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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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
@@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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 UA-cam, and I am glad that I have become a patreon of yours, absolutely brilliant work.
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
This is not only one of the best documentaries I've seen covering the development, reception and impact of a Final Fantasy game (and UA-cam 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!
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.
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.
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.
@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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
@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.
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!
"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
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! ❤
*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.
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.
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 UA-cam 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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
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
Ok, I've watched several retrospectives about FF, I love them as a good background while working on stuff. Yours is, by far, the best one. Not only your analysis of the game is flawless, but all that stuff about Japenese sources of inspiration and Dante's inferno ? Fascinating. I've always seen FFIV as mostly Star Wars inspired and that's it. Great stuff. Really.
This FF Review series is Stunningly made, Mr Bluett ! I discovered you this weekend, and am just so impressed 😀 I look forward to the rest, and especially FF-12 (I love Ivalice, and how 12 is linked to FF Tactics, just at a different point in the Timeline). Many thanks for all of your hard work 👏
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!
The way you built up Golbez’s biggest influence without saying “Darth Vader” until absolutely necessary was perfect. Great work here, can’t wait for your video on V!
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.
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.
One thing I absolutely love about your videos that I don't see about any other retrospective is the context and research you put into it, and have it coherent as to how it affected the development to the game
Hard disagree. There's no need to regurgitate the politics of the 80s and the North American game crash. That stuff isn't needed for a "retrospective" of one game from a singular series. You must enjoy pontification because it's present in spades here.
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
Very well researched with engaging and well-thought out structure. FFIV (as FFII on SNES) wasnt my first RPG, but was the one that started my lifelong obsession with the genre - and this video really does it justice!
Another really well put together piece! One of my favourite things about finishing the originals for the first time has been coming here and watching their retrospectives afterwards. They always give such a nice in-depth view of the development, a view of how it was received publicly at the time, and its nice to confirm a lot of my own thoughts about the game comparatively to yours. Interestingly though, we differ on this boss. I found him easy like the other three before him, I do however, acknowledge that he was harder than the others, he forced me to keep reviving allies and one misstep and I could have definitely wiped on him; and I appreciated that, since Chaos, Emperor & Cloud of Darkness were all very easy. I didn't even notice that he had a tell before he fired his beam, I was able to just tank, revive & burn him down. That said, I did grind quite a lot trying to get the Pink Tail on most of my characters, so perhaps I was overpowered for him by that point. Thanks again for the wonderful retrospective. Onwards to V!
This is the BEST FFvi video I’ve ever seen! I learned so much and I thought I knew it all! This is my favorite game of all time, and you shared so many new details I’ve never noticed. I am looking forward to the Baron movie. Thanks for this video!
Thank you for making this retrospective. You were right in that this made an impact upon its release. FF4 is very personal to me. This is the first RPG I ever played in my life when I rented “FFII” for my SNES. I fell in love with it and convinced my parents to buy me a copy to play whenever I wanted. This game helped teach me how to read as a child. It helped me understand how beautiful a story could be in video games (rudimentary though it might be now in comparison to other RPGs then, even in the same series). It helped me understand the concept of death a little bit when, at the time, I had been learning about people and pets “going away for a long time”. It taught me that children could be as brave as adults if not braver (Palom & Porom willingly petrifying themselves to save the party while being so very young still gets to me decades later). It also has the distinct honor of having my favorite use of the “Prologue” theme ever in the form of pre-Crystal-use Zeromus’s “ally prayers” moment. I’m so happy that others have myriads of ways to experience this game. While I prefer the PSP version these days, the SNES version will forever hold a special place in my heart. Related, FFXIV’s most recent expansion, Endwalker, has heavy focus on FFIV-related elements and I’m eternally grateful for Yoshi-P and the dev team for making it so. What a great time to be a Final Fantasy fan.
I discovered this channel through MarzGurl retweeting it, but wow. WOW. Final Fantasy IV is one of my all-time favourite games and this is an amazing breakdown of its development, themes, and influences. I would have never thought to compare it with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. I don't know if it was an influence for sure, but you make a compelling argument. You've definitely earned a new subscribed here. I can't wait to see the future videos. Especially Final Fantasy VI, another all-time favourite of mine.
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.
Excellent documentary video! I finished my first playthrough of FFIV a couple of weeks ago (I played the PC port of the 3D remake). It definitely holds up today. The story is fantastic and the soundtrack is simply addicting!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Okay thats an interesting thought I never considered
Yup! Does Tellah make an appearance with everyone else right before the battle with Zeromus? I can’t remember.
