final-fantasy-iv-the-after-years
Latest
Final Fantasy 4: The After Years coming to iOS, Android this winter [Update]
Final Fantasy 4: The After Years will launch on Android and iOS this winter, the European Square Enix blog announced. Set 17 years after the original Super Famicom game, the Japanese mobile game first launched in 2008, later arriving on WiiWare in 2009 and PSP in 2011. The "full 3D remake" of Final Fantasy 4: The After Years features "completely recreated graphics," as seen in the accompanying announcement trailer. Square Enix doesn't specify whether the game will launch in North America, nor does it mention a price for the game, though the now-available Android version of Final Fantasy 5 is priced at $15.99/£10.99/€14.99 on the Google Play store. Update: Square Enix has informed us that the game will be coming to North America.
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection completely available April 19
Square Enix fans going through Final Fantasy withdrawal will at last have another opportunity to buy something bearing the series name this spring. Square Enix today announced that it's localizing the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection for PSP, with a North American release set for April 19. The collection will retail for $30. Complete Collection includes a new version of Final Fantasy IV (originally released on SNES as Final Fantasy II), with updated graphics designed for PSP and a new soundtrack arrangement. It also includes the game's direct sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, currenly available in North America as an episodic WiiWare release.
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection's classy collector's compilation catalogued
Square Enix has revealed the "Ultimate Pack" for Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, the PSP release of Final Fantasy IV and The After Years, coming to Japan on March 24. This Square Enix E-Store exclusive is rather lovely to look at and comes with an artbook, game guide and 17-track audio CD, called "Final Fantasy IV The After Years Sounds Plus." Five of the tracks on the CD have yet to be decided (Square Enix is asking Japanese Square Enix Members to vote for them from a list). Even if you aren't a member, you can still listen to samples of all the tracks in the running. Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, and the Ultimate Pack, have not been announced for release outside of Japan.
Final Fantasy IV and The After Years collected on PSP
We're a little surprised it took this long for Square Enix to bundle Final Fantasy IV and its mobile / WiiWare followup, The After Years. Square does enjoy re-releasing Final Fantasy IV after all. The latest version is Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection for PSP, revealed in V-Jump magazine. Complete Collection includes an updated version of FFIV, like the freshened-up Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 2 released on PSP, with fancy graphics for spells and new character portraits, combined with 2D character models. The After Years is presented in the same style. The Complete Collection is slightly more complete than just the two games on their own: it also includes an exclusive story connecting the two. It'll be released in Japan this spring. There's no reason not to expect Square Enix to localize this Final Fantasy game, so it's only a matter of time. [Image: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare version)]
FFIV tie-in DLC added to My Life as a Darklord
The Japanese release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord now kind of bridges the main Final Fantasy series and the Crystal Chronicles series, in a fanservice-y sort of way, thanks to the addition of Final Fantasy IV The After Years-inspired downloadable costumes.For 200 points each, players can download Rydia and Porom costumes, which allow the use of fire or cyclone magic once per stage. Kain and Palom appear as summoned monsters, also for 200 points each -- Kain uses physical attacks against invading heroes, and Palom uses Slow magic and other spells.It's great to see Square Enix is happy to charge for tiny chunks of Final Fantasy IV The After Years even in other games.
VC/WiiWare Tuesday: Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy
Today is totally Final Fantasy day in Japan. Today, of course, Square Enix announced the upcoming release of Final Fantasy IV on the Virtual Console. That announcement coincided with the release of two downloadable Final Fantasies: Final Fantasy III on Famicom and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on WiiWare. Rolling Thunder doesn't really follow the theme at all, but it is awesome -- if you haven't played it, it's kind of a spy-themed Shinobi thing. It's welcome on the Virtual Console even though it's not a Final Fantasy game.Virtual Console: Final Fantasy III (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Rolling Thunder (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) WiiWare: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (1-4 players, 800 Wii Points)
Final Fantasy IV coming to Japanese VC Aug. 4
The original Final Fantasy IV -- sans DS upgrades -- will hit Japan's Virtual Console on August 4 for 900 Wii Points. The news comes soon after Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was summoned to the region. The release of the fourth installment seems natural, as Final Fantasy I - III are already available on the VC in Japan.So, yeah, still nothing new to report about any of the classic Final Fantasy games coming to North America. It appears those seeking a potion of nostalgia will have to consume it across the many iterations released on Nintendo handhelds over the years.
