I'm a native spanish speaker and I learned english thanks to this game. The movements and expressions were enough to make me understand the tone of the story and keep me engaged despite not being able to read everything effectively. I started using my english notebook from school as a guide for the game. I got the most rewarding feeling when I found myself reading and understanding everything
I think a cool thing about the combat characterization in FF4 is that a lot of this feels relatively unspoken. An example I like is Cecil, who I read as very very reckless due to not only some of his story actions but also how in both of his jobs, his main skills lead to him losing HP, Darkness literally costs HP, and your goal with Cover is to take damage. The key difference between these two feels like it also coincides with Cecil's growth, as his recklessness goes from outwardly destructive, to defensive. This clearly shows us a character who wants to protect those around him at any cost with nothing but gameplay and that's cool as hell.
Still can't get over "Learning that this game's creative direction was in the hands of Mr. Story and the theater kid kinda tells you all you need to know". It's a good summary of what makes FF4 different from its predecessors _and why it wound up that way._
I feel like a lot of times when we talk about advances in animation in games, the conversation starts and ends with advances in the hardware. So it's really cool to see you talk about these early games, not just in terms of how many pixels or panels they could use, but also the new and clever ways they found to use them and how they developed the craft of using animation as a vehicle to communicate plot and character.
As a low-res RPG developer, I wanted to say a big thank you for this series! These are such fascinating looks at the mountains of personality packed into simple actions like spinning a character or giving them a slightly different pose. Doing more with less is the name of the game in these early games, and I adore how much care and respect you've packed into these deep dives. Thank you! :>
I just found this video and channel and wouldn't you know, it's on one of my absolute favorite games of all time! In 1991 I was 12 years old and had played FF1 when it came out, but of course didn't have access to 2 or 3 so this was my second FF game. This does a great job putting into words several of the things that impressed me at the time and which I still appreciate now.
@@stormRed That would be pretty cool! Maybe one of the Patreon PlayFriends should suggest a League of Legends animation analysis or something-you know, a topic in Skyen's wheelhouse where a collab would make sense.
It's a thing that sprites have over 3D models. To "realistically" show Paloma being an energetic bundle of kid, he'd be fidgety in a constrained way, hoping at most 1 foot. Not the jumping 6 or 9 feet sprites get to get away with. Our brains normalize the cartoony quirkiness, but less so for 3D models.
@@AkaiAzul Somewhat realistic models like FF 8+ have, yeah. Simplified or stylized models like SM64 or Crash Bandicoot 4? Nope, cartooniness works perfectly fine there. It's not the tech, it's how you use it.
This has to be my favourite episode of New Frame Plus to date. (Well, maybe it ties with the one about Sonic the Hedgehog animation.) The only version of Final Fantasy IV I ever played was a 3D remake, so I never got to see these simple, efficient, expressive little animations that were so impressive. It makes me smile to see the characters like this. On a personal note, I've known some friends, and some friends of friends, who have thought about doing a game jam, or even forming an indie studio. Things keep getting in the way, nothing ever materializes, so I've been trying to teach myself as many game-making skills as possible. I have almost no talent in animation, but seeing how much they could do in this game with so little is encouraging. I may be able to figure out game animation after all. Whew.
I played Final Fantasy IV when I was a kid, and that wedding sequence you cover at 33:27 is what stuck with me all these decades later. Your analysis is such a joyful nostalgic throwback! I remember re-watching that scene back then over and over again. Thank you 🙂
The SNES Mode 7 wasn't the only one out there. BBC Micros had a Mode 7 too, which was used for teletext displays. I suspect there were probably others out there too.
If you look up the technical details, there's actually something of an intuitive order in each mode's index number. For starters, the higher the index, the fewer layers you have to work with _but_ the more colors (and effects) you can do with each layer, including: * "Direct Color" (modes 3,4,7 only): Allows a background layer to directly access a full 11-bit RGB color space, bypassing tiles and color palettes entirely. * High Resolution (modes 5 and 6 only): Doubles the horizontal resolution to 512 pixels (in same physical screen size), and can double the vertical resolution to 448 pixels (interlaced). * "Offset per tile" (modes 2,4,6 only): Allows columns of the background to be scrolled independently of one another.
I don’t remember where I read it, but supposedly, FF4 started as a NES title. Development didn’t move to the SNES until pretty late. Makes me wonder how much improvement would there have been if it started a a SNES title since day 1.
You are half correct! There originally was a FF4 in development for NES and plans for FF5 to be the first SNES release. But Squaresoft eventually decided to scrap the NES game and rename the FF5 they'd started work on to FF4 (which is what we have now). Alas, the NES FF4 they'd started work on never came to be, although I understand they pulled a lot of their ideas for it into later releases.
I don't think it is. I think it's just a case of the developers being cautious. Sticking to what they know works on this new hardware and only using the new things that are relatively easy to impliment. I like that. That they made a good product first and didn't make it all fuggly just to prove "See guys, it's on the SNES now!"
I don't know why but whenever I am asked which is my favorite Final Fantasy game, I always answer 4. I have so many memories of this game in its various incarnations.
Yes the leap from 1 to 4 was that much more spectacular given it seemed that it was from 1 to 2. Also it had a rich plot but less dark than vi. This was a highlight of my high school years
every time someone brings up the snes, i am reminded just how fantastic that console was... Live-A-Live, SMW, Super Metroid, FFVI, Yoshi, Earthbound. What a fantastic lineup
Don't forget Chrono Trigger, SMRPG, F-Zero, A Link to the Past, Killer Instinct, DKC trilogy. All of these still stand the test of time as some of greatest games ever made!
