The Final Fantasy IV Retrospective

With Final Fantasy III selling over one million units in 1990, Hironobu Sakaguchi and his team were preparing to send off the Famicom while also embracing the new 16-bit Super Famicom. But with so many of the original team moving on to different projects, Final Fantasy IV would prove to be a new beginning for the series as well as a celebration of what it has built so far.
In this installment, we'll be examining Final Fantasy IV's development, themes, characters, influences, and symbolism, as well as how it would lay a new foundation for the series going forward. We will also be looking at how subsequent iterations have built upon the original and reimagined it for new generations.
Twitter: / lorddrubie
Patreon: / andrewbluett
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:55 Part I - Coming to America
15:43 Part II - Ultimate Fantasy
25:37 Patreon
25:52 Part III - Final Fantasy IV
29:10 Character First
33:41 Aesthetics of Storytelling
50:18 New Console, New Combat, New Dungeons
1:01:40 The Party as People
1:09:02 Influences
1:21:25 Revelation & Resolution
1:43:35 Personal Thoughts
1:45:43 Part IV - Closing the Sequel Gap
1:50:55 Part V - The Proliferation of Final Fantasy IV
2:07:38 Part VI - Reception & Legacy
2:17:38 Epilogue & To Be Continued...
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63. Drakkhen
64. Ys III
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83. Laputa
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86. Star Wars
87. The Empire Strikes Back
88. Return of the Jedi
89. Sanjuro
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[@waderoberts3701]

The thing most people miss when discussing the character fakeout deaths in this game is that Palom, Porum, Yang, and Cid all give themselves to save their friends, thus they are rewarded with renewed life. This is in stark contrast to Tellah, who destroys himself out of desire for revenge.

[@thirdplanet4471]

Okay thats an interesting thought I never considered

[@matthewj7800]

Yup! Does Tellah make an appearance with everyone else right before the battle with Zeromus? I can’t remember.

[@BillyLavoie]

He does with Anna

[@shadowdoglaw257]

@@matthewj7800yes he’s standing next to Edward

[@SuperSugar]

This is a great point! Thanks for sharing.

[@loganhayse8771]

The fact that Nobuo Uematsu felt that someone else had better music than him just makes me appreciate both of them even more. It's always humbling to hear someone whose considered an expert in his field give someone else praise while belittling his own.

[@diegoarmando5489]

Hot Take: Noriyuki Iwadare has the most impressive body of work. I mean, the same guy composed Langrisser, Lunar, Grandia, most of Ace Attorney (including two of its three strongest OSTs in AA3 and AAI2), and the criminally-underrated Monstania.

[@loganhayse8771]

@@diegoarmando5489 AA had some great tracks. I'm assuming you mean Godot's track with that smooth sax as he takes a sip of coffee?

[@Awesmic1]

Andrew Bluett, if I had to put anyone's face in the Mount Rushmore of Final Fantasy retrospectives, you're definitely one who deserves it, full stop. These last 3 retrospectives - including this one - have me put in awe. From the meticulous research to the finely-tuned script to the articulate delivery of the narration, I could feel the passion and care put into this work with every chapter. I can only imagine what a popcorn-worthy event the next two retrospectives are gonna be like. Keep up the phenomenal work, and stay encouraged.

[@CatVisionTM]

Big agree!

[@Chelaxim]

Andrew Bluett,RRPGReviews,Resonant Arc and ClementJ64. I'm going to give an edge to RRPGReviews to actually doing a complete series retrospective...as in actually playing Final Fantasy XI. People when playing Dissidia and World of Final Fantasy be like: wow Shantoto sure does seem to streal every scene she's in...not going to play her game tho...

[@hentaispyder]

My Grandmother first introduced me to this game and gaming as a whole. with her passing away recently this brought a lot of tears. thank you for putting so much effort into this video. while not the best game, it has been my favorite FF for years.

[@soundofmouse]

That's beautiful. RIP, super cool Grandma

[@kylemundy8871]

Badass grandma bud

[@Zarggg]

The first segment, "Coming to America" could be a video essay in its own right. Well done.

