If you've been anywhere near your Wii over the past few months, chances are you're aware of an episodic sequel to a classic Final Fantasy. This sequel, titled Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, is the latest in a line of sequels to beloved Final Fantasy games created by Square-Enix. It is spread into nine different episodes worth 300 points each, with the exception of the initial and final episodes, which cost a whopping 800 points. Final Fantasy IV fans have mixed feelings on this episodic sequel, but regardless, it is clear that this title was intended for Tellah and Rydia cosplayers.
Over the past few months, I reviewed each of the episodes contained in The After Years. Before reviewing the ninth and final episode, I'll leave you with a one to two sentence summary of each episode. Then, I'll assign a grind rating out of a scale from 1.0 to 5.0 with 1 being: "Battles are nearly non-existent" and 5 being: "Enough battles to make you go postal." Finally, I'll describe what type of Final Fantasy IV fan each episode is for.
Before moving on to the episode summaries, here's my classification scheme for the various types of Final Fantasy IV Fans:
Level 99 Paladin- You are a fearless soul who loves the grind. You believe that Final Fantasy is real, and carry an Excalibur under your trench coat at all times.
Sage- Like Tellah, you use common sense more often than not. You'll play games where there is a fair amount of strategy and a reasonable amount of battles, but you despise running around in circles to gain levels. You're too old to run around leveling endlessly.
Tyrant- You like to be able to decimate a horde of enemies simply by pointing your finger. If a battle isn't over after casting Firaga on a group of enemies, you're not fighting.
Spoony Bard- You are a coward who regularly flees from battle. Avoid games where grinding is plentiful.
Now that you're familiar with the different types of FFIV players, it's time to summarize each episode.
Initial Episode
The initial episode sets up The After Years' alien invasion story and includes several familiar dungeons and characters. It's a bit expensive considering it's over in less than three hours, but FFIV fans will probably eat up this episode that includes a well-rounded cast.
Grind factor: 3
What type of fan is it for? Sage
Who should stay away? Spoony Bard
Rydia's Tale: The Eidolons Shackled
Did you like summoning Bahamut and Leviathan with Rydia in FFIV? Yeah? Well, this time you can only use mid-level black magic spells as you grind for twenty levels. How fun.
Grind Factor: 5
What type of fan is it for? Level 99 Paladin
Who should stay away? Sage, Tyrant, Spoony Bard
Yang's Tale: The Master of Fabul
Traveling with Yang, his daughter, and a group of monks provides for some fun times. The enemies aren't too difficult, so thankfully the old areas won't test your patience.
Grind Factor: 2
What type of fan is it for? Sage
Who should stay away? No one
Palom's Tale: The Mage's Voyage
If you like teens with a 'tude, this episode is for you. It's fairly easy, and there are plenty of opportunities to laugh with Palom--if you're mean.
Grind Factor: 3
What type of fan is it for? Tyrant
Who should stay away? No one
Edge's Tale: The Pulse of Babil
A creative, but short episode that includes multiple scenarios. Battles are plentiful, but it's nice to see a mature Edge lead a clan of ninjas.
Grind Factor: 4
What type of fan is it for? Sage
Who should stay away? Tyrant, Spoony Bard
Porom's Tale: The Vanished Lunar Whale
Not only do you get to see White Mage Porom transform into a mega hottie--you'll witness her past with her obnoxious, ugly sibling. If you prefer flashbacks and copious dialogue over battles, this episode is for you.
Grind Factor: 1
What type of fan is it for? Spoony Bard, Tyrant
Who should stay away? Level 99 Paladin
Edward's Tale: Star-Crossed Damcyan
If you have a thing for bards and friendly spirits, this tale might interest you. On the other hand, there are too many battles for a lowly bard to handle. What am I saying? Run away!
Grind Factor: 5
What type of fan is it for? Level 99 Paladin
Who should stay away? Spoony Bard, Tyrant
The Lunarians' Tale: The Blue Planet That Was
When you originally played FFIV, did you ever dream of playing as Golbez? If so, this episode is for you. Just watch out for the numerous battles on this lunar landscape.
