FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS

49%
Game Brain Score Based on 320 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • grinding
FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS Game Cover
Starting at $6.39Buy now
Get on Steam

"Final Fantasy IV: The After Years" is a 3D remake of the classic RPG's sequel, taking place 17 years after the original game. Players can explore ten playable tales, including the story of Ceodore, son of Cecil and Rosa, as a new threat looms over the Blue Planet in the form of a second moon. The game can be experienced in any order after completing Ceodore's tale, offering a unique blend of new and returning characters in this epic sequel.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • PSP
  • Wii
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

49%
Audience ScoreBased on 320 reviews
story72 positive mentions
grinding53 negative mentions
  • Great continuation of the beloved characters from Final Fantasy IV, providing closure and further development.
  • The addition of the 'Band' system adds a new layer of strategy to combat, allowing for powerful combination attacks.
  • Nostalgic music and familiar locations create a sense of familiarity and warmth for fans of the original game.
  • The episodic format leads to repetitive gameplay, with many dungeons and plot points recycled from the original game.
  • The story feels fragmented and lacks significant development until the final chapters, making the early tales feel tedious.
  • Technical issues, such as low framerate and lack of controller support, detract from the overall experience.
  • story290 mentions

    The story of "Final Fantasy IV: The After Years" is largely viewed as a mixed bag, with many players noting its heavy reliance on nostalgia and rehashed elements from the original game. While some appreciate the episodic format that allows for character development, others criticize it for being tedious and lacking coherence, often feeling like a drawn-out retelling rather than a fresh continuation. Overall, the narrative is seen as inferior to its predecessor, with many feeling it fails to deliver a compelling or original story, despite some enjoyable moments and character interactions.

    • “Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is a fun, exciting continuation of the story.”
    • “If you're playing just to experience the story, then I'd recommend this game.”
    • “It's a beautiful continuation of characters that we already adore and adds just enough more plot to be endearingly annoying and wonderfully fun at the same time.”
    • “The story, by being split across episodes (many of which occur basically simultaneously), takes forever to get going, and it doesn't help that a lot of the core plot occurs in the final chapter of the game, which primarily consists of two stupidly long dungeons that are absolutely a slog to get through.”
    • “The story is a complete retread of the original Final Fantasy IV, and even on the fastest speed the movement and frame-rate feel like you have glue stuck to the bottom of your shoes.”
    • “The story could be summarized in less than a paragraph but takes 10 episodes to unfold.”
  • gameplay94 mentions

    The gameplay of "Final Fantasy IV: The After Years" is largely seen as a mixed bag, with many reviewers noting that it closely resembles the original game's mechanics while introducing some new features like "bands" (combo attacks) and a lunar phase system that affects combat. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and character development, others criticize the repetitive nature, tedious grinding, and poorly implemented mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is functional but often feels uninspired and lacking in innovation compared to its predecessor.

    • “The combat and gameplay is a pure improvement in every way; the endgame is challenging but not too grindy, and the lore is there.”
    • “The turn-based mechanics, inventory management, and UI take a tried and true approach for classic RPGs.”
    • “The gameplay is great; you have bands, which are just collaboration moves.”
    • “After years, it seems to be going for artful repetition but cannot determine what is worth repeating and what is just unoriginality. The game is deeply tedious in its drawn-out, grindy gameplay, with most of the interesting plot and story development couched in useless fluff that does not serve the story or one's enjoyment of its characters at all.”
    • “The phase of the moon system that boosts certain abilities and weakens others in rotation might've been interesting with some tweaks, but as it stands, it's a solution looking for a problem that makes the difficulty vary wildly without actually enlivening gameplay to any significant degree.”
    • “The setting, while predictably recycling the world setting, does little to improve it, other than the weird moon cycle mechanic that makes gameplay frustrating, as you are forced to change your tactics every half hour, or spam tents/inns to get the condition you want.”
  • grinding54 mentions

    The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious and excessive, often requiring players to invest hundreds of hours to achieve optimal character levels and equipment. While some players appreciate the nostalgia and lore, many find the repetitive gameplay and lack of coherent story progression frustrating, leading to a sense of boredom rather than enjoyment. Overall, grinding is portrayed as a mandatory but unenjoyable aspect that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The combat and gameplay is a pure improvement in every way. The endgame is challenging but not too grindy; however, if you want the absolute best equipment, be ready to invest hundreds of hours. The lore is also engaging.”
    • “After years, it seems to be going for artful repetition but cannot determine what is worth repeating and what is just unoriginality. The game is deeply tedious in its drawn-out, grindy gameplay, with most of the interesting plot and story development couched in useless fluff that does not serve the story or one's enjoyment of its characters at all.”
    • “Despite the slow leveling up throughout the whole game, there is another 20-30 hours of grinding or more that players will need to do to beat the final boss.”
    • “The endgame is also incredibly grindy.”
  • music53 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it heavily recycles tracks from Final Fantasy IV, leading to feelings of nostalgia but also fatigue from the lack of originality. While some appreciate the higher fidelity of familiar tunes, others criticize the absence of new, compelling compositions and the technical issues that cause music to cut out or overlap during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a double-edged sword, offering comfort to long-time fans while disappointing those seeking fresh musical experiences.

    • “The music is wonderful because it's from FF4, for example, except for the one and only new track I've noticed in the game, which is a muddy nonsense-fire of annoying bells.”
    • “If you enjoyed Final Fantasy 4, you'll probably get a nice nostalgia high from playing through this 'sequel.' The music is preserved beautifully, and the feeling of the original seeps through.”
    • “Soundtrack is beautiful too, beyond the old tracks, the new ones are incredible.”
    • “There's also no original music that I've heard so far, which is comparatively a minor complaint but it would have been nice.”
    • “Music: few new tracks, most of it's recycled from FF4, and the new tracks aren't entirely 'good'.”
    • “The only thing keeping me playing this game is the plot and my love for these characters and of course the music... from a user standpoint, the actual game design is terrible.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the 3D art style as clunky and reminiscent of outdated designs, particularly when compared to the original 2D sprites. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and improved visuals over previous iterations, others find the overall aesