Good stuff, Eric. I’m not a big FF4 fan, but it brought a lot of important changes to the series, so I appreciate it a lot, even if I rarely choose to replay it.
Thank you so much! I think the graphical and audio improvements of the Pixel Remaster made me go easier on it than I did when I played the 16 bit version, but it does always shock me a bit when people name this their favorite FF (and then I feel like a ghoul for not being crazy about it, haha).
Always a pleasure to read your thoughts on this franchise! 1000% agree the sacrifice troupe was a vehicle to cycle party members! Its things like the fake out deaths and unnecessary sacrifices that in the end make the big death in 7 means perhaps more than it normally would have. Like they idea that the developers finally saw what they had been doing.
That's a great point. I think V and VI both deal with death in more meaningful ways than IV, but it definitely is VII that destroys you with your party member's passing. Would VII be as good without IV's tropes? Probably not!
Hey, this was awesome! Thanks for sharing. Loved the reflections on memory, music and such. I agree with you, this isn't my favorite score of Uematsu's (although I do love it) but "Theme of Love" is for sure an all-timer.
I'd played every one but II and III before, but the Pixel Remasters felt like a great opportunity to experience them "as God intended." I'm not sure if I'm going to do a writeup on VI though, since I gush about it all the dang time, including on here, haha.
Damn, that was great. I kinda wrote a philosophical piece on FFVI on here a few months ago (https://ericcgarneau.substack.com/p/truth-in-rpgs) but I think you've inspired me to write one that's more personal. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, I think games are so intrinsically tied to who we are that I've found them a surprisingly good vehicle for personal essays and reflections. So I say go for it!
I also have a strong preference for the older FF games, though I did like XV for very specific reasons.
Good stuff, Eric. I’m not a big FF4 fan, but it brought a lot of important changes to the series, so I appreciate it a lot, even if I rarely choose to replay it.
Thank you so much! I think the graphical and audio improvements of the Pixel Remaster made me go easier on it than I did when I played the 16 bit version, but it does always shock me a bit when people name this their favorite FF (and then I feel like a ghoul for not being crazy about it, haha).
Always a pleasure to read your thoughts on this franchise! 1000% agree the sacrifice troupe was a vehicle to cycle party members! Its things like the fake out deaths and unnecessary sacrifices that in the end make the big death in 7 means perhaps more than it normally would have. Like they idea that the developers finally saw what they had been doing.
That's a great point. I think V and VI both deal with death in more meaningful ways than IV, but it definitely is VII that destroys you with your party member's passing. Would VII be as good without IV's tropes? Probably not!
Safe travels, Eric!
Thank you Matt!
Great review! In some ways, it mirrors what I wrote about it a few years ago: https://radicaledward.substack.com/p/final-fantasy-iv-2021
Hey, this was awesome! Thanks for sharing. Loved the reflections on memory, music and such. I agree with you, this isn't my favorite score of Uematsu's (although I do love it) but "Theme of Love" is for sure an all-timer.
Thanks! FFIV is such a funny game but there are these surprisingly great and powerful moments, and I think the music does a lot of loadbearing there.
Cool to see someone going through the first VI in a row! I've been slowly writing about the series in a very haphazard way, which has also been fun.
I'd played every one but II and III before, but the Pixel Remasters felt like a great opportunity to experience them "as God intended." I'm not sure if I'm going to do a writeup on VI though, since I gush about it all the dang time, including on here, haha.
Yeah, what could be a better invitation than the Pixel Remaster?
You absolutely should write about VI! I think all games kind of change for us over time. I found my most recent playthrough of VI surprisingly emotional, allowing it to strike me in new ways. I wrote about that one too: https://radicaledward.substack.com/p/final-fantasy-vi-in-2021 and then even talked about it on a podcast: https://dadpod.substack.com/p/episode-002-final-fantasy-vi#details
So just go for it!
Damn, that was great. I kinda wrote a philosophical piece on FFVI on here a few months ago (https://ericcgarneau.substack.com/p/truth-in-rpgs) but I think you've inspired me to write one that's more personal. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, I think games are so intrinsically tied to who we are that I've found them a surprisingly good vehicle for personal essays and reflections. So I say go for it!
I also have a strong preference for the older FF games, though I did like XV for very specific reasons.