And ilusión of gaia,secret of mana,Kirby súper Star and dream land 3,the megaman Xs and 7,Castlevania IV and bloodlines,FF mystic Quest.... The 16-bits games seriously hits different
As someone that grew up with FF4 (aka 2) for the SNES, this video made me so happy to watch. I was always fascinated by the music, characters, and animation from the game as a little kid and even learned to read from it. Asking my parents constantly what certain words meant. This game holds a special place in my heart and every remake and port of it is always an instant buy for me. I even enjoyed the sequel. The FF4 references in FF14 always bring a smile to my face as well.
17:06 "You are challenged by your reflection as a Dark Knight who you can only defeat through pacifism." Me who chugged Hi-Potions and just whacked my sword at this thing: "THAT WAS HOW YOU SHOULD'VE DONE IT?!"
Also want to point out that these sprites were created with the CRT in mind, which had a unique effect on making the art form really shine. Thanks for the vid.
I was just thinking about this series recently and was curious if there had been any new ones I'd missed, so this is awesome to see! I must say, I hugely appreciate you breaking these up into every individual game instead of simplifying it down to "the NES era", "the SNES era", etc., since it really lets you notice and appreciate the subtle improvements that'd get easily glossed over otherwise!
11:47 actually I was thinking about how much I'm enjoying your roundabout approach here. Your love for the series oozes from the video and I adore that. It feels like I'm at the intersection of your passions and it's impossible to avoid a good time
0:45 Dan we notice and appreciate the effort you put in to use original hardware, it's so nice to see Yuna's original face! (Ooh actually in the X video a comparison of original and remaster facial animation would be interesting since they botox-ed up all of the faces in the remaster, really kills a lot of the expressiveness in the acting) Great video as always!
The number of people who have told me "oh you just remember it looking better cause of nostalgia" is infuriating, I really would love a video to point to that breaks it down
This is one of my favorite UA-cam series. I know very little about animation, but your presentation makes me feel like I know a lot. Another amazing entry. Looking forward to FFV!
This would break up the series rhythm, but doing one on Chrono Trigger after FF5 and FF6. Square employees wanting to be unfettered by the standard FF design and right at the end of life cycle for the SNES where they have mastered getting the most out of the system. Aside from that the FF6 one is going to be an intense video to compile, looking forward to it.
FF6 is one of only a very small number of games to use background mode 6. Many think it's opening is mode 7 but it's actually mode 6. Mode 6 is like a more limited form of mode 7 but with an additional background layer which was extremely limited to only 4 colors and only 1 scroll direction. Very few people used it as mode 7 allowed for far greater manipulation and mode 5 was far more flexible with both background layers able to have full color and move in different directions independent of each other.
17:10 You can actually beat your reflection by normal means, too. It's usually a close battle but I've never lost this way. BTW, fantastic video of a personal favorite. Never watched a video of yours but immediately subscribed after!
I greatly appreciate that you don't discuss animation in a vacuum. You're completely right -- animation is inherently tied to character, story, and more.
I really hope this series isn't gone, I'l not into final fantasy guy but your involved showcase is plainly interesting and the enthusiasm is very contagious. I got emotional at the end of the video even, there's something inspiring about how they worked around limitations to create cool stuff
i'm very sad i didn't get notified of this one. Sad that the almighty algorithm isn't being too kind to these infrequent uploads (and presumably a bit of viewer fatigue). While i normally don't "ring the bell" out of spite, i'm gonna do that until this series is finished (so, probably late 2025, at the earliest). Best of luck in getting the viewer numbers this fantastic work deserves.
Final Fantasy 4 is my favorite video game - one of my favorite _things_ - EVER! I fell in love the first time I played it before the game proper even began, as the camera faded in on the Red Wings descending on Mysidia. Yes Namingway is a rabbit, specifically a rabbit from the moon, an outcast from the Hummingway clan. The moon rabbits are a reference to a Japanese legend.
nothing like someone more versed than you taking your favorite game of all time and explaining the finer details that you feel, but cannot put concisely, in a neat shinny package, also with a dosis of gut punching nostalgia with all the story highlights trough the video
Dan really feels like he's been so liberated and happy on UA-cam since parting ways with Extra Credits. His commentary style was what made me like those videos a lot of the time and now he's everything I liked about him without the rest of what I didn't like about EC *and I am here for it*
This might easily be my favorite video of 2022. There is just so much nuanced information packed into this presentation that I can honestly say that I learned much more than I anticipated. I can tell that you have a honest passion about this series and it shows in the writing and editing. Can't wait until the next video.
@@dovahkiin53839 The PSP version is IMO the best one that exists. It works great through emulation, though if you want to find a legit copy it's a bit harder than getting it on Steam
EXTREMELY Happy about this series! Thank you! I've only played FFXIV, the (critically acclaimed) MMO. And watching your tour though these older games is giving me sudden flashbacks to moments in XIV's story, and monster design! I can't wait for you to explore XIV!
I played and completed 4 for the first time this year, making it the first 2D Final Fantasy I've ever finished. I've dabbled with the original in a "Hey this is a novelty!" sort of way, and tried several times to get into 6 but just not clicking, so with the new pixel remasters I decided to get 4 and 6 as they're the ones people seem to rate the highest. I didn't really have any sort of expectations coming into 4 but it absolutely blew me away. It might seem strange considering how primitive it is compared to most modern RPGs, let alone modern Final Fantasy titles, but that simplicity is in itself such a masterclass in how little you need to put into a performance to really infuse it with character and charm. It's hard to know what exactly my reaction would have been to the original version, considering I played the pixel remaster with it's redone (but in my opinion very faithful) sprites and quality of life improvements, but regardless it strikes me as having a timeless feel alongside games like Super Metroid where it utilises the tools it has with such artistry that it never really shows its age.
I’ve literally never played a single final fantasy game but I’m kind of obsessed with this series, I can tell you’re passionate about both FF and game animation in general! Soooo hyped for the next in the series :-)
Dan, you are amazing. I have watched you from extra credits, and then to here, and your content has been consistently amazing, one of the single most consistently amazing creators on this platform. Good luck with your continued efforts!
that whole section about the ending cutscene is masterpiece, you should be really proud of how well you managed to convey how impressive FFIV’s rudimentary and limited animation is.
