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Final Fantasy IV Info - GBA

11th November 2005, 4:54pm
At the orders of the king, a city burns. Torn by guilt, the dark knight Cecil, commander of the Red Wings of Baron, must choose between loyalty and justice. Previously released as Final Fantasy II for the Super NES, Final Fantasy IV Advance features improved graphics, enhanced music and an expanded storyline.

Players test their skills in a new, 50-level dungeon, or strengthen their characters in the training dungeon. They can study foes with the Bestiary, or listen to the legendary score using the soundtrack player. There are also never-before-seen story sequences as party members are switched.

The king of Baron has directed his loyal Red Wings armada to steal the sacred crystals from the neighboring nations. When the king commands his dark knight, Cecil, to destroy the village of Mist for its crystal, Cecil abandons the king and vows to put an end to his madness. Taking his friends and Rydia, the sole survivor of Mist's destruction, Cecil embarks on a quest to set the world right and to make amends for the atrocities he committed in the king's name.

Cecil is a dark knight on a quest for redemption. After destroying a village under the orders of his king, Cecil abandons his post and turns traitor. He is tormented by guilt over his actions and seeks to redeem himself by ending his king's plans. Rosa is a white mage and childhood friend of Cecil. Kain is a dragoon and Cecil's rival – as well as his best friend.

Players wander freely on the "world map," getting into random monster battles and fighting their way from location to location, discovering more of the story as they go. The battles take place on a separate screen. Players enter their attack commands, and when their opportunity to attack comes, their characters perform the attacks, which range from sword strikes to magical blows. Players can swap out the characters in their parties, so that they can use black or white mages, lance-wielding dragoons, knights and paladins and thieves, to name a few. Each character has a unique set of attacks and abilities.

Final Fantasy IV introduced the Active Time Battle system, a variation on the turn-based combat system of standard RPGs. Time passes during battles, and if players do not input a command, enemies will attack repeatedly without waiting for players to take their turn.

Soon, the first five or so Final Fantasy titles will be available for the GBA and DS, which is really cool.
by Nick Schaedel » Author's Blog