Video Game Review: Final Fantasy 4 The After Years(PSP)

***SPOILERS AHEAD!***

Originally released in 2009, Final Fantasy 4 The After Years is the one and only major sequel to Square's SNES masterpiece, FF4. The After Years was later released for the PSP in the Complete Collection.

The story takes place seventeen years after the events of FF4 and FF4 Interlude. The Second Moon has long left the Blue Planet and the world's inhabitants made great gains in rebuilding there lives and there kingdoms. Cecil and Rosa now serve as king and queen of Baron and there son, Ceodore, has joined the kingdom's elite airship fleet, the Red Wings. While on his initiation mission for the Red Wings Baron comes under attack from massive hordes of monsters. Cecil attempts to fight them off but is defeated by strange being know as Mysterious Woman. At the same time, the Second Moon makes it's return to the Blue Planet. Across the world old friends unite, and are joined by new faces as they attempt to stop the advance of the Second Moon, defeat the Mysterious Woman, and discover the truth behind everything once and for all. The story for The After Years borrows a lot of elements from the original game, but it adds several new characters and creatures to make things new and fresh. One new feature to the game is the episodic format of the story. Each major character has his or her own story. Playing through each episode in a row shows coinciding elements across all the stories, creating a greater yet fractured narrative. Beating all episodes is key to unlocking the final episode, bringing the FF4 saga to an epic conclusion. All of the main characters from the first game make a triumphant return and are joined by several new characters, each with there own special personalities and abilities. Ceodore the knight in training, Ursula the daughter of Yang, Luca the female dwarf and mechanic, and even Golbez are just some of the new playable characters to the franchise! Despite familiar elements the story still finds ways to be fresh and interesting!

Some Characters from The After Years

Ceodore Harvey

Ursula

Cecil Harvey

Rosa Harvey

Rydia

Mysterious Girl

The gameplay to the FF4 saga also received some major additions. While the overall basics are unchanged from the original, The After Years sees some ambitious new mechanics implemented to make the game feel more modern. This biggest addition is the effects of the moon on the world at large. Moon Phase will change throughout your adventure at certain points in the story or whenever you use an Inn or rest at a save point using a Tent or a Cottage. Moon Phases not only affect the world but your party's stats and abilities as well. For example New Moon phase will increase the power of Skill abilities such as Kain's Jump, but White Magic like Cure will be less effective in supporting your party. Likewise Waning Moon phase will increase the strength of basic physical attacks, but Skill abilities will be less effective on enemies. To make things even more challenging, the 4 different Moon Phases also affect the enemies you encounter. Basic enemies and bosses also get increases and decreases to the same abilities as your characters. Fighting against a boss with strong physical attacks during a Waning Moon will put you in a world of hurt if you don't plan your attacks or have the wrong character set-up. Moreover you will encounter certain monsters in specific areas and dungeons during a set Moon Phase. Moon Phase's influence on exploration and more importantly combat adds a real strategy element to the mix that really keeps you on your toes as you try to find a winning formula to beat certain types of enemies and bosses. At times it can feel cheap to be stuck in an area with no way to change to a Phase that will better help you achieve victory, but this new mechanic sure adds a wild card element to the game that makes it feel more modern and fresh. Another new addition to the gameplay are Bands. Bands are special abilities and combo attacks that involve two or more characters, often characters that have a bond or connection within the story such as Cecil with Rosa and Ceodore. Some Bands are obtained directly in accordance to the progression of the story while others must be found in combat at your leisure. Effects of bands can be powerful combo attacks that deal massive damage to one or more enemies or special magic spells that buff up your party or hinder enemies. Finding a great Band can mean the difference between victory and defeat and finding them all can be a fun challenge in it's own right!

The presentation for the After Years is exactly the same as FF4 and Interlude. Detailed sprite based graphics with an old school charm, and the rich remixed classic soundtrack seen in the rest of the series. New areas help to break up the pace by giving newcomers and FF4 veterans some new places to explore. Nothing too major but it fits in just fine with the rest of the games on the UMD. :)

Final Fantasy 4 The After Years is a sequel that had some big shoes to fill. Despite the feeling of repetition, it manages to do enough to make itself feel new, modern and unique to its predecessor. While not the industry movie epic its forbear was, The After Years does the job of being a fun sequel that provides great closure to a beloved story, and does it well. Fans of Final Fantasy 4, as well as new players to the saga will find a lot to love in The After Years! A great game not to be missed!

Final Fantasy 4 The After Years(PSP) score: 8/10