Bang, Zoom, Straight to the Moons: My Final Fantasy IV DS Playthrough

Lock on: Final Fantasy IV DS.

Target item acquired.

Consumption attempt: negative (1000+ digestion units required, 49 available).

Recommended playthrough instead.

Current user status: moderately satisfied.

As of yesterday, I zapped Cagnazzo and unearthed the Enterprise. Cid sounds seriously weird, but at the same time I can’t deny that his voice is perfect for a beardo dressed in a blue jumpsuit, beady eyes obscured always by opaque goggles. Hell, there’s a dude dressed like that who lives on my street corner. He calls himself Jesus and sure enough, he’s got that real gruffness going on.

I’m really enjoying my playthrough thus far, but at the same time I understand why reviews are suggesting to give Final Fantasy IV DS a miss if you’ve played Final Fantasy IV Advance. Despite the graphic overhaul and the new script and new features, FF IV DS doesn’t feel very fresh. It’s the oddest thing. I know what’s coming and I know what to look forward to and what to dread (Trap Doors Trap Doors goddamn Sealed Cave and Trap Doors).

Maybe Square-Enix needed to mix things up just a little more. The great thing about Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X for the PSP is that the developers anticipated jerks like me who knew the original Mega Man X inside-out. They flipped the game on its side: not finding the dash upgrade in Chill Penguin’s stage blew my mind. I cringed into the foetal position.

The enemy attack patterns in Final Fantasy IV DS are certainly different and the bosses give no quarter; they’re not afraid to cast status ailments upon you. That’s well and good, but it would’ve been nice to see some changes in the story. Turn Cecil into a treasure hunter and Yang into the prince of a traveling kingdom.

Back to the ac-tion.

(Image copyright Square-Enix)