This is great. It's one of those videos where I start feeling like "oh, no, is the video almost over!?" and then I check the progress bar and _rejoice!_ Very excited about the next two entries. They're the oldie Final Fantasy games I've (started 😅) playing the most!
The way you underlined the importance of story and characters in relation to animation makes me hopeful somehow. An amazing video! Cannot wait for the next one no matter how long it takes you it's gonna be too long. So take your time.
Loving this series, and how much you put into describing WHY the animation is important. That's a lot of important context you're giving, and I'm absolutely here to hear you talk about that as well as the animation for as long as you like
Just found this series through this video being recommended to me and I gotta say I enjoy the fade from orchestral version to the original version of the music you do at the start to an unreasonable amount every single time.
Super Mario RPG also makes such great use of the blocking and movement to give their characters personality and space to express themselves. I don't think Mario has a real single piece of dialogue but the way they make use of the various emotion sprites, jumping, twirling just made him feel so expressive. Super awesome to see this is how square worked up to this. Loving this series!!!
Having grown up in the early 2000s, I got to experience the first 4 FFs mostly in order with the Advance/DS ports, and FFIVA definitely stood out to me even as a kid with how much harder it leaned into it's story compared to when I had played I and II. Looking back on the games through your analysis, it really does amaze me how such a small amount of animations were able to sell all the various emotions, actions, and story beats. I liked how the usage of scripted event battles for comedic purposes spilled over from fights like Dr. Lugae into the secret developer room you could find at the Dwarven Castle.
FFIV was my first FF ever, it holds such a special place in my heart, I've played and ALMOST finished every version (3D Phone and PC and the GBA yet to be finished) and I resound so much with Cecil as I, too, fought my own darkness and accepted the Light by defeating my depression. It's a game I often revisit either normally or through the randomizer. And I won't lie, this video did bring me to tears, and was singing along the music I've become so familiar with. THIS is the game who introduced me to the franchise and JRPGs plus it gave me my love for the Dragoon.
Surprisingly, as someone who didnt have an snes growing up, this is what sold me to start playing ff4, for me to dust off the old emulator and play the snes version of ff4. I now understand the how impressive the jump from nes to snes is and what to look out for (although I'm sure there will be even more impressive snes ff games). Thank you, I really appreciate this series for opening my eyes to retro animation. This is especially helpful for me who is learning game development and animation in general.
Fine if you want to do an animation study, but the original SNES edition is the version of FFIV I would recommend the least. Releases are complicated, but the SNES version has a weak localisation and removes a lot of unique class traits and animations from the characters. The 3D remake would be my pick, followed by the GBA version and the pixel remaster on equal footing.
@@WannabeMarysue yeah, the point where he mentioned that some moves were removed from the game while localizing was a bit alarming to hear. I probably won't play the 3d version, but pixel remaster might be a good alternative. Thanks for the suggestions!
Man, that analysis of the wedding scene... just blew my mind. I've seen that scene a couple of times, now, when you break it into its details, is just amazing how much they managed to convey with so little. Thanks for these videos man.
This is my favorite Final Fantasy game. I still remember my 10 year-old self crying during [redacted]'s sacrifice, knowing that I was crying over a fictional collection of colors on a screen, that it was stupid and I shouldn't need to cry about this fictional tragedy, and being unable to stop because I really liked [redacted] and was going to miss [redacted]. That was when I knew that I loved this game. When [redacted] reappears at the end of the game I learned that writers were jerks trying to break my heart. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for sharing this. And thank you for reminding me how much this game matters to me - and how important games can be.
Oh but when [redacted] lost himself in his desires and ended up making the largest sacrifice leading to [redacted]'s end, that moment still moves me to this day. It is such an elegant way to tell that plotline without bogging it down.
There's a moment in the wedding scene, 34:12, Yang seems to take a moment to fight back some tears. At least, that's the impression I got with just a single frame. You might read something different, but the fact that something can be read there at all is brilliant
Something I loved about this era of Final Fantasy was how immersive it could be despite its countless limitations. The scripted battles of FF4 are a great example of it. So many of the scripted battles in 4 would be straight up cutscenes in maybe 90% of modern games. When you're watching a cutscene you may be into the story, but you still relax a bit as a player because you know there's nothing you need to do right now. But by using the same battle window for these scenes, sometimes FF4 could trick you into thinking you were still playing the game not knowing that you had in fact been booted out of the driver's seat. The scene where Rydia triumphantly returns to laydown the smackdown on Golbez will forever be burned into my memory because of that. The first time I played the game and Golbez straight up decimated my party, because the game lets it seemingly play out like a normal battle and had you choose character inputs, I was convinced I had done something wrong and was about to lose. But then Rydia comes in to save you and the battle REALLY starts. Now you have a chance to win but most of your party is in the KO state so it's chaotic and thrilling. I absolutely adore this game.
What I find fascinating about the wedding scene is not only how just the basic locomotion, a few emote poses, and blocking can be read in character, but also how some of the same events play out differently because of how that character would act. Yang doesn't look around the room to greet them, and it reads differently than how Edward looks around first, which reads differently than the Mysidia elder greets the room by not going to greet Cecil and Rosa first. It gives the impression of how a monk greets a room, versus royalty taught from birth how to greet a room, versus a mystical elder who guides a city of mages. All without words.
This may be my favorite FF. This and VI of course, I vacillate between them but secretly I think this one just got to me first. As a kid I knew there was something special about it. I couldn't tell you what but I definitely picked up on it, it just had so much life.
Oh right, FFIV started Active Time Battle. That's what I've known the Final Fantasy Franchise for since FFVI (FFIII on the Super Nintendo) and FFVII. In fact, those were my introduction to the Franchise. 26:40- Actually, they were removed just for Memory Storage for the translations.
