Game Review: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years for Wii

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is one of the newest RPGs released by Square Enix through WiiWare. Originally released in Japan for the cell phone, we finally get to see the Kingdom of Baron once more.

To purchase this game, it is best that you purchase a Wii Points Card. Once you get your points, you can then download the game. Remember, you need to be connected to the internet to do so.

The game follows are main hero, Ceodore, son of Cecil and Rosa. After a period of peace, the second moon has reappeared the skies of the Blue Planet. Ceodore is currently testing to become a knight for the Red Barons. When his quest is completed, they are attacked by a horde of monsters. Meanwhile, a Mysterious Girl has appeared. Controlling Bahamut, she seeks the Crystal and attacks Baron.

Throughout the story you meet old friends like Palom and Porom and new friends like the Hooded Man. The game is old-school Final Fantasy, from the graphics (understandable since it's been ported from a cell phone), to the gameplay. Like previous Final Fantasy games, newcomers may find the game more challenging and that's just the way I like it.

This game brings a ton of potential and I'm looking forward to playing this for a while, not because I'm slow but because I tend to stop playing and then pick it up again later. Yup - I know, I'm weird. As a side note, for FFVII, I got to the last stage before I stopped playing. 2 years later, I then finished the game. >_<

My only question is whether or not the game was released for the right platform. From my experience, the people who have the Wii aren't traditional gamers. I'm not sure how many of them will be purchasing the game, especially since it is a bit more challenging than the new Final Fantasy games, especially the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle series. My advice to new gamers, power level. If the story is anything like the original Final Fantasy IV, it will be totally worth it.

Other than that, my only other recommendation is using a Wii Classic Controller. It's hard to utilize the Wii Remote's directional pad since it doesn't give you a 360 degree range of movement. Nevertheless, for those that are cheap like me, the Wii Remote handles the job decently.

I highly recommend this game and hope that we see more traditional OG RPGs from Square Enix in the future.