[@lauraharris559]

So I've watched an embarrassing amount of FF4 perspectives, but this is by far the most detailed informative iteration ever. Very well written. I very much enjoyed thank you

[@StewNWT]

me too FFIV is my favourite game of all time - so I've consumed all the media related to it.

[@lauraharris559]

@StewNWT I'd have to put ff6 above it but ff4 was my first love

[@StewNWT]

@@lauraharris559 Love FF6 - wish we'd gotten FF5 back on the SNES so we'd have the same emotional attachment to it that we do the other two Secret of mana, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom, Chrono Trigger, Wild Arms 1 and Suikoden 1 are the other games that I have an overwhelming emotional attachment to

[@lauraharris559]

@StewNWT don't get me started on Chrono trigger n Secret of mana. I'm still so obsessed with them n their sound tracks omg!

[@lauraharris559]

@@StewNWT also I love that u said lufia fortress of doom. Everyone always skips that. I loved it

[@trustytrest]

FF4 was my first ever RPG, and it still holds a place in my heart to this day. The simple core concept of the game, seeing a Dark Knight redeem himself and become a Paladin, is still effective and surprisingly uncommon to this day. Usually heroes are blank slates or already start out good, not being legitimately bad people who walk the path of redemption. It says something that one of the only other games I can think where this happens is Deus Ex, the original where he defects from the evil gov't agency.

[@catocall7323]

Me too, it was brilliant and I still love the storyline and it's bittersweet notes

[@driftingswordsmanzer]

It was my first final fantasy, it definitely holds a place in my heart. I’ve played it so many times.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

I love FF4. I had played some Dragon Warrior games, and liked them, but was completely blown away by this plot. There are opinions that Cecil wasn't really evil though. He was just misguided. Actually, since the king raised him it was easy for him to be deceived. Cecil didn't just decide to be spoiled and evil. I loved FF6 & 7 as well, but that's a different story. However, I will say that even though FF6 had better tech development, FF4 was a little better except the ending.

[@withbravado1548]

This is the best Final Fantasy 4 retrospective I’ve ever seen. Thank you for making this!

[@zyrkugilgamesh]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqWudYetm5JsfZI

[@li21nljasndvkljhnakshedbxxc]

Please check the other vids on this channel, its turning out to be be the best FF retrospective series of all

[@nrrork]

Put the Avenger sword on Kain and have Rydia cast Bio. It'll kill the trap door before it even has a chance to take out a party member. Plus, you gain a TON of levels in that dungeon.

[@ericbristow2601]

Actually if you cast reflect on the character they target, it will kill the door.

[@xamos26]

I've enjoyed Final Fantasy for decades now but this one holds a very special place in my heart. My brother and I were never drawn into a game so intensely before this one. The story, the music, the sound effects, every little thing is engrained into me. This video puts many feelings into words I could never have done myself.

[@cam9144]

I am in the exact same boat. Everything about this game takes me back to 1994 when my brother and I played it together. The OST never fails to get me emotional. This game has been a mandatory yearly play ever since.

[@rustyshackle8000]

This video is like finding the Holy Grail. I grew up with the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV as a fixture of my childhood. It's definitely not a perfect game, maybe even not one of the best FF games, but it will always be my personal favorite. Thank you so much!

[@alpsi285]

IV is not just my favorite FF. It's my favorite game of all time

[@StewNWT]

Also the music that plays during the ending for this game - esp when the red moon departs earth's orbit and off into space makes me cry. It is so fucking magical

[@doublestarships646]

Thank God someone finally explained a lot of the religious influences in a video. It's amazing how many reviews or retrospects left out so much details of this game. Good job dude.

[@Twinstrumental]

It ends on a high note!! 😂 All 4 of these have been brilliant. If you want some music to toss in to part 5,6 etc. feel free to use any of our covers!

