. I first played during the summer break before my sophomore year of high school, in June 1995, around the time of the theatrical run of Pocahontas, the 33rd film in the Disney animated canon. About six weeks later, Jessica Sanchez, my favorite American Idol contestant ever, was born.
@enjikari3162
Жыл бұрын
*Subscribed* This was the first FFR of yours I watched, and was immediately hooked. Again, I love the amount of historical preface you delve into. Thanks for the great content!!! I've played FFIV a handful of times, and was the first SNES FF I ever got to watch some family members play. Kinda stamps something good on your memories/heart when you see not only a close-age cousin play an SNES and a FF RPG, but also their dad/your uncle! Something about an older person playing games hits you just right. They played this, Tecmo Super Bowl, and even Clayfighter! Great game, great addition to the franchise. I still have my JP-imported FFIV soundtrack in the closet.
@davidhill8565
Жыл бұрын
The two 2D Final Fantasy trilogies are the NES trilogy (also known as the Famicom trilogy or the Nasir Gebelli trilogy), which are Final Fantasy I, II, and III; and the SNES trilogy (also known as the Super Famicom trilogy or the Ken Narita trilogy), which are Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI.
@wilsonaish
Жыл бұрын
Excellent video! I remember playing this on the SNES but don’t remember Golbez being referred to as Theodore in the original.
@ther2view
Жыл бұрын
Just discovered this channel and these retrospectives today, and I am so glad I did. Instantly subscribed. These are fantastic.
@junwhit
Жыл бұрын
I appreciate your emphasize on the development of these games. Great job.
@zankplus
Жыл бұрын
I’ve watched all four of your retrospectives now and I can’t wait for the next ones!!!!
@corrado8955
Жыл бұрын
Really appreciate the care and love that has gone into these. I grew up on these games and they are truly special.
@OYME13
Жыл бұрын
I remember playing FF1 on the original NES back when I was a kid. Dragon Warrior 1 was the first rpg I had ever played, with FF1 being the second. The magic I felt while playing FF1 was a feeling I still remember to this day. I didn't feel that same magic from an rpg again till FF4 (FF2 in the US). So many great memories of both games. I remember when the twins sacrificed themselves, I was heart broken. As much as I love many of the FF's, IV will always have a special place in my heart.
@StewNWT
Жыл бұрын
I like the higher difficulty of the 3DS remake
@WesleyWyndam-Pryce
Жыл бұрын
Same
@encharmie
Жыл бұрын
Finally reached this one! So excited to watch. I hope you continue with these because the stories behind every game get more and more interesting as time goes on. Great work! ❤
@vain_x
Жыл бұрын
Took me a couple of days but well worth it, thank you so much for this! Still my favorite FF to this day!
@edwinlee5145
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this wonderful, comprehensive retrospective. I love your incorporation of history into these retrospectives, and getting into the minds of the creators. Like I never knew Hironobu Sakaguchi was soliciting advice from Shonen Jump's editor, for example. Can't wait to see more!
@thomasffrench3639
Жыл бұрын
Final Fantasy 4 is definitely a great game. I think it is balanced very well. Some people say it is too easy, but I do like how challenging the bosses are. I played the first game on the NES Classic before Final Fantasy IV, and I found the first game much easier, because I naturally was good at source management, and it was much harder for me to go against hard bosses. I think it’s balanced perfectly. I really love the characters in this game. I feel that they used the job system of the previous game to craft characters and build off how their occupation describes and shapes who they are as people. I also think that Kain being mind controlled benefits the story more than taking away from it. The fact that it uses his weaknesses makes it feel his fault while also making it easier to join the good guy’s side. It makes him a more interesting character, while also showing his bond with Cecil. My only real issue is the fake out deaths, but the person who mentioned that the people who self sacrifice are the only ones who survived but I think it’s still a flaw. I also think that this game is perfect for beginners of the series, because it’s the start of the franchise’s most consistent stretch of the series and it introduces people to everything that would become series staples. It introduces people to the jobs which they can understand for Final Fantasy V, and the storytelling that would be expanded on Final Fantasy VI and beyond. So going in order from Final Fantasy IV onward is my recommended order
@JuliusCaesar103
Жыл бұрын
This is the first FF story that got me emotional. Great video as always
@Percsandperks
Жыл бұрын
This series is so good man. Definitely looking forward to the rest
@NeXaSLvL
Жыл бұрын
Can't believe I just binged all of these. Can't wait for the next one!