That's not true. They can be easily implemented and it causes no issue to the game. They were removed as a conscious effort to simplify the game. Along with half of the game's (admittedly situationally useful, and that's being kind...) battle items.
Thank you so much for this. I've always struggled to articulate just WHY Final Fantasy IV means so much to me in terms of story and characters. And I think the extremely nuanced expressions of the characters is a huge part of it. Fantastic video!
Thank you so much for these videos! I've been slowly watching a family member succumb to cancer and your videos have been invaluable to helping me deal with the situation. Just wonderful commentary on a media art form that I thought I knew a lot about and being completely blown away every video! Thank you!
This series is super cool and has me thinking about the animation in some of my favorite RPGs, like Breath of Fire, which has a drastic jump in detail on sprites between games, until the ps1 games where they're absolutely gorgeous even to this day with amazing art and animation with cool little details
This series is a gift! Thanks for the amazing work! I appreciate that you don’t just throw a few data, talk strictly about animation for 10 minutes and call it a day: you also pay homage to the games and how they came to be that way, and it shows
Dude I love all of your essays! I like watching you play, but sometimes I haven't finished the game, or I'm really busy so watching all of a dozens-of-episodes series can be difficult, but I ALWAYS make sure I watch any of your essays! Its an excellent look into video games, with the added benefit of your insight into the industry. Its always top-tier stuff!
This was the first proper Final Fantasy game I ever played and it has a very special place in my heart. I've really been looking forward to this episode. In addition to character emotes, I think this game was also the first of the series to make use of _leitmotif,_ a technique in opera where every main character, setting, or plot point gets its own distinctive theme music that plays whenever that character, setting, or plot point makes an appearance. Just like the emotes: it's such a simple trick, but they really get a lot of mileage out of it.
I played this game for the first time recently on the GBA and I was really impressed how they managed to convey emotions and a somewhat intricate narative despite all the actors being tiny handfuls of pixels. Your description of the wedding scene was spot on, so many informations on these characters' emotions and actions are given using so little. Really awesome game to play even to this day.
I can't believe I learned of this channel from PlayFrame (I've been watching for several months now). I had an inkling of an idea that Dan was a professional game animator, but to think he had a channel dedicated to the dissection of beloved classics. Time to binge!
I have been waiting eagerly for this installment and it did not disappoint in the least. Playing the pixel remaster after your previous videos about FF1-3 made me appreciate all the little emotes and movements this game uses to get across the personality of the cast, just as you describe here. And your fantastic analysis of the game helps convince me that it's not just nostalgia that makes me love this game so much, so many years later.
Animation has been a passion of mine for years and being able to study it in so many other mediums sans television is just wonderful. Thank you for your contribution!
I'm a native spanish speaker and I learned english thanks to this game. The movements and expressions were enough to make me understand the tone of the story and keep me engaged despite not being able to read everything effectively. I started using my english notebook from school as a guide for the game. I got the most rewarding feeling when I found myself reading and understanding everything
whoah :0
I love this, I’m glad this happened
Same here. FF IV and VI (amongst other games) are definitely responsible for a good part of my English education.
@@howlrichard1028FFVI Made me grow up like 20 years when I was 12. Man...🐴🏖️
Man, you probably had to relearn english if you originally learned from FF4's attempt at the language haha.
I think a cool thing about the combat characterization in FF4 is that a lot of this feels relatively unspoken. An example I like is Cecil, who I read as very very reckless due to not only some of his story actions but also how in both of his jobs, his main skills lead to him losing HP, Darkness literally costs HP, and your goal with Cover is to take damage. The key difference between these two feels like it also coincides with Cecil's growth, as his recklessness goes from outwardly destructive, to defensive. This clearly shows us a character who wants to protect those around him at any cost with nothing but gameplay and that's cool as hell.
Still can't get over "Learning that this game's creative direction was in the hands of Mr. Story and the theater kid kinda tells you all you need to know". It's a good summary of what makes FF4 different from its predecessors _and why it wound up that way._
What do you mean?
@@speinz9430 those are the types of people who would put the characters first in this scenario
@@speinz9430 I mean what I said. The quoted quote explains who was in charge of the game, and those creative priorities are why FF4 is the way it is.
10:02 - RIGHT??!! Winner quote
With FF4 it looks better than the NES games but it still looks old. It doesn't have the timelessness that FF6 does.
I feel like a lot of times when we talk about advances in animation in games, the conversation starts and ends with advances in the hardware. So it's really cool to see you talk about these early games, not just in terms of how many pixels or panels they could use, but also the new and clever ways they found to use them and how they developed the craft of using animation as a vehicle to communicate plot and character.
As a low-res RPG developer, I wanted to say a big thank you for this series! These are such fascinating looks at the mountains of personality packed into simple actions like spinning a character or giving them a slightly different pose. Doing more with less is the name of the game in these early games, and I adore how much care and respect you've packed into these deep dives. Thank you! :>
Do you have anything released? I don't see any game dev mentioned on your channel.
The crossfade between the live "Welcome To Our Town" and the game version was perfect
For real
God but these videos are just the absolute best! I love this analysis so much!
Awww shucks
@@NewFramePlus Everyone look, it's game recognizing game =P
I just found this video and channel and wouldn't you know, it's on one of my absolute favorite games of all time! In 1991 I was 12 years old and had played FF1 when it came out, but of course didn't have access to 2 or 3 so this was my second FF game. This does a great job putting into words several of the things that impressed me at the time and which I still appreciate now.
Collab when 😛
@@stormRed That would be pretty cool! Maybe one of the Patreon PlayFriends should suggest a League of Legends animation analysis or something-you know, a topic in Skyen's wheelhouse where a collab would make sense.
I love just how many characters do the spin-jump excitement thing. It adds so much energy!