[@jmh8817]

All this time I thought FF's iconic character-centric storytelling started in IV as a natural consequence of having more cartridge size for loads of text and the staff having enough preestablished solid game mechanics that they could spend more time on writing a good story. But no, they actually needed a WSJ editor to tell them "make it more like this". That's wild. There's a parallel universe out there in which Sakaguchi and Torishima never talked face to face, FFVII is an entirely different game that doesn't make people think about the cinematic potential of the medium and as a consequence storytelling in videogames as we know it didn't happen. Amazing series. Really looking forward to future entries.

[@drakeamendola7647]

This is not only one of the best documentaries I've seen covering the development, reception and impact of a Final Fantasy game (and KZbin has more than a few of those!) but also a fantastic piece of capital c Criticism in the classic sense. An absolutely engaging and entertaining watch!

[@chuckelator]

Final Fantasy IV is my favorite Final fantasy, and its in my top five games of all time...I love it so much..

[@renav.3239]

an interesting point to make here about Cecil as a paladin fighting his Dark Knight self it wasnt available in the original SNES version but in all other versions, as a Dark Knight Cecil's "Darkness" ability (only thing the D.K. uses in the first fight as a paladin) damages everything on screen and also damages the user. So by not fighting, and by in fact HEALING himself, Cecil is not destroying the Dark Knight within; he's letting the Dark Knight destroy himself. That's the juxtaposition between the Dark Knight and the Paladin; the formers power comes from reckless decay, the latters from preservation and protection.

[@soundofmouse]

Brilliantly put

[@MegamanNG]

This is what I have been waiting for. Been binging this so much that I yearn for this. I really am. Now the wait begins for number V aka my favorite FInal Fantasy game ever.

[@AndrewBluett]

You won't have to wait as long as you did for this one.

[@MegamanNG]

@@AndrewBluett Can't wait. Been my go to videos to binge.

[@MegamanNG]

@Kieran and Jade Yes indeed. I wait even now because I'm wondering what happened with V's development. Not to mention that we're heading into The Lost Decades.

[@TheNuts1225]

One thing that's funny about the 3d version is that you can carry over your soma drops into new game plus and give them to Tellah so he can cast meteor. It one shots everything and is hilarious.

[@kayzaac]

The augment system pushed the 3D version way up for me. Cecil being a paladin didn't ever feel like it truly translated into gameplay until I set him up with Draw Attacks + Brace. *That* was when the paladin truly sheathed his sword. I never used to think that tanks were actually an effective class in any of the older FF games, but that game changed my outlook. Plus, imparting stuff from one party member to another was just spicy and fun, with various advantages which were much appreciated cause the DS version was hard as hell, and I loved that. Going back to the whole thing about translating story and character into gameplay, the harder difficulty of the DS version made me see finally how strategic and exciting FF4's battle could actually be. Can't praise it enough for that.

[@B33FY2011]

Wow, after watching these 4 retrospectives, I can't wait for the next one to drop. I have never seen or heard these games been talked about in so much detail. These are the best I have ever seen on KZbin, and I am glad that I have become a patreon of yours, absolutely brilliant work.

[@felipejanuariodeoliveira3185]

"Babe, wake up, new Final Fantasy Retrospective just dropped" Seriously, everytime I get the notificafion, the serotonin flood is instantaneous. Congratulations for another excellent video, I can't wait for the 6+ hours retrospective on FF Mystic Quest bwahahahhaha

[@emeraldnoir7099]

The muiscal theme for the 4 fiends will always be a favorite of mine. It sets such a monterous tone for the for lords of the elements and the way the game uses it in the first battle against one is amazingly well done. You get a normal boss theme, then defeat the creature as normal. but then.... You get a surprise attack from the now dead-form of the creature and that epic battle theme plays as the true battle begins. I love their theme.

[@alanpapercuts3717]

Didn't think there was anything about FFIV left for me to learn. I was wrong.

[@archagenteverlasting1239]

I'm so excited! Final Fantasy IV is just an incredible work. Really happy to hear your thoughts.

[@genericworm2346]

a neat fact about zeromus EG in the GBA version is that the Dark Eidolons do an entirely different thing here. in this fight they basically cast bad breath and bypass his status immunities. I cleared the lunar ruins with every character and turned him into a toad for the entire duration of one fight :3

[@AndrewBluett]

That's amazing.

[@Rakka5]

Wonderful video. People always talk about 6,7 or 10 as the greatest Final Fantasy games, but 4 is easily up there too. It's a masterfully done game that has aged beautifully, especially with the new remaster.

[@WesleyWyndam-Pryce]

IV is my second favorite and I see it as perhaps the most important Final Fantasy aside from the original game that started it all. IV is what took the series to a new level and changed lanes so as not to be just another Dragon Quest clone. It paved the road and what came after was all due to the success of Final Fantasy IV.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

​@CelesChere9999 4 was definitely a milestone in the series/franchise. So was 6, as it broke away from the clasd system, introduced magicite which became materia in 7. For me, I found myself comparing 4 & 6 (which were released as 2 & 3 in America). After beating 6 I said to myself, 4 was the better game but the end to 6 was awesome.

[@SussyPoster69]

This video introduced me to a film I would have never watched otherwise. It's right up there with my favorites. Thank you so much

[@ACameronUK]

I’ve really enjoyed watching all these retrospectives so far ☺️ thanks for all the great work

[@starro54]

Final Fantasy IV is my favourite Final Fantasy game. Arguably my favorite game of all time. To see such a well-written, well-researched, and deeply passionate retrospective makes me so happy!

[@justin-md4xm]

It was like a college thesis

[@guillermoalcala5047]

Your retrospective is AMAZING, you have no idea how much I enjoyed watching this full video. Keep up the GREAT work man, I truly appreciate what you did since FFIV is one of my childhood treasures I used to play with my brothers when we were kids. Greetings from Monterrey, México!

[@OG_Gamer_Hoff]

I enjoyed this retrospective thoroughly. There a great amount of information and insight that I had not heard in other videos. I cannot wait to see what comes next from your channel!

[@jozurat5783]

I really appreciate how much research and work you put into making your videos. Keep up the good work, and I’ll keep watching them!

[@jamesjacques6344]

Your videos have been such a high standard of quality and grace straight from the get go. You absolutely deserve the windfall of viewership, support, and subscribers you are undoubtedly going to receive.

[@zankplus]

I’ve watched all four of your retrospectives now and I can’t wait for the next ones!!!!

[@matthewj7800]

Yeah this is like a retrospective and iceberg blended together seamlessly. Can’t wait to view your videos for the next two entries.

[@dimitrisrigakis4367]

Just watched two more great (and super lengthy) Final Fantasy IV retrospectives, and I'm ready to dive into this one as well. Seeing so many different people putting so much effort in these great video essays is really astonishing.

[@corrado8955]

Really appreciate the care and love that has gone into these. I grew up on these games and they are truly special.

[@encharmie]

Finally reached this one! So excited to watch. I hope you continue with these because the stories behind every game get more and more interesting as time goes on. Great work! ❤

[@Aviadyble]

Amazing retrospective! Eagerly awaiting the next installment :)

[@nocturnalnights27]

This was a great retrospective, keep up the fantastic work bro!

[@jjcoola998]

This video unlocked an old memory from elementary school of us kids on the playground arguing about how to pronounce "Paladin" since back then that was not a word you'd see anywhere.

[@katdoghawk]

Learning a lot of cool things here. One that just kinda blew my mind was the rabbit on the moon myth. I always thought the punishment Goku doled out to Monster Carrot in Dragonball was a bit harsh... but now I get it--he put the rabbit on the moon! I love it

[@ther2view]

Just discovered this channel and these retrospectives today, and I am so glad I did. Instantly subscribed. These are fantastic.

[@Kinnison08]

AMAZING video, the quality and and research into this is just mind blowing. Thank you for this!

[@Percsandperks]

This series is so good man. Definitely looking forward to the rest

[@edwinlee5145]

Thank you for this wonderful, comprehensive retrospective. I love your incorporation of history into these retrospectives, and getting into the minds of the creators. Like I never knew Hironobu Sakaguchi was soliciting advice from Shonen Jump's editor, for example. Can't wait to see more!