@nocturnalnights27
Жыл бұрын
This was a great retrospective, keep up the fantastic work bro!
@StewNWT
Жыл бұрын
Can we also all just agree that the FFIV final dungeon is fucking spectacular? It's one of the best RPG final dungeons every in gaming. The setting. The music. The enemies. The weapons. The weapon guarding bosses. The Crystalline core with Evil Masks, Behemoths, Red Dragons. The final boss. This game also has incredible pacing as well as fantastic power balance - I genuinely think it's the best battle system in the entire series. I LOVE having 5 people in the party, the spells are incredible and the power creep throughout the whole game is balanced SO well. This game has a god tier soundtrack - there is none in gaming more epic. I'm playing the FFIV Ultima Hack right now and loving it.
@RedSpade37
Жыл бұрын
I'm jealous! I recently found out about the Ultima Hack, but I haven't been able to play it yet. And yeah, I agree with everything you've said here!
@RedSpade37
8 ай бұрын
So what did you think about the Ultima Hack? I just finished it myself.
@StewNWT
8 ай бұрын
@@RedSpade37 I'm at the end of the game trying to tackle the various super bosses. SOme of them are insanely hard
@RedSpade37
8 ай бұрын
@@StewNWT Yeah, unfortunately, there is a pretty wild glitch that doesn't seem to be spoken of anywhere, and it makes everything far more difficult than it needs to be. The faster Cecil is (the stat with the Wing symbol on the Equip Screen), the faster the Superbosses. This was not intentional. To "remedy" this, you have to make Cecil's Speed stat as low as it can go, by unequipping any gear that boosts Speed, and equipping a Cursed Ring, which will lower his Speed. If you do this, the bosses will be much slower and much more manageable. It's unfortunate that this glitch exists, but that's just the way this hack ended up, unfortunately.
@StewNWT
8 ай бұрын
@@RedSpade37 oh fuck are you serious? I didn't know anything about that - hrm given how levelled I am that might be an issue. I mean some bosses just plain out damage me by a ton. Where did you pick up that tip?? Thanks for the info
@cydrofx
Жыл бұрын
Another fantastic documentary. I'm glad to have contributed money towards this
@MrDarchangelomni
Жыл бұрын
Anyone alive in the 80's and @ 12 yrs old when Final Fantasy came out, remembers Baron Munchausen. As well as every movie mentioned, as people alive after that time will never have to remember the years when "The Never Ending Story", "Baron Munchausen" , and "Pippi Longstocking" would play 6-8 times a day on cable tv. Then every Japanese samurai movie ever made on "Samurai Sunday" which was 24 hours of samurai films from 12:00am to 12:00am... HBO used to actually mean what the title implies, a Home Theatre where movies were back to back on repeat all day, and MTV was literally Music all the time, except for 2 shows on Liquid Television in the early am. No one had access to more than about 5 games on average, and as it so happens Final Fantasy was one that most seemed to own. So the overlap of those who initially experienced the game, and seen the references is more than likely. Life was different then, it was easy for everyone to make reference because the base of material to make reference to was a lot smaller, and shared amongst a much wider audience. Being alive in the modern world has spoiled all of us to choice, and leads to situations where two people who grew up in the same place and time might not have ever consumed the same media, this just was not possible before the internet.