It's a thing that sprites have over 3D models. To "realistically" show Paloma being an energetic bundle of kid, he'd be fidgety in a constrained way, hoping at most 1 foot. Not the jumping 6 or 9 feet sprites get to get away with. Our brains normalize the cartoony quirkiness, but less so for 3D models.
@@AkaiAzul Somewhat realistic models like FF 8+ have, yeah. Simplified or stylized models like SM64 or Crash Bandicoot 4? Nope, cartooniness works perfectly fine there.
It's not the tech, it's how you use it.
This has to be my favourite episode of New Frame Plus to date. (Well, maybe it ties with the one about Sonic the Hedgehog animation.) The only version of Final Fantasy IV I ever played was a 3D remake, so I never got to see these simple, efficient, expressive little animations that were so impressive. It makes me smile to see the characters like this.
On a personal note, I've known some friends, and some friends of friends, who have thought about doing a game jam, or even forming an indie studio. Things keep getting in the way, nothing ever materializes, so I've been trying to teach myself as many game-making skills as possible. I have almost no talent in animation, but seeing how much they could do in this game with so little is encouraging. I may be able to figure out game animation after all. Whew.
Thinking back on it, the FMV cutscenes they added to the PSP release of the game were really only for characterization, and I really appreciate that
I played Final Fantasy IV when I was a kid, and that wedding sequence you cover at 33:27 is what stuck with me all these decades later. Your analysis is such a joyful nostalgic throwback! I remember re-watching that scene back then over and over again.
Thank you 🙂
I never considered how absolutely perfect the wedding is presented. Great episode!
i was literally just thinking yesterday "man, it's been months since the last video hasn't it? i wonder when he'll do the next one" and here we are!
I’ve been waiting for this! This is my favourite series of yours honestly, watching the evolution of the animation over the years!!
I have heard about Mode 7 before but never really know what it was! I learned something to day! Thank you!
The SNES Mode 7 wasn't the only one out there. BBC Micros had a Mode 7 too, which was used for teletext displays.
I suspect there were probably others out there too.
If you look up the technical details, there's actually something of an intuitive order in each mode's index number. For starters, the higher the index, the fewer layers you have to work with _but_ the more colors (and effects) you can do with each layer, including:
* "Direct Color" (modes 3,4,7 only): Allows a background layer to directly access a full 11-bit RGB color space, bypassing tiles and color palettes entirely.
* High Resolution (modes 5 and 6 only): Doubles the horizontal resolution to 512 pixels (in same physical screen size), and can double the vertical resolution to 448 pixels (interlaced).
* "Offset per tile" (modes 2,4,6 only): Allows columns of the background to be scrolled independently of one another.
1:30 seconds in and I am in tears for a simple soundtrack loop and animation. That is how much this game meant to me.
I don’t remember where I read it, but supposedly, FF4 started as a NES title. Development didn’t move to the SNES until pretty late.
Makes me wonder how much improvement would there have been if it started a a SNES title since day 1.
You are half correct! There originally was a FF4 in development for NES and plans for FF5 to be the first SNES release. But Squaresoft eventually decided to scrap the NES game and rename the FF5 they'd started work on to FF4 (which is what we have now). Alas, the NES FF4 they'd started work on never came to be, although I understand they pulled a lot of their ideas for it into later releases.
@@NewFramePlus Oooh, could that be the reason FF5 has so many elements from FF3 too? It feels like a direct sequel of it almost
@@NewFramePlus your brain is huge
@@NewFramePlus Ah! I see, good to know.
I don't think it is. I think it's just a case of the developers being cautious. Sticking to what they know works on this new hardware and only using the new things that are relatively easy to impliment.
I like that. That they made a good product first and didn't make it all fuggly just to prove "See guys, it's on the SNES now!"
I absolutely adore every installment in this series. Can't help sharing with all my friends. Keep them coming, thanks!
Dan, there is nobody on the whole gosh darn internet that makes a better funny transition than you. Your humor is a true gift.
He has the wit of a gentleman swordsman.
I don't know why but whenever I am asked which is my favorite Final Fantasy game, I always answer 4. I have so many memories of this game in its various incarnations.
Yes the leap from 1 to 4 was that much more spectacular given it seemed that it was from 1 to 2. Also it had a rich plot but less dark than vi. This was a highlight of my high school years
i was wondering the other day when this series might continue! happy to see a new installment
every time someone brings up the snes, i am reminded just how fantastic that console was... Live-A-Live, SMW, Super Metroid, FFVI, Yoshi, Earthbound. What a fantastic lineup
Don't forget Chrono Trigger, SMRPG, F-Zero, A Link to the Past, Killer Instinct, DKC trilogy. All of these still stand the test of time as some of greatest games ever made!
And ilusión of gaia,secret of mana,Kirby súper Star and dream land 3,the megaman Xs and 7,Castlevania IV and bloodlines,FF mystic Quest....
The 16-bits games seriously hits different
As someone that grew up with FF4 (aka 2) for the SNES, this video made me so happy to watch. I was always fascinated by the music, characters, and animation from the game as a little kid and even learned to read from it. Asking my parents constantly what certain words meant. This game holds a special place in my heart and every remake and port of it is always an instant buy for me. I even enjoyed the sequel. The FF4 references in FF14 always bring a smile to my face as well.
17:06 "You are challenged by your reflection as a Dark Knight who you can only defeat through pacifism."
Me who chugged Hi-Potions and just whacked my sword at this thing: "THAT WAS HOW YOU SHOULD'VE DONE IT?!"
that description of the cutscene at the end... this is so fun i love how much they can pull off with all those limitaitons
Also want to point out that these sprites were created with the CRT in mind, which had a unique effect on making the art form really shine.
Thanks for the vid.
I hope to find a video one day describing how artists designed around and utilized the quirks of the CRT
@@JB-mm5ff Oops yeah, I felt like my wording was off
I was just thinking about this series recently and was curious if there had been any new ones I'd missed, so this is awesome to see!
