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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 58
  2. Negative: 9 out of 58
  1. Oct 1, 2014
    0
    Terrible port of a terrible version of a great game. I need 150 characters so I guess I'll just stress what a terrible port this is. Real bad. Bad.
  2. Feb 9, 2015
    0
    This is a port of a port of a re-imagined version of one of my favorite games of all time... but unfortunately, the version this port of aThis is a port of a port of a re-imagined version of one of my favorite games of all time... but unfortunately, the version this port of a port is based off of is absolutely terrible.

    First, as a PC game, this is god awful. Frame rate is capped at 15fps in battles, and the UI is the same that was used for mobile touchscreens, despite the fact that they disabled touchscreens, and then the next closest thing (a mouse) has been disabled a well. So you're navigating a touchscreen-based UI with a keyboard, and thanks to the 15fps cap in battles, it feels even clunkier.

    Visuals are ugly, having the ability to go into HD resolutions just makes it more apparent how ugly this game is. I get it's based on a DS game, but it's more the 3D models than anything. Even the original SNES sprites had more charm than this.

    The instrumentation for the music is bad. Again, the SNES version is better, not because of nostalgia, but because the overall sound quality was higher. Some tracks have what sounds like MIDI bass, while others have *actual* bass. Part of me has to wonder if the tracks that have the MIDI bass were supposed to be placeholders until their studio bassist got around to recording the part, and then for whatever reason (money, time constraints, forgetfulness, laziness, who knows), they never did. So some tracks sound 100% live, others sound like they're half-life and half extremely cheap MIDI. The music files are also heavily compressed. It's a complete mess.

    There were some changes to how character-specific traits work that I'm not fond of... Cecil's Darkness ability is no longer an AoE attack, but rather a buff that gives him better single-target damage, while retaining the "drain" mechanic of the original Darkness. Kain's Jump takes over twice as long to finish as it used to, which kind of ruins his character... he's supposed to be a badass that does massive damage when falling from the sky, but since it takes so long for that to happen in this version, it's better to keep him on the ground like a generic Fighter most of the time.

    The Augment idea is cool, but their presence in FFIV hurts the experience. The concept is that you find these abilities while playing the game that you can tack on to your characters, however the problem is that discovering most of these augments is based on things you'd never know without reading a guide. The other problem is that some of the abilities end up ruining characer definitions (ie. you can give Kain Edward's Bardsong ability). Characters in FFIV were firmly rooted in how defined every character was, and learning to like or dislike them based on how they behaved in battle. Kain was the badass Dragoon. Edward was the cowardly Bard. Cecil was the righteous Paladin. Rosa was the humble White Mage. Having cross-over abilities with augments changes that, and they have no place in FFIV. It really feels like they created this feature in an attempt to make this version feel different, realized it didn't work, and rather than taking it out, left it so they could boast it as an additional feature anyway. But it's awful, and better off being ignored.

    Bad voiceacting, bad graphics, bad sound, bad gameplay, this game is a solid example of why retrofitting concepts to a long-existing formula is nothing but bad news. The original game wasn't perfect, but it was still a hell of a lot better than whatever this is supposed to be.
    Full Review »
  3. Sep 23, 2014
    8
    Final Fantasy IV is an old school retro JRPG, so for those wanting to scratch that proverbial itch, look no further.
    This is a great game,
    Final Fantasy IV is an old school retro JRPG, so for those wanting to scratch that proverbial itch, look no further.
    This is a great game, challenging in the traditional JRPG way. One minor gripe I have is that it is somewhat overpriced for what it is. This is simply a port of the 2008 remake for the Nintendo DS, with resolution enhancements. The same would apply to Final Fantasy VII / VIII when they arrived on steam. Not that ports are bad things... In fact, more ( JRPG ) ports being brought to PC would be nice... ( quality traditional JRPGs are practically none existant on the PC platform ) just somewhat overpriced for a port... of a port.
    This is typical of Square Enix, milking it...
    Moving on - good points include complete Xbox 360 controller support ( I used wireless ), great nostalgic music and the fact that ( probably to the dismay of the so called "PC purists" ) you can relax on a couch and play it on a big screen with good resolution is a bonus. I don't particularly have any other complaints as I knew what I was buying.
    For anyone out there that has heard about this RPG but haven't had the chance, time or inclination to play it, look no further. If you're like me and you've played the DS remake and don't mind paying the money... again grab it. If you've played it already and don't want to shell out the cash you're not missing anything. ( Alternatively wait for it to be insanely discounted ).
    I'm going to give it an 8.5 / 10. Solid gameplay, both memorable music and characters with a top notch story that has aged remarkably well. As mentioned previously the fact that it challenges the player in ways not often seen these days only ads to the nostalgia.
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