FINAL FANTASY IV 9+

This was the first big adventure game I played as a kid. I still remember getting Final Fantasy 2 for the SNES on release day. I have such fond memories of playing this game. So far this game is bringing back some really good memories. The graphics are crisp and a little cleaner than I remember, but I do welcome the changes. The upgraded audio is fantastic. I do wish there was an option to use the original 16-but audio as well, maybe in a future patch. I also enjoy the auto battle with faster speed for some the generic random battles, and no mods to turn off random battles. My only real gripe is the same with any console game on mobile, I am not a fan of touch screen. I play this at random various times (like at work) so using a controller is pretty much a no-go anyways. But being able to play this anywhere is being super cool. Can’t wait for FFVI now.

I’m okay with onscreen controls generally, but this is god awful. The graphics are beautiful. It looks like the wonderful PSP port of this game. But why, dear lord, is it so difficult to control? I was disappointed that the version of Final Fantasy games you had in the store was no longer available, so all my save data was lost coming to this version. I created a new AppleID in divorce, but I finally decided I’d buy them (again) just to be presented with a prettier version I can barely play. My character wants to move all over the place. I don’t mind the onscreen text appearance as some do, but… These controls have got to be fixed. Also, why no Spanish translation? 30% of Americans speak Spanish? The sad thing is, I know none of this is going to be addressed. This port has been out for a while. I saw and ignored the bad reviews because I really missed the story and music from this game. Alas, I don’t know if I’ll be able to replay it on my iPhone. My only hope is maybe Apple TV with controller support? Ugh. Why couldn’t this just be a clean direct port of the perfection of the PSP perfect port?

Four for four !! Final fantasy 4 get a 4 stars. The PSP version is a straight 5 stars. The reason why I have to dock points is due to certain nuances that affects the game play experience. First, the text is rather small and difficult to read. Second, the directional pad is quite large and occupies space. Third, unlike the PSP version, there is no bonus content. Fourth and final, there is no controller support. All in all if you want to support square and want a copy of FF4 on your phone then it’s a decent buy, otherwise I would suggest to just replay the PSP version for a more complete experience. Did I get my money’s worth ? Tbh it’s a no, but nostalgia in my case has superseded common sense. Even the pixelated sprites are at best average. Unfortunately this is just a watered down version.