I must say, I hugely appreciate you breaking these up into every individual game instead of simplifying it down to "the NES era", "the SNES era", etc., since it really lets you notice and appreciate the subtle improvements that'd get easily glossed over otherwise!
11:47 actually I was thinking about how much I'm enjoying your roundabout approach here.
Your love for the series oozes from the video and I adore that.
It feels like I'm at the intersection of your passions and it's impossible to avoid a good time
0:45 Dan we notice and appreciate the effort you put in to use original hardware, it's so nice to see Yuna's original face!
(Ooh actually in the X video a comparison of original and remaster facial animation would be interesting since they botox-ed up all of the faces in the remaster, really kills a lot of the expressiveness in the acting)
Great video as always!
I played the remaster last year, I wo der if that's what felt "off" about it. I thought it was just nostalgia goggles.
The number of people who have told me "oh you just remember it looking better cause of nostalgia" is infuriating, I really would love a video to point to that breaks it down
This is one of my favorite UA-cam series. I know very little about animation, but your presentation makes me feel like I know a lot. Another amazing entry. Looking forward to FFV!
This would break up the series rhythm, but doing one on Chrono Trigger after FF5 and FF6. Square employees wanting to be unfettered by the standard FF design and right at the end of life cycle for the SNES where they have mastered getting the most out of the system. Aside from that the FF6 one is going to be an intense video to compile, looking forward to it.
+1 Chrono Trigger is just... Incredible. One of my favorite games ever.
Chrono Trigger will be an awesome one to see for sure
FF6 and 7 easily have my favourite character animations of all time. The way they made them so expressive with what was available to them was insane.
FF6 is one of only a very small number of games to use background mode 6. Many think it's opening is mode 7 but it's actually mode 6.
Mode 6 is like a more limited form of mode 7 but with an additional background layer which was extremely limited to only 4 colors and only 1 scroll direction. Very few people used it as mode 7 allowed for far greater manipulation and mode 5 was far more flexible with both background layers able to have full color and move in different directions independent of each other.
I always thought the effects in CT were a bit over the top. Too much of everything, just because they could.
17:10 You can actually beat your reflection by normal means, too. It's usually a close battle but I've never lost this way.
BTW, fantastic video of a personal favorite. Never watched a video of yours but immediately subscribed after!
This is probably the best breakdown of the wedding scene animation I've ever seen.
I greatly appreciate that you don't discuss animation in a vacuum. You're completely right -- animation is inherently tied to character, story, and more.
I really hope this series isn't gone, I'l not into final fantasy guy but your involved showcase is plainly interesting and the enthusiasm is very contagious. I got emotional at the end of the video even, there's something inspiring about how they worked around limitations to create cool stuff
i'm very sad i didn't get notified of this one. Sad that the almighty algorithm isn't being too kind to these infrequent uploads (and presumably a bit of viewer fatigue).
While i normally don't "ring the bell" out of spite, i'm gonna do that until this series is finished (so, probably late 2025, at the earliest).
Best of luck in getting the viewer numbers this fantastic work deserves.
Final Fantasy 4 is my favorite video game - one of my favorite _things_ - EVER! I fell in love the first time I played it before the game proper even began, as the camera faded in on the Red Wings descending on Mysidia.
Yes Namingway is a rabbit, specifically a rabbit from the moon, an outcast from the Hummingway clan. The moon rabbits are a reference to a Japanese legend.
nothing like someone more versed than you taking your favorite game of all time and explaining the finer details that you feel, but cannot put concisely, in a neat shinny package, also with a dosis of gut punching nostalgia with all the story highlights trough the video
Dan really feels like he's been so liberated and happy on UA-cam since parting ways with Extra Credits.
His commentary style was what made me like those videos a lot of the time and now he's everything I liked about him without the rest of what I didn't like about EC *and I am here for it*
This might easily be my favorite video of 2022. There is just so much nuanced information packed into this presentation that I can honestly say that I learned much more than I anticipated. I can tell that you have a honest passion about this series and it shows in the writing and editing. Can't wait until the next video.
It can't beat Line Goes Up, but it definitely deserves to be in a Top X Video Essays lost with it.
This is an exceptional video. The sheer amount of things you can do just with blocking and a few movement sprites really is incredible.
FF4 is my favorite 2d FF game. 4 and 9 are the ones I replay ever few years. Not sure why it’s just so comforting to me to run through this game
Ff4 is a cool game and all but where do I go after I heal Rosa, iim lost right now
@@gaemr_o5147 Head to where the Antlion cave was, and continue heading east above the cave. And you'll reach some mountains with a path you can enter.
Honestly, this video has me interested in playing it- any tips on where to find it for pc or such?
@@dovahkiin53839 pretty sure it’s on steam
@@dovahkiin53839
The PSP version is IMO the best one that exists. It works great through emulation, though if you want to find a legit copy it's a bit harder than getting it on Steam
Fantastic job! Brought me back to how I felt when I first played this game 30 years ago...
EXTREMELY Happy about this series! Thank you! I've only played FFXIV, the (critically acclaimed) MMO. And watching your tour though these older games is giving me sudden flashbacks to moments in XIV's story, and monster design! I can't wait for you to explore XIV!
You should play some of the others, they're really good!
Those animations to illustrate the background layers are really cool.
I played and completed 4 for the first time this year, making it the first 2D Final Fantasy I've ever finished. I've dabbled with the original in a "Hey this is a novelty!" sort of way, and tried several times to get into 6 but just not clicking, so with the new pixel remasters I decided to get 4 and 6 as they're the ones people seem to rate the highest.
I didn't really have any sort of expectations coming into 4 but it absolutely blew me away. It might seem strange considering how primitive it is compared to most modern RPGs, let alone modern Final Fantasy titles, but that simplicity is in itself such a masterclass in how little you need to put into a performance to really infuse it with character and charm.