He does with Anna
@@matthewj7800yes he’s standing next to Edward
This is a great point! Thanks for sharing.
I first gained sentience watching my dad flying over the magma pits to the eidolon village. This game is my childhood man.
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.
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.
@@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?
@diegoarmando5489 AA does really give him a strong case, but with games like ff6, 7, and 9 idk how far that can really get him
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.
Big agree!
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...
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
me too FFIV is my favourite game of all time - so I've consumed all the media related to it.
@StewNWT I'd have to put ff6 above it but ff4 was my first love
@@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
@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!
@@StewNWT also I love that u said lufia fortress of doom. Everyone always skips that. I loved it
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.
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!
IV is not just my favorite FF. It's my favorite game of all time
The first segment, "Coming to America" could be a video essay in its own right. Well done.
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.
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.
This is the best Final Fantasy 4 retrospective I’ve ever seen. Thank you for making this!
ua-cam.com/video/LtKDTwf-9G0/v-deo.html
Please check the other vids on this channel, its turning out to be be the best FF retrospective series of all
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 UA-cam, and I am glad that I have become a patreon of yours, absolutely brilliant work.
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!
Final Fantasy IV is my favorite Final fantasy, and its in my top five games of all time...I love it so much..
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
This is not only one of the best documentaries I've seen covering the development, reception and impact of a Final Fantasy game (and UA-cam 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!
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.
Me too, it was brilliant and I still love the storyline and it's bittersweet notes
It was my first final fantasy, it definitely holds a place in my heart. I’ve played it so many times.
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.
I’ve really enjoyed watching all these retrospectives so far ☺️ thanks for all the great work
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.
You won't have to wait as long as you did for this one.
@@AndrewBluett Can't wait. Been my go to videos to binge.
@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.
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!
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.
Check out the homie Ludiscere; he did it 1st n equally as well imo
@@sympathy_for_strays Oh cool! Thanks!
@@doublestarships646 np - hope u enjoy
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.
Actually if you cast reflect on the character they target, it will kill the door.
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.
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!
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
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!
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!
It was like a college thesis
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.
I'm so excited! Final Fantasy IV is just an incredible work. Really happy to hear your thoughts.
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!
Yeah this is like a retrospective and iceberg blended together seamlessly. Can’t wait to view your videos for the next two entries.
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.
Brilliantly put
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.
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.
@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.
the game is acceptable for its time.
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!
"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
I’ve watched all four of your retrospectives now and I can’t wait for the next ones!!!!
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! ❤
*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.
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.
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 UA-cam 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.
Just discovered this channel and these retrospectives today, and I am so glad I did. Instantly subscribed. These are fantastic.
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.
This was a great retrospective, keep up the fantastic work bro!
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!
I've watched a few of your videos so far and I must say they are master works. Thank you for your genius.
This series is so good man. Definitely looking forward to the rest
I appreciate your emphasize on the development of these games. Great job.
Amazing retrospective! Eagerly awaiting the next installment :)
Took me a couple of days but well worth it, thank you so much for this! Still my favorite FF to this day!
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
The production quality of this video is phenomenal
the detail that goes into the history bits of these videos is so awesome. I seriously can't wait to see what you do next
This is the first FF story that got me emotional. Great video as always
Can't believe I just binged all of these. Can't wait for the next one!
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.
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
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.
You can't rent FF11, it was an MMO.
This is a joke, please do not be alarmed.
You deserve to abve 100k subscribers... the work you put into these videos is enormous
Very interesting listen. Thanks for the effort you put into it.
Another fantastic documentary. I'm glad to have contributed money towards this
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
Thanks!
Another great video!!
Alright I was looking forward to this. Really well done, thank you.
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
That's amazing.
lol me too, i laughed my ass off when that happened
Ok, I've watched several retrospectives about FF, I love them as a good background while working on stuff. Yours is, by far, the best one. Not only your analysis of the game is flawless, but all that stuff about Japenese sources of inspiration and Dante's inferno ? Fascinating. I've always seen FFIV as mostly Star Wars inspired and that's it. Great stuff. Really.
This FF Review series is Stunningly made, Mr Bluett ! I discovered you this weekend, and am just so impressed 😀
I look forward to the rest, and especially FF-12 (I love Ivalice, and how 12 is linked to FF Tactics, just at a different point in the Timeline). Many thanks for all of your hard work 👏
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!
Another fantastic retrospective 👍
The way you built up Golbez’s biggest influence without saying “Darth Vader” until absolutely necessary was perfect. Great work here, can’t wait for your video on V!
Amazing in-depth video on the best Final Fantasy game in my opinion to this day. Thank you.
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.
