The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
Puzzles  |  Sports  |  Television  |  Videogames
Nominate-best-2010

Familiar Fantasy IV

The After Years: If it ain't broke, remake it
By MADDY MYERS  |  June 16, 2009
2.5 2.5 Stars

090629_ff4_main
INNOVATION? Releasing games in chunks is a new idea — but it's not a good idea.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years started as a Japan-only cellphone game and has washed up on American shores in the form of WiiWare. Only the first four chapters have been released so far — which translates into about six hours of gameplay. These wrap up with a twist designed to motivate you to buy the next three chapters when they're released in July (and then the next three chapters the month after that, and again after that).

Everything about TheAfter Years recalls its predecessor: the setting is the same, most faces are familiar, the plot will give you déjà vu. Even the treasure chests are in the exact identical spots. You'll spend some time playing as FF4 heroes Cecil and Rosa, who are now the monarchs of the land of Baron, but the real protagonist of TheAfter Years is their son Ceodore. The 17-year-old prince begins the game by earning the right to be a part of the king's most prestigious airship fleet. Soon afterward, however, monsters attack the airship and it crashes, leaving the prince as the sole survivor. Ceodore spends the game traveling back to Baron (where monsters are already attacking his parents' castle), running into followers and foes as the plot demands. His main companion is "The Hooded Man," a mysterious swordsman who seems to recognize recurring characters.

The battle system is identical to FF4's, with two variations. First off, there's the influence of the moon. It will change its phase if you stay at an inn, set up a tent, or simply wait long enough, and that phase will determine which of your fighting tactics works best. When the moon is full, for example, black magic is twice as effective, but your sword is half as strong. Keeping track of these phases adds a new tactical element to the long-established Final Fantasy battle system.

The other change is the addition of "band" attacks, by which two characters can combine their strengths. King Cecil can, for example, merge his sword's slash with Queen Rosa's white magic to form the attack "Holy Blade." The game will not let you know which band attacks exist, so you'll want to try combining characters' attacks on your own to discover them all.

As for the graphics, remember that TheAfter Years did start out as a cellphone game. You'll find yourself wondering why the developers chose to release it on the Wii instead of as a hand-held (or, better yet, on American cellphones). Simplistic sprites were made for tiny screens, and playing TheAfter Years on a big-screen TV seems . . . wrong.

The reason Square did release this game on the Wii, of course, was so it could use the WiiWare system to release a piece of the story each month. The thing is, Final Fantasy fans would still have grabbed this title if it had been a $40 release on the DS or PSP. (It'll cost $37 on the Wii once the full story is available.) Releasing games in chunks is a new idea — but it's not a good idea, especially in an industry where gamers already see their most anticipated releases get pushed back time and time again. Diehard FF4 fans could be counting down till July; everyone else is apt to have forgotten about TheAfter Years by then. Besides, the game's story is too reminiscent of FF4 to keep anyone in suspense for long. Couldn't we just break out the SNES and play the original?

Related: Review: Chrono Trigger DS, Review: Afro Samurai, Review: Street Fighter IV, More more >
  Topics: Videogames , Science and Technology, Technology, Culture and Lifestyle,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
HTML Prohibited
Add Comment

ARTICLES BY MADDY MYERS
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   LOOKING BACK, GOING FORWARD  |  January 13, 2010
    Economic recession and post-racial themes abound in Boston’s early 2010 theater repertoire.
  •   SEXIEST VIDEO-GAME STUDS OF 2009  |  December 18, 2009
    Video-game characters get more realistic all the time - and by more realistic, we mean sexier. This year offered a plethora of digital delights and graphical innovations, and although developers don't cater to their straight female and gay male audience nearly as much as they could, we still had no shortage of contenders for this list.
  •   REVIEW: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON  |  November 23, 2009
    Chris Weitz comes on board to direct Twilight ’s hotly awaited sequel, New Moon , but the second bite doesn’t sate quite like the first. Bella (Kristen Stewart) celebrates her 18th birthday with vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson); when she gets a paper cut at the party.
  •   PHOTOS: NEW ENGLAND FAN EXPERIENCE 2009  |  November 16, 2009
    Photos of fans and more at the New England Fan Experience 2009
  •   REVIEW: DJ HERO  |  November 12, 2009
    Shortly after DJ Hero ’s release, a couple of craiglist ads popped up from gamers claiming they’ll plug in and play the game at your party for $75 — all you have to provide is the TV and the speakers.

 See all articles by: MADDY MYERS

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2010 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group