@shenmuelandlord
Жыл бұрын
Went into this video as someone who doesn't like FF4 and came out of it eager to give it another chance. Fantastic retrospective! edit: still fucking hate ff4 #ff2solos #firionsweep #cecilwashed
@jjcoola998
10 ай бұрын
Please play the modern English ROM that isn't needed and has modern translations if you do give it another chance
@Gaawachan
Жыл бұрын
It's likely that the Tower of Babil in FFIV was built by the Lunarians. The people of the Blue Planet and the Lunarians are (for the most part) segregated, and Zemus is sealed away, due to the power imbalance between the people (in other words, the Lunarians were seeking to cohabitate with the the people of the Blue Planet, to unify with them). The Tower of Babil has the Giant of Babil, as a tool by which Zemus intended to commit genocide against the people of the Blue Planet, sealed within it. The allusion to the Tower of Babil becomes a bit more understandable, because it can be interpreted either as a symbol of what the Lunarians had hoped for in the future (co-existence) or as symbol of Zemus' hatred and hubris due to the Giant of Babil being connected to it. But it's a bit of a stretch maybe.
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
The 3D remake goes with this idea, but I wanted to keep the main discussion centered on the original game only. It's part of the mission statement of these videos to keep as much of the conversation rooted in what would have been contemporary knowledge and culture reference points.
@BenkaiDebussy
Жыл бұрын
I had that PS1 Chrono Trigger/FF4 "Chronicles" compilation thing! It's how I first played Chrono Trigger
@AlexDown1
Жыл бұрын
Wow, uploaded the day I just finished watching a different Final Fantasy 4 video essay.
@rejuvelaton5187
26 күн бұрын
I've watched a few of your videos so far and I must say they are master works. Thank you for your genius.
@Lenoh
Жыл бұрын
39:09 At later levels, she learns Fire2/Fira and Fire3/Firaga, but never Fire until the cutscene where she gets it. IIRC she gets Fira in her 20's.
@gregpenismith1248
Жыл бұрын
I can't wait for you to get to final fantasy 6!
@keladorn7786
Жыл бұрын
Really enjoying the Retrospective. The Free Enterprise Community believes that the Cry command was once meant to be used to modify some kind of other battle variable, I believe it was the chance of being attacked, but later went to determine the chance of steal and that this was overlooked by the dev team.
@AT-ek8br
Жыл бұрын
The production quality of this video is phenomenal
@lindenstromberg6859
Жыл бұрын
This is a very well done and thorough retrospective. I was hooked when you pointed out the slow rollout of the SNES, I wasn’t sure if that happened in the US as well, but in Europe it was a very slow rollout beginning first in major cities (I believe Stockholm and Gothenburg were the original cities of release before moving into London, Hamburg, and Amsterdam). If memory serves, the wide release of NES didn’t occur until around the time of the SNES launch. FF4, to this date, is the most expensive game I ever purchased. It was around 140 USD in 1992, equal to around 300 USD today. Note: import prices, and my parents bought it as a birthday present. While FF games didn’t officially come out to Europe until 1997, gamers were well aware of them since Final Fantasy on NES because of magazines - and any gamer worth the snot in their head had a Fire converter. Sakaguchi is an interesting figure. From what I gather, he was great at scouting talent, but despite a lot of people saying he had a lot of respect, that’s not the opinion I get from people that worked under him. I didn’t get the opinion that Xenogears/Saga/Blade creator Tetsuya Takahashi liked him very much, and that there was a lot of rebellion in the studio, eventually ending in an exodus of a lot of Square talent at the end of the PSX era that seemed ongoing until Sakaguchi himself was ousted, and things seemed to stabilize after that. I’d be curious to see your take on the matter.
@AndrewBluett
Жыл бұрын
I admittedly forgot to put I my FF1 video that, at least early on, Sakaguchi was a bit of a hardass to work under. It was in earlier drafts, but in trying to tell a particular story it fell through the cracks. But after FF1, I've not found many, if any, accounts of others finding him hard to work with, implicitly or otherwise. Though I doubt he would've softened up so quickly, I can't say for sure. As for the European side of things, I've deigned to hold off on discussing the series' history there until the FF7 video, aside from pointing out release dates of some ports and Mystic Quest. Even then, because of the size and scope of these videos, I doubt I'll go into much depth on how the European market reacted to the series.
