Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

 DS
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 127 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 103 out of 127
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 127
  3. Negative: 10 out of 127
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  1. Serin
    Jan 19, 2012
    4
    This is one of those games I wanted to like so much, but it just couldn't live up to its potential. I'd just come off an invigorating Etrian Odyssey binge, and I wanted another game where you get to customize your characters with class/skill levels and gear and whatnot. And it really does sound promising. You have a team of four heroes who can constantly switch classes in order to learnThis is one of those games I wanted to like so much, but it just couldn't live up to its potential. I'd just come off an invigorating Etrian Odyssey binge, and I wanted another game where you get to customize your characters with class/skill levels and gear and whatnot. And it really does sound promising. You have a team of four heroes who can constantly switch classes in order to learn new skills and become even more powerful as time goes on. There is a pretty huge catch, though: rarely do you control all four at one time until close to the end of the game. This led to frustrating sequence after frustrating sequence as every time I felt I had characters that complemented each other well, one of them would bugger off and leave me with just one character plus a worthless TEMPORARY one. And don't get me started on the gems. Oh, the gems...because if you want to level up your classes, you better be memorizing what gems are showing up where when you fight, because otherwise you can't learn new skills at all without them. These two things combined with a very limited inventory system that punished you on boss fights for not looking at a FAQ beforehand were enough to kill my enjoyment of the game. The music was fine, the graphics looked good, the plot...was a Squeenix story, I guess. I just wanted a fun game to play, and I didn't get one.… Expand
  2. Kairo
    Nov 21, 2011
    4
    This is huge disappointment for me. When i don´t count terrible music and graphics which hurt my eyes, I still have to hate characters who act completely unreal (and annoying) stupid story and extremely unbalanced difficulty.
  3. mkrabon
    Jul 29, 2014
    4
    The beginning of the game was great, but then it loses its place pretty quickly. I played about 10 hours telling myself the good part was coming up, and I knew the game was bad when it never came. Redeeming features: the music, crown system, and beginning tutorial segment.
  4. Nando_Pants
    Apr 26, 2021
    4
    The game has a lot of potential, but it fails to impress. The art is nice, but the characters lack personality like they do on the official artwork. Character development is poor, with little exposition from them at specific points. The story Is interesting until it just becomes a lot of new information with no apparent reason, and the worst part is that the jobs are not as important asThe game has a lot of potential, but it fails to impress. The art is nice, but the characters lack personality like they do on the official artwork. Character development is poor, with little exposition from them at specific points. The story Is interesting until it just becomes a lot of new information with no apparent reason, and the worst part is that the jobs are not as important as they are in other games like Final Fantasy V or Tactics. You cannot use the techniques of one job to another, which is a missed opportunity. It requires a lot of grinding and the correct equipment, as the best equipment will not protect you when you fight the bosses, but knowing exactly which shield and armor will make the bosses a breeze. I wanted to like this game, but the frustration is so great, I just wanted to be done with it, and I will never play it again. If it didn't have Final Fantasy in the title, disguising it as a return to the origin of the series, we would probably be more lenient, but if you want a back-to-the-basics experience, go to Final Fantasy IX instead.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best DS Game of 2010
10
#10 Most Discussed DS Game of 2010
16
#16 Most Shared DS Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 49
  3. Negative: 1 out of 49
  1. Gaming Age
    Mar 11, 2011
    50
    FFT4HoL revives an old-school design with a new aesthetic, but which misguided aspects of that design come along with it will divide the line between appealing and off-putting to players.
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  2. Hardcore Gamer
    Feb 15, 2011
    70
    Final Fantasy The Four Heroes of Light is a nice addition to the ever growing collection of the franchise. While not deliberate enough in it's efforts to be a numbered entry, it still represents the series as a whole.
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  3. games(TM)
    Jan 20, 2011
    80
    Where it really excels is in its world design. [Issue#102, p.104]
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