It's hard to know what exactly my reaction would have been to the original version, considering I played the pixel remaster with it's redone (but in my opinion very faithful) sprites and quality of life improvements, but regardless it strikes me as having a timeless feel alongside games like Super Metroid where it utilises the tools it has with such artistry that it never really shows its age.
You're in for a treat with 6, it's held up very well!
make sure you give ff5 a try too. it's my favorite incarnation of the job system except for maybe ff12. it's so wonderful.
I’ve literally never played a single final fantasy game but I’m kind of obsessed with this series, I can tell you’re passionate about both FF and game animation in general! Soooo hyped for the next in the series :-)
Dan, you are amazing. I have watched you from extra credits, and then to here, and your content has been consistently amazing, one of the single most consistently amazing creators on this platform. Good luck with your continued efforts!
Good analysis, though to be honest I spent most of it going "Oh man can't wait til he gets to V and VI!" I love the animation in those games.
that whole section about the ending cutscene is masterpiece, you should be really proud of how well you managed to convey how impressive FFIV’s rudimentary and limited animation is.
11:55 A+ reference, thank you for the laugh 😆
Edit: it keeps happening, the humor in this video is excellent!
This is great. It's one of those videos where I start feeling like "oh, no, is the video almost over!?" and then I check the progress bar and _rejoice!_
Very excited about the next two entries. They're the oldie Final Fantasy games I've (started 😅) playing the most!
Always a pleasant surprise to see an upload
The way you underlined the importance of story and characters in relation to animation makes me hopeful somehow.
An amazing video! Cannot wait for the next one no matter how long it takes you it's gonna be too long. So take your time.
8:18 that seamless transition is seriously impressive
Loving this series, and how much you put into describing WHY the animation is important. That's a lot of important context you're giving, and I'm absolutely here to hear you talk about that as well as the animation for as long as you like
"FF 4 is where Final Fantasy becomes itself." What a perfect line!
I literally just refreshed the page and this masterpiece showed up on my notifications
Just found this series through this video being recommended to me and I gotta say I enjoy the fade from orchestral version to the original version of the music you do at the start to an unreasonable amount every single time.
Super Mario RPG also makes such great use of the blocking and movement to give their characters personality and space to express themselves. I don't think Mario has a real single piece of dialogue but the way they make use of the various emotion sprites, jumping, twirling just made him feel so expressive. Super awesome to see this is how square worked up to this.
Loving this series!!!
Having grown up in the early 2000s, I got to experience the first 4 FFs mostly in order with the Advance/DS ports, and FFIVA definitely stood out to me even as a kid with how much harder it leaned into it's story compared to when I had played I and II. Looking back on the games through your analysis, it really does amaze me how such a small amount of animations were able to sell all the various emotions, actions, and story beats.
I liked how the usage of scripted event battles for comedic purposes spilled over from fights like Dr. Lugae into the secret developer room you could find at the Dwarven Castle.
I'm not sure why "Mr Story and The Theatre Kid" got me so hard... but it did XD
A Playframe best-of video AND a New Frame Plus video on FFIV on the same day?! Boy we are blessed.
I am crying watching this. This was my first Final Fantasy when it was new, and the more I learn about it, the more I am so grateful that it was.
Love your content as usual but I really can't emphasize enough how I agreed that that Fusoya's beard puddle was perfect.
FFIV was my first FF ever, it holds such a special place in my heart, I've played and ALMOST finished every version (3D Phone and PC and the GBA yet to be finished) and I resound so much with Cecil as I, too, fought my own darkness and accepted the Light by defeating my depression. It's a game I often revisit either normally or through the randomizer. And I won't lie, this video did bring me to tears, and was singing along the music I've become so familiar with. THIS is the game who introduced me to the franchise and JRPGs plus it gave me my love for the Dragoon.
Surprisingly, as someone who didnt have an snes growing up, this is what sold me to start playing ff4, for me to dust off the old emulator and play the snes version of ff4. I now understand the how impressive the jump from nes to snes is and what to look out for (although I'm sure there will be even more impressive snes ff games). Thank you, I really appreciate this series for opening my eyes to retro animation. This is especially helpful for me who is learning game development and animation in general.
Fine if you want to do an animation study, but the original SNES edition is the version of FFIV I would recommend the least. Releases are complicated, but the SNES version has a weak localisation and removes a lot of unique class traits and animations from the characters.
The 3D remake would be my pick, followed by the GBA version and the pixel remaster on equal footing.
@@WannabeMarysue yeah, the point where he mentioned that some moves were removed from the game while localizing was a bit alarming to hear. I probably won't play the 3d version, but pixel remaster might be a good alternative. Thanks for the suggestions!
Retro game mechanics explained has already done a deep dive into the SNES and NES for anyone who wants more information.
Man, that analysis of the wedding scene... just blew my mind.
I've seen that scene a couple of times, now, when you break it into its details, is just amazing how much they managed to convey with so little.
Thanks for these videos man.
This is my favorite Final Fantasy game.
I still remember my 10 year-old self crying during [redacted]'s sacrifice, knowing that I was crying over a fictional collection of colors on a screen, that it was stupid and I shouldn't need to cry about this fictional tragedy, and being unable to stop because I really liked [redacted] and was going to miss [redacted]. That was when I knew that I loved this game.
When [redacted] reappears at the end of the game I learned that writers were jerks trying to break my heart.
Thank you for doing this. Thank you for sharing this. And thank you for reminding me how much this game matters to me - and how important games can be.
Oh but when [redacted] lost himself in his desires and ended up making the largest sacrifice leading to [redacted]'s end, that moment still moves me to this day. It is such an elegant way to tell that plotline without bogging it down.
@@HighPriestFuneral What illustrates the brilliance of the story is that we are talking about different characters.
man your enthusiasm talking about these games got me teary eyed. these are so fun to watch
"grey and purple" me sitting here in central Europe with my colorful SNES controller "what?"