Japanese FFIV: The After Years release schedule revealed
Famitsu has revealed the Japanese release schedule for the episodes that make up Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Following the July 21 release of the title's initial chapters, Square Enix will stagger episodic releases weekly and bi-weekly. Additional chapters for the game will be priced at 300 and 800 Wii Points.Already into its seventh (of 13) chapter on the North American WiiWare store, The After Years tells the story of characters following the 1991 SNES classic Final Fantasy IV -- presumably in an effort for Square Enix to tease and ignore all fan desire for a actual Final Fantasy VII remake. The series originally debuted as a episodic mobile game, exclusively in Japan. The Japanese release schedule can be found after the break.%Gallery-48532%[via Andriasang]
Square Enix announces Front Mission Evolved, NIER
Square Enix's E3 lineup features two surprises, in addition to the expected Final Fantasy stuff: Front Mission Evolved and NIER. While we may have suspected that some kind of Front Mission game was coming, we wouldn't have guessed that it would be a third-person shooter instead of a strategy game, nor that it would be developed by a Western company (Silent Hill: Homecoming's Double Helix Games, specifically). The E3 lineup press release highlights SE's efforts to become a more "global" company, and it hardly gets more "global" than handing one of its existing IPs over to a Western developer to be made into a PS3/Xbox/PC shooter. NIER is a new PS3/360 action game developed by Bullet Witch/Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles maker cavia. Players control NIER, who fights in a "crumbling world" to find a cure for his daughter, who is infected with the "Black Scrawl virus." The announcement also provided a firm release date for DISSIDIA Final Fantasy and its PSP bundle: August 25. The first episode of the WiiWare Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was also dated -- for this Monday! See the whole announced lineup in our gallery. %Gallery-64503%
Nintendo celebrates one year of WiiWare
On May 12 of last year, Nintendo of America launched the WiiWare download service with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, LostWinds, Defend Your Castle, Pop, VIP Casino: Blackjack, and TV Show King. Today, on the one-year anniversary of that launch, Nintendo sent out a video featuring the highlights of the service's 81-game lineup.For all the complaining Nintendo fans do about WiiWare, and Nintendo system releases in general, all the games presented in this video make for a pretty strong year of releases. In the press release about the anniversary, Nintendo gave us reasons to be excited about the next year of WiiWare, including Cave Story, Icarian: Kindred Spirits, Super Meat Boy, Cave Story, Bit.Trip: CORE, Cave Story, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and CAVE STORY.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years to feature four-player multiplayer
The official Final Fantasy IV: The After Years site is live. Siliconera spotted something quite interesting in the game's features page -- support for four player multiplayer? Interesting. Seems as though you won't have to play Square Enix's upcoming WiiWare RPG alone.We contacted Square Enix for more information, and Klee Kluo clarified: "The game has multiplayer function during battles only, similar to the original FINAL FANTASY IV. Up to four players can participate in battles by connecting the appropriate number of Wii Remotes or Classic Controllers and assign them to the characters." It seems like a neat addition for The After Years, but we're not entirely sure if our friends would want to take such a passive role and engage only in battles. Perhaps it's still best to play The After Years the way it was meant to be played: on a cell phone as a single-player experience.%Gallery-48532%
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years screenshot comparison
What changes can gamers expect when the once mobile-exclusive Final Fantasy IV: The After Years comes to WiiWare? Siliconera decided to compare screens from the episodic mobile version of the game and new grabs from the upcoming WiiWare version to find out. Apart from showing off more real estate on screen -- taking advantage of widescreen -- slight tweaks have been made to the game's menus. The WiiWare's version of the battle menu now displays maximum character health as well as the ATB bar (pictured above). As for the graphics, the game will reuse the sprites found in the mobile game, which Siliconera notes are actually borrowed from the original Final Fantasy IV adventure of the '90s. It's like a one-two punch of nostalgia and connecting your cell phone to a widescreen TV.
GDC09: A mess of Final Fantasy games for WiiWare and Virtual Console (that's right, Virtual Console)
Iwata just announced two new Final Fantasy games for WiiWare! My Life as a Darklord is a spooky-evil sequel to the WiiWare launch title My Life as a King. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is the previously cellphone-only sequel to Final Fantasy IV!Even better, vintage Final Fantasy is coming to the Virtual Console! The Final Fantasy games will be arriving on Nintendo's download service starting later this year. %Gallery-48531%%Gallery-48532%
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years coming to Wii
It seems that Nintendo's recently discovered trademark for "The After Years" was, in fact, referencing a Wii port of the cell-phone based follow-up to the SNES role-playing classic Final Fantasy IV. An ESRB rating for the sequel confirms that the game will be hitting North American Wiis, though a time frame for its release, or even its release format (retail? WiiWare?) has yet to be revealed. The ESRB stamped the title with an E rating, as it doesn't classify the frequent usage of the word "spoony" as inappropriate for adolescent ears.Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which was released in an episodic fashion on a number of Japanese mobile platforms last year, follows the exploits of Ceodore (the progeny of FFIV protagonists Cecil and Rosa) nearly 17 years after the events of the original game. It'll also feature appearances from other major characters from the SNES title -- well, the ones who survived, anyway. Those who played the title will recall that FFIV was somewhat Hamlet-esque in its final body count.