Grind Factor: 4
What type of fan is it for? Level 99 Paladin, Sage
Who should stay away? Tyrant, Spoony Bard
The Crystals: The Planet Eater
Do you enjoy 100-floor dungeons? Do you live to gain levels and have your ass handed to you by cheap enemies? Well, this *cough* disappointing *cough* episode is for you.
Grind Factor: 5
What type of fan is it for? Level 99 Paladin--actually, make that a Level 200 Pally.
Who should stay away? Tyrant, Spoony Bard, Sage, anyone else with common sense
Now that I've summarized each episode, it's time to review The After Years' finale.
The Crystals: The Planet Eater Review
It's hard to believe that three months have passed since the launch of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. It started off strong with an episode that set up the story and introduced us to several new characters. Then, we were treated to three new episodes each month, but somehow, it felt like the story hadn't progressed. I was hoping the end would wrap things up nicely, but did it?
Unfortunately, it didn't, but to be fair, I didn't actually complete the final episode. Despite being an avid Final Fantasy IV fan, I couldn't stomach this last piece of downloadable content. I gave The After Years' final episode several hours of my time, but in the end, it felt like I'd been betrayed by a best friend.
When first I booted up the final episode, I was given the ability to import data from my other files. This allowed me to import my characters at their current levels. I soon learned that this was unnecessary, since The After Years' default levels were in a similar range.
Once the adventure began, I took control of Edge who was following Golbez into Baron. Our mission was to stop Cecil. Well, this plan was quickly cut short, as a barrier was erected around the castle. I was simply told to find another route, so I began searching the outskirts of Baron.
I began by searching the town for a hidden route as most FFIV veterans would. Every building was seemingly locked, so I looked for possible exceptions, and sliced up zombie guards that got in my way. I did find a couple unlocked residences, but unfortunately, these humble abodes didn't yield any keys. Neither did the guards.
After searching Baron endlessly, I ran out of ideas. I was used to Final Fantasy being linear, so I thought that I must be missing something simple. It turns out that I wasn't--I just had to revisit random villages in a certain order to obtain a set of Eidolons. Unfortunately, it wasn't clear which Eidolons I needed to obtain first, so I spent a significant amount of time saving, then going into battle, and reloading. Once I obtained all five Eidolons, I headed back to Baron for a couple boss fights and dialogue sequences.
These scenes involving most of The After Years' characters made for some fond memories, but unfortunately, that was the end of the "good" portion of this episode. I thought I would never have to return to the moon after completing episode eight, but as luck would have it, I was sent back to that desolate land.
This time, I would enter a lengthy thirty-floor dungeon packed full of bosses and enemies. Many of these bosses were harder versions of foes from FFIV. I fought two of the Four Fiends, Baigan, Dr. Lugae, and several of Zemus' other lackeys. Some of these encounters were particularly brutal--I had to rely on my quick reflexes, luck, and a huge stockpile of items to make it out alive. These bosses had enormous amounts of HP and extremely cheap healing moves when I didn't even have basic spells such as "Reflect" (try fighting the Magus Sisters without that).
I could have level-grinded, but the paltry amount of experience bestowed upon me by my enemies made it a chore that wasn't worth dealing with. Through the Internet, I discovered that there were several more floors full of bosses from other FF games, but even that wasn't enough to get me to pick up my sword and do battle.
As a result of my hatred for grinding, I decided to stop around the tenth floor. The After Years' pathetic resolution was not enough to warrant hours of additional grinding.
In case you're wondering how I know that the ending is terrible--I looked at someone's FAQ that included all the important plot details. I didn't appreciate the story that tried to combine the worlds of Final Fantasy 1 through 6 into a cohesive narrative. To me (and most other Final Fantasy fans), each FF is a separate entity, so it's shameful to combine them unless it's a game that's supposed to comprise the whole series, like Dissidia. The conclusion was highly unoriginal, and combined with the never-ending final dungeon, it felt like an abomination.
Really, I'm sad that The After Years ended the way it did. It wasn't an amazing sequel in the first place, but there's no excuse for this ridiculous grindfest that very few players will be able to beat (even if they wanted to). If I had paid 300 points for this, it would have felt like a slap to the face, but because this travesty was 800 points, it felt like I was hit in the groin with a bowling ball. If you place any kind of value on your free time, I recommend avoiding this game at all costs.
Score: 3.0/10.0