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.
One thing I absolutely love about your videos that I don't see about any other retrospective is the context and research you put into it, and have it coherent as to how it affected the development to the game
Hard disagree. There's no need to regurgitate the politics of the 80s and the North American game crash. That stuff isn't needed for a "retrospective" of one game from a singular series. You must enjoy pontification because it's present in spades here.
@@notsyzagts7967 Hey man, you okay?
Love the retrospective very thorough with your investigation. Made perfect material to watch while I had lunch!b
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
Stop you're makin me wanna play this game AGAIN!!! Good work dude.
Very well researched with engaging and well-thought out structure. FFIV (as FFII on SNES) wasnt my first RPG, but was the one that started my lifelong obsession with the genre - and this video really does it justice!
Another really well put together piece! One of my favourite things about finishing the originals for the first time has been coming here and watching their retrospectives afterwards. They always give such a nice in-depth view of the development, a view of how it was received publicly at the time, and its nice to confirm a lot of my own thoughts about the game comparatively to yours.
Interestingly though, we differ on this boss. I found him easy like the other three before him, I do however, acknowledge that he was harder than the others, he forced me to keep reviving allies and one misstep and I could have definitely wiped on him; and I appreciated that, since Chaos, Emperor & Cloud of Darkness were all very easy. I didn't even notice that he had a tell before he fired his beam, I was able to just tank, revive & burn him down. That said, I did grind quite a lot trying to get the Pink Tail on most of my characters, so perhaps I was overpowered for him by that point.
Thanks again for the wonderful retrospective. Onwards to V!
This is the BEST FFvi video I’ve ever seen! I learned so much and I thought I knew it all! This is my favorite game of all time, and you shared so many new details I’ve never noticed.
I am looking forward to the Baron movie.
Thanks for this video!
As far as a retrospective goes with classic old school FF, this is a deep and well presented retrospective.
I've been really looking forward to this!
My only complaint is that I'll be waiting a couple of months for the FFV retrospective. Great work, dude!
You have done an incredible job here sir! Done my favorite game so much justice! *hits subscribe, and replay!*
Thank you for making this retrospective. You were right in that this made an impact upon its release.
FF4 is very personal to me. This is the first RPG I ever played in my life when I rented “FFII” for my SNES. I fell in love with it and convinced my parents to buy me a copy to play whenever I wanted.
This game helped teach me how to read as a child. It helped me understand how beautiful a story could be in video games (rudimentary though it might be now in comparison to other RPGs then, even in the same series). It helped me understand the concept of death a little bit when, at the time, I had been learning about people and pets “going away for a long time”. It taught me that children could be as brave as adults if not braver (Palom & Porom willingly petrifying themselves to save the party while being so very young still gets to me decades later). It also has the distinct honor of having my favorite use of the “Prologue” theme ever in the form of pre-Crystal-use Zeromus’s “ally prayers” moment.
I’m so happy that others have myriads of ways to experience this game. While I prefer the PSP version these days, the SNES version will forever hold a special place in my heart. Related, FFXIV’s most recent expansion, Endwalker, has heavy focus on FFIV-related elements and I’m eternally grateful for Yoshi-P and the dev team for making it so.
What a great time to be a Final Fantasy fan.
This is suuuuuuuper in depth, nice work man.
AMAZING video, the quality and and research into this is just mind blowing. Thank you for this!
I discovered this channel through MarzGurl retweeting it, but wow. WOW. Final Fantasy IV is one of my all-time favourite games and this is an amazing breakdown of its development, themes, and influences. I would have never thought to compare it with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. I don't know if it was an influence for sure, but you make a compelling argument.
You've definitely earned a new subscribed here. I can't wait to see the future videos. Especially Final Fantasy VI, another all-time favourite of mine.
Oh I'm ready for this masterpiece
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.
Excellent documentary video! I finished my first playthrough of FFIV a couple of weeks ago (I played the PC port of the 3D remake). It definitely holds up today. The story is fantastic and the soundtrack is simply addicting!
It’s really nice to listen to this while also playing the game, gives me more of an appreciation for the game design
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.
Really appreciate the care and love that has gone into these. I grew up on these games and they are truly special.
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.
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.
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.
I don't know how you do it - 4 top quality retrospectives within a year. Hoping to see FFV "soon".
Excellent video. Mad props to you.
Brother, i don't know how the f--- you only have 2.7k subs, but this final fantasy retrospective is excellent content.
Man, this is really good!! thanks for your hard work in making this posible!!!!
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!
Excellent video! I remember playing this on the SNES but don’t remember Golbez being referred to as Theodore in the original.