Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Review (WiiWare)

Episodic Game: This game is distributed in a set of chapters, each costing additional money. The base game costs 800 points/$8 and offers a tad over four hours of play, with additional chapters being released as time goes on. Thoughts on the currently available add-on chapter will be covered at the end of this review.

Reviewing a game like this is hard, because I have to speak to two audiences: Those who originally played Final Fantasy IV on the Super Nintendo well over fifteen years ago (or its more recent DS remake), and those who only recently got into gaming and may wonder why the graphics in this game are so old fashioned. Make no mistake, this is a ’retro’ game, meant to evoke the same feel as the Super Nintendo RPGs it is clearly inspired by. Set seventeen years after the events of Final Fantasy IV, you’ll meet a mix of new and old characters in this sequel.

After Years does everything it can to feel like the original game. The controls are similar (though simplified for Wiimote use, held NES style), and it’s still a traditional fantasy RPG with hit points, swords and spells, and characters each having a different class that in turn has different talents; some are front line fighters, some are healers, others are magical ’artillery’, and so on. Between this, the retro graphics, and the remixes of several classic songs, After Years really feels like it could be a Super Nintendo release and that’s a good thing.

While it is a sequel, I do feel that those who never played the original will be able to get along well with this. The plot is well presented and pretty interesting, and those of you who missed this game fifteen years ago will get quick mini-cutscenes to bring you up to speed on certain plot points. I can honestly say that veteran players and new ones will both be able to get along fine here, though the former will be more inclined to appreciate the attention to detail; you’ll see lots of nods to small plot elements in the old game, and most of the environments have been accurately re-created, including their secrets. If it’s any indication, I was able to go through a few sections with my eyes closed; some of the world in After Years is that accurate to the original that I could navigate it by memory!