There's a moment in the wedding scene, 34:12, Yang seems to take a moment to fight back some tears. At least, that's the impression I got with just a single frame. You might read something different, but the fact that something can be read there at all is brilliant
Something I loved about this era of Final Fantasy was how immersive it could be despite its countless limitations. The scripted battles of FF4 are a great example of it. So many of the scripted battles in 4 would be straight up cutscenes in maybe 90% of modern games. When you're watching a cutscene you may be into the story, but you still relax a bit as a player because you know there's nothing you need to do right now. But by using the same battle window for these scenes, sometimes FF4 could trick you into thinking you were still playing the game not knowing that you had in fact been booted out of the driver's seat. The scene where Rydia triumphantly returns to laydown the smackdown on Golbez will forever be burned into my memory because of that. The first time I played the game and Golbez straight up decimated my party, because the game lets it seemingly play out like a normal battle and had you choose character inputs, I was convinced I had done something wrong and was about to lose. But then Rydia comes in to save you and the battle REALLY starts. Now you have a chance to win but most of your party is in the KO state so it's chaotic and thrilling. I absolutely adore this game.
Seeing this in my feed is the happiest I've been all week, and almost 4o minutes long? Brilliant
I did not know the loporrit naming conventions were already a thing in FF4
What I find fascinating about the wedding scene is not only how just the basic locomotion, a few emote poses, and blocking can be read in character, but also how some of the same events play out differently because of how that character would act. Yang doesn't look around the room to greet them, and it reads differently than how Edward looks around first, which reads differently than the Mysidia elder greets the room by not going to greet Cecil and Rosa first. It gives the impression of how a monk greets a room, versus royalty taught from birth how to greet a room, versus a mystical elder who guides a city of mages. All without words.
This may be my favorite FF. This and VI of course, I vacillate between them but secretly I think this one just got to me first. As a kid I knew there was something special about it. I couldn't tell you what but I definitely picked up on it, it just had so much life.
Oh right, FFIV started Active Time Battle. That's what I've known the Final Fantasy Franchise for since FFVI (FFIII on the Super Nintendo) and FFVII. In fact, those were my introduction to the Franchise.
26:40- Actually, they were removed just for Memory Storage for the translations.
That's not true. They can be easily implemented and it causes no issue to the game. They were removed as a conscious effort to simplify the game. Along with half of the game's (admittedly situationally useful, and that's being kind...) battle items.
Thank you so much for this. I've always struggled to articulate just WHY Final Fantasy IV means so much to me in terms of story and characters. And I think the extremely nuanced expressions of the characters is a huge part of it. Fantastic video!
Knowing Takashi Tokita worked on FF4 and would go on to direct Live A Live and have a chapter that acted as a dark mirror to Cecil makes so much sense
Thank you so much for these videos! I've been slowly watching a family member succumb to cancer and your videos have been invaluable to helping me deal with the situation. Just wonderful commentary on a media art form that I thought I knew a lot about and being completely blown away every video! Thank you!
the breakdown of the wedding scene was just fab. Can't wait for the next episode, keep up the great videos :)
never stop doing videos man
This series is super cool and has me thinking about the animation in some of my favorite RPGs, like Breath of Fire, which has a drastic jump in detail on sprites between games, until the ps1 games where they're absolutely gorgeous even to this day with amazing art and animation with cool little details
This series is a gift! Thanks for the amazing work! I appreciate that you don’t just throw a few data, talk strictly about animation for 10 minutes and call it a day: you also pay homage to the games and how they came to be that way, and it shows
Filled to the brim with interesting detail! Nice video!
I really loved the analysis at the end with the marriage scene!
“Mister Story and the Theater Kid” made me CACKLE 🤣
Love how even the smallest of additions or frames can make such a difference!
The way they nod to greet and jump around to express themselves reminds me of Golden sun it’s so cute I love it
Dude I love all of your essays! I like watching you play, but sometimes I haven't finished the game, or I'm really busy so watching all of a dozens-of-episodes series can be difficult, but I ALWAYS make sure I watch any of your essays! Its an excellent look into video games, with the added benefit of your insight into the industry. Its always top-tier stuff!
This was the first proper Final Fantasy game I ever played and it has a very special place in my heart. I've really been looking forward to this episode.
In addition to character emotes, I think this game was also the first of the series to make use of _leitmotif,_ a technique in opera where every main character, setting, or plot point gets its own distinctive theme music that plays whenever that character, setting, or plot point makes an appearance. Just like the emotes: it's such a simple trick, but they really get a lot of mileage out of it.
I played this game for the first time recently on the GBA and I was really impressed how they managed to convey emotions and a somewhat intricate narative despite all the actors being tiny handfuls of pixels.
Your description of the wedding scene was spot on, so many informations on these characters' emotions and actions are given using so little.
Really awesome game to play even to this day.
I love that you underlined the importance of that simple "head lowered" pose. I've always felt that way.
Ooooh lesgooooo! Been waiting for a new video in this series for so long!
hands down one of the best channels on youtube
Hearing you talk about the wedding sequence makes me so excited to get back to animating. This stuff really is magic. Fantastic video as always.
I can't believe I learned of this channel from PlayFrame (I've been watching for several months now). I had an inkling of an idea that Dan was a professional game animator, but to think he had a channel dedicated to the dissection of beloved classics. Time to binge!
I have been waiting eagerly for this installment and it did not disappoint in the least. Playing the pixel remaster after your previous videos about FF1-3 made me appreciate all the little emotes and movements this game uses to get across the personality of the cast, just as you describe here. And your fantastic analysis of the game helps convince me that it's not just nostalgia that makes me love this game so much, so many years later.
Animation has been a passion of mine for years and being able to study it in so many other mediums sans television is just wonderful. Thank you for your contribution!