@InfinityMayo
Жыл бұрын
Wonderful retrospective on FF4, it was great to see you cover all the differences on the ports and other entries for 4. FF5 is one of my favs, so I look forward to that eventual video
@wulfiesama
11 ай бұрын
ive been binging these retrospectives as ive been going through the pixel remasters, and seeing ff16 come up in the intro gave me goosebumps. youre a godsend
@Aviadyble
Жыл бұрын
Amazing retrospective! Eagerly awaiting the next installment :)
@Moundhousedude
Жыл бұрын
I may call out of work today just to make time to watch this.
@LockedLoadedDestruct
Жыл бұрын
As far as a retrospective goes with classic old school FF, this is a deep and well presented retrospective.
@Amuro1X
Жыл бұрын
The FF4 OST is on the same level of iconic for me as FF7. Every single one of its battle themes is a certified banger, and the Zeromus battle goes so hard. The build up to it with the Title Theme playing followed by the transition to Zeromus never fails to bring me to the brink of tears only to immediately get hype for the final battle.
@meajur
Жыл бұрын
Way back in the 90s, I first got Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, mistaking it for Final Fantasy II. Boy, was I wrong. On my second try, the following month, I got it right, and it quickly became my favorite game. I made fan comics, fanfics, and doodled the characters in my school notebooks enough times to make the teachers want to smack me upside the head. I guess I like the Wooleyisms too much because I find the various remakes to be a bit less charming. I could never figure out what Namingway was supposed to be. He looked to me like he had a huge head and a pig nose.
@allthelonely4287
Жыл бұрын
Good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t see a rabbit in Namingway’s original pixel art.
@Metal_Horror
Жыл бұрын
As an 8 or 10 year old kid in the mid 90s, I was hypnotized from the very first scene on board the Red Wings. My genre of choice immediately became the JRPG. I've considered video games an art form, a legitimate storytelling medium at least, for decades, and Squaresoft was a huge influence on that sentiment. Decades later, I'm still in awe of what serious developers were able to accomplish with so little. I'm not surprised Uematsu held the Actraiser soundtrack in such high regard. In fact that soundtrack stood out to me personally back in the day. It is certainly a technical and artistic achievement. But Uematsu's tunes are some of the most impactful and memorable tunes to me. They convey such emotion and are so exciting to listen to.. Baron Castle and The Red Wings for example.. They're filled with purpose and exciting energy. The music itself is a reason to play--in fact, the music is so strong, I wonder if a lot of these games would've had such nostalgic staying power for many of us millennials. But anyway, I consider FF4 to have the superior soundtrack, and to modern listeners, the technical 'superiority' might be hardly noticeable, if at all. FF4 has music one may remember for the rest of their life. The Japanese seem to have had a perception of video games that was much different from western audiences. I think Japanese developers have seen them as a legitimate artistic medium right from the beginning. It's always interesting to read about Japanese developers having lived under their desk, developing ulcers, and working for free, etc, even in the early 90's! They have always taken the medium very seriously and poured their heart and soul into their games. It has taken the west longer to develop this perception, and even today certain people are convinced that games are kid stuff or something that nerds do. This probably helps to explain the proliferation of the NES. I distinctly remember most of the developers of my favorite games being Japanese. I don't have any hard data, but it seems like Japan dominated the video game industry during that time, and did so for a long time.
@krillian23
Жыл бұрын
Coming across this channels awesome content and bewilderingly low views/recognition must mean I somehow was lucky enough to finally get a good timeline.
@torusorus7803
Жыл бұрын
I can only pray that you're content will be picked up more by the algorithm, the editing and research you put into your work needs to be appreciated
@HongFeiBai
Жыл бұрын
Final Fantasy IV remake was amazing, kupo. Wish we would get remakes in that style for the other games. III got the remake treatment and it was good.
Пікірлер: 555