A Final Fantasy fan discovered that their dad's old Final Fantasy 4 game save on the original SNES cartridge still worked after over three decades, and subsequently shared a story about their relationship with their father and video games. The Final Fantasy fan said the thought of testing out their dad's old FF4 game cartridge came after playing retro games with their son.
Final Fantasy 4 was originally released in 1991 on the Super Famicom in Japan, though its naming history is a strange case. Given that the first Final Fantasy game had just been released in the West on the NES in 1990, players outside of Japan were not fully aware that Final Fantasy 2 and Final Fantasy 3 had already been released on the Famicom by the end of 1990. When Final Fantasy 4 made its way to the SNES in late 1991, it was renamed Final Fantasy 2 in the West due to the absence of the actual Final Fantasy 2 and FF3 outside Japan. Despite its strange nomenclature during the SNES era, FF4 is also the first game in the series to utilize the Active Time Battle system, laying the foundation for future entries.
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Final Fantasy Fan Discovers a Family Heirloom That Still Works
Following a family night of retro gaming, a Final Fantasy fan told a story about an old SNES cartridge that carries some family history. On the Final Fantasy subreddit, Reddit user ST_Lawson said that their son had recently gotten into retro gaming, and that several consoles like the NES, SNES, and Game Boy Advance were dug up. ST_Lawson curiously pondered if his dad's old copy of Final Fantasy 4 on the SNES would still work. Sure enough, the valuable SNES game cartridge booted right back up to where ST_Lawson's dad last left off. The main party was at the level cap of 99. ST_Lawson said that his father, who is now in his 70s, would play FF4 for an hour or two in the early 90s after he sent his children to bed for the night.
A Nostalgic Tale Under The Red Moon's Glow
Final Fantasy 4 tells the tale of Cecil Harvey, a Dark Knight turned Paladin who seeks to let go of his bloodstained past. Other party members include the iconic dragoon Kain Highwind, the summoner Rydia, the twin mages Palom and Porom, and the white mage Rosa Farrell, who is also Cecil's girlfriend and subsequent wife. Cecil and Rosa eventually prove themselves to be among some of Final Fantasy's top power couples.
Additionally, Final Fantasy 4's story has been retold through another entry in Square Enix's long-running franchise. During the latter patches of Final Fantasy 14's Endwalker expansion, several antagonists from FF4 made appearances as Voidsent bosses from the 13th shard of Etheirys. The elemental archfiends, the villainous Golbez, and the powerful Zeromus each made appearances throughout Final Fantasy 14's Patches 6.1 to 6.5. The trip down memory lane for FF4 fans served as an interlude between Endwalker and Dawntrail.
The iconic "Battle 2" boss theme of Final Fantasy 4 has also made its way to other IPs, as it is most notoriously utilized as the battle theme of Culex, the hidden superboss of Super Mario RPG on the SNES, and its Nintendo Switch remake. In both instances, FF4's "Battle 2" was rearranged as Culex's theme by legendary gaming music composer Yoko Shimomura.
The Unfortunate Reality of Old Technology
Unfortunately, the Final Fantasy 4 save file owned by ST_Lawson's dad may be on borrowed time, as SNES game cartridge batteries are prone to failing over time. While replacing a SNES game cartridge battery is not as difficult as replacing a lithium-ion battery in modern Nintendo consoles, removing and replacing a CR2032 battery from an older game cartridge will result in any game save data being permanently lost. While game cartridges can be replaced, the memories made on them across multiple generations cannot.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- July 19, 1991
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Square
- Publisher(s)
- Square
WHERE TO PLAY
The Kingdom of Baron sent their elite airship fleet, the Red Wings, to attack the surrounding countries. Distressed by his mission, Cecil, a dark knight and captain of the Red Wings, decides to fight against the tyrannical Baron with his trusted friend and his paramour at his side. In his search for the crystals, Cecil must travel over land, under the ground, to the Land of Summons, and even to the moon. Join forces with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner, and many more skilled allies.
FFIV is the first title to introduce the dynamic "Active Time Battle" system, where time moves even during battle, giving the players an exciting sense of urgency.Thanks to the wide appeal of the game, this revolutionary system would be implemented in many future titles in the series.
Witness the dramatic story and dynamic battles in this fourth installment of the FINAL FANTASY series!
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 22 Hours