[@7milesdavis]

Alright I was looking forward to this. Really well done, thank you.

[@NeXaSLvL]

Can't believe I just binged all of these. Can't wait for the next one!

[@budj28]

I appreciate your emphasize on the development of these games. Great job.

[@scipio8866]

Another great video!!

[@vain_x]

Took me a couple of days but well worth it, thank you so much for this! Still my favorite FF to this day!

[@Eric-yt7fp]

I've been really looking forward to this!

[@dariollanos]

Man, this is really good!! thanks for your hard work in making this posible!!!!

[@truthseek3017]

Wow, this was deep and very enlightening. Great job man.

[@WesleyWyndam-Pryce]

Very interesting listen. Thanks for the effort you put into it.

[@HighPriestFuneral]

Spectacular work! FFIV is my favorite of the series and you've done it a great service here. I appreciate that you are able to look at things within their context and time, instead of applying modern day sensibilities onto narrative, characters, and systems. Not just that, but some of your inferences are quite impressive. I thought when you got to "the based on" part it was just going to be Star Wars, but no. You managed to intelligently tie it into Dante's Inferno, far beyond just the Four Elemental Fiends. The Biblical allusions are always such an interesting part of Final Fantasy, and the "stations" of Mt. Ordeals are indeed strange. That you also managed to tie Cecil's journey into a somewhat obscure movie with a similar plot synopsis is quite curious. I personally never believed Tokita when he said "Oh yeah, all that was cut... all 80% of it, was just extraneous dialogue detail. Don't worry about it." I feel that there were significant portions of the plot that were excised or pared down from their original intention. For instance, Cid's role is very brief, nothing more than two dungeons. Okay, sure... but the thing is that you don't even get to utilize the power of his hammers in those two dungeons. His weapons have x4 damage against Machines, in which you fight none in the time that he is in the party. You also brought up Porom's useless Cry command which screams cut content and plans. (There's also an odd programmed reaction that you can't use Cover as Paladin Cecil if Dark Knight Cecil is in the party. Well... you *can* use it, but it doesn't do anything.) Some of this may have been put into FF4A and the 3D versions but... I'm a little suspicious, personally.

[@AndrewBluett]

Thank you! One of the major goals with this series is to examine these games within the context of their time, as someone who is playing through them for the first time in release order, while also imparting more than a Western-centric viewpoint on them as most on KZbin are wont to do. As for Tokita's 80% claims, I personally have no reason to believe anything vital to the main story (i.e. Cecil's story) had been cut. Subplots with other characters likely were pared down significantly if not cut altogether, but we may never know for sure. We don't even know if Theodore's flashback in the 3D version was cut from the originally or fabricated whole-cloth for the remake, where there were far fewer restrictions on the length of the script. Tokita could have restored so much more in later versions, and the 3D version in particular would have been the time to do it. Yet aside from slightly more dialogue and the aforementioned Theodore flashback...nada. Maybe he realized the cut dialogue was best left on the cutting room floor. Maybe he didn't want to do too much that would be seen as changing the story from the 1991 version. Regardless, I didn't go into it because there's little to go off of, and this video was already super long. There are those other interesting battle quirks, like Cid's hammers dealing 4x damage to machines, but all aside from Porom's Cry aren't obvious to the player, and even then her Cry seems to be totally superfluous on the surface due to a lack of explanation in-battle.

[@tylerconley8761]

Your work gets better and better brother! This game is VERY well beloved among the fandom and you did awesome justice to this game. As usual your in depth research and descriptiveness is amazingly thorough and you explain things with a finesse that makes listening for long periods a pure delight..I'm really proud of you dude, watching you grow and improve over the years has been a real treat and I'm anxious to see the next few games come out! Keep it the grind dude..the views and recognition will come! I got a new job and I'll upgrade my patreon soon to send you some more funds each month!

[@appelslice]

Another fantastic retrospective 👍

[@BBQHotPocket]

This is amazing work, thank you.

[@AT-ek8br]

The production quality of this video is phenomenal

[@MikeRavia-xp5ig]

Excellent video. Mad props to you.

[@wulfiesama]

ive been binging these retrospectives as ive been going through the pixel remasters, and seeing ff16 come up in the intro gave me goosebumps. youre a godsend

[@enjikari3162]

*Subscribed* This was the first FFR of yours I watched, and was immediately hooked. Again, I love the amount of historical preface you delve into. Thanks for the great content!!! I've played FFIV a handful of times, and was the first SNES FF I ever got to watch some family members play. Kinda stamps something good on your memories/heart when you see not only a close-age cousin play an SNES and a FF RPG, but also their dad/your uncle! Something about an older person playing games hits you just right. They played this, Tecmo Super Bowl, and even Clayfighter! Great game, great addition to the franchise. I still have my JP-imported FFIV soundtrack in the closet.

[@zidkins]

Love the retrospective very thorough with your investigation. Made perfect material to watch while I had lunch!b

[@shenmuelandlord]

Went into this video as someone who doesn't like FF4 and came out of it eager to give it another chance. Fantastic retrospective! edit: still fucking hate ff4 #ff2solos #firionsweep #cecilwashed

[@jjcoola998]

Please play the modern English ROM that isn't needed and has modern translations if you do give it another chance

[@SuperSugar]

This is the BEST FFvi video I’ve ever seen! I learned so much and I thought I knew it all! This is my favorite game of all time, and you shared so many new details I’ve never noticed. I am looking forward to the Baron movie. Thanks for this video!

[@MrMatthias]

Final Fantasy IV was the first video game I ever truly loved. While I cannot say it is objectively the best, it's still to this day my favorite.

[@45jacky77]

This was my first final fantasy I played. Everybody says 6 was their favorite on snes and everybody in the western world says 7 is the overall best but to me for will always be m y favorite.

[@solariswly]

Another fantastic documentary. I'm glad to have contributed money towards this

[@InfinityMayo]

Wonderful retrospective on FF4, it was great to see you cover all the differences on the ports and other entries for 4. FF5 is one of my favs, so I look forward to that eventual video

[@AlekTrev006]

This FF Review series is Stunningly made, Mr Bluett ! I discovered you this weekend, and am just so impressed 😀 I look forward to the rest, and especially FF-12 (I love Ivalice, and how 12 is linked to FF Tactics, just at a different point in the Timeline). Many thanks for all of your hard work 👏

[@Archived__Videos]

Incredible video.

[@caseyhayes4590]

FF3 famicom has insane depth for an 8 bit gme. In some ways FF IV is a step back in everywhere but story.

[@osurpless]

Yep, a recent realization when playing the pixel remaster is that VI essentially revisited the Onion Knight with Onion equipment secret via the Imp equipment. Both classes that are normally very weak, but with the right equipment?

[@Membranericky]

Oh I'm ready for this masterpiece

[@JynxBlack13]

You have done an incredible job here sir! Done my favorite game so much justice! *hits subscribe, and replay!*

[@aparker884]

I completed this game on Nintendo DS but I now have the collection on switch. I bought the bundle and I have battle network legacy collection as well because I am going to be having surgery. If I end up staying overnight then I want to have amazing games with me.

[@djames1361]

wow this is amazing work. thank you

[@JuliusCaesar103]

This is the first FF story that got me emotional. Great video as always

[@jobdoneproductions]

I did not expect an ffiv analysis to start with shots at reaganism but I'm here for it

[@AndrewBluett]

My only regret was that I couldn't get footage of me pissing on his grave.

[@nicodemous52]

When the twins turn themselves to stone, that was the first time a video game had ever moved me to tears. I didn't even care for them as characters, I found them annoying. But nobility of if, really moved me as a kid.

[@Faythe1981]

Hard same. FFIV is my favorite of the main line numbered FF games. I've probably played through the game tens of times and that scene still gets me.

[@juniperbelmont]

Saaaame! It's part of why FFIV remained my fav despite my love for 6-10

[@Flamsterette]

"Nobility of if"? Who's IF?

[@soundofmouse]

I really didn't expect that, and was actually pretty blown away when it happened. I think they saw how Tellah sacrificed himself for the greater good, and rashly decided in their naive minds that doing the same thing was their duty

[@houyo]

@@Flamsterette You know, the twins. Iggum and Fuggum.

[@MaxMarriner]

The way you built up Golbez’s biggest influence without saying “Darth Vader” until absolutely necessary was perfect. Great work here, can’t wait for your video on V!

[@Dfeneck]

Another really well put together piece! One of my favourite things about finishing the originals for the first time has been coming here and watching their retrospectives afterwards. They always give such a nice in-depth view of the development, a view of how it was received publicly at the time, and its nice to confirm a lot of my own thoughts about the game comparatively to yours. Interestingly though, we differ on this boss. I found him easy like the other three before him, I do however, acknowledge that he was harder than the others, he forced me to keep reviving allies and one misstep and I could have definitely wiped on him; and I appreciated that, since Chaos, Emperor & Cloud of Darkness were all very easy. I didn't even notice that he had a tell before he fired his beam, I was able to just tank, revive & burn him down. That said, I did grind quite a lot trying to get the Pink Tail on most of my characters, so perhaps I was overpowered for him by that point. Thanks again for the wonderful retrospective. Onwards to V!

[@LeuNoeleeste]

Ok, I've watched several retrospectives about FF, I love them as a good background while working on stuff. Yours is, by far, the best one. Not only your analysis of the game is flawless, but all that stuff about Japenese sources of inspiration and Dante's inferno ? Fascinating. I've always seen FFIV as mostly Star Wars inspired and that's it. Great stuff. Really.

[@slorrin]

You deserve to abve 100k subscribers... the work you put into these videos is enormous

[@davidhill8565]

Instead of involving himself in Final Fantasy VI, Takashi Tokita would later spearhead Live-A-Live, which stayed in Japan until 2022.

[@leogh1378]

Bruh, this is leagues and lightyears exceeding the average youtube retro video game retrospective. Man has immersed me in the cultural context of the game's release, that takes real vision and the talent to express it. And now I've got the whole channel to chew through!

[@GamelordNito]

Stop you're makin me wanna play this game AGAIN!!! Good work dude.

[@BigDaddyKing632]

Loving this series Subscribed

[@ian-wy5fw]

fantastic video

[@Alexvander10]

Amazing in-depth video on the best Final Fantasy game in my opinion to this day. Thank you.

[@tonyballou]

Very well researched with engaging and well-thought out structure. FFIV (as FFII on SNES) wasnt my first RPG, but was the one that started my lifelong obsession with the genre - and this video really does it justice!

[@zerospirit]

Best weapon was always yangs silverware. I remember laughing at throwing a spoon at the final boss for 9999 damage.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

Edge throws weapons. I always save Excalibur and throw it for 9999 damage to Zeromous. Edge usually gets the final hit.

[@Graemie123]

Just completed the game for the 1st time yesterday (Pixel Remaster version) and was so happy to find this video! Amazing look into so much. I honestly never found the similarities with Baron Munchausen , but gonna have to go rewatch it now! Excellent work, gonna subscribe now

[@WoodmanFLG]

Amazing job buddy!

[@AndrewBluett]

Thanks for lending your face for this

[@SolidNeodark]

Excellent documentary video! I finished my first playthrough of FFIV a couple of weeks ago (I played the PC port of the 3D remake). It definitely holds up today. The story is fantastic and the soundtrack is simply addicting!

[@Moundhousedude]

I may call out of work today just to make time to watch this.

[@aenema22]

Amazing retrospective. I just finished FF4 for the first time and this is exactly what I needed. Sub more than earned!

[@Rosedragon15]

My only complaint is that I'll be waiting a couple of months for the FFV retrospective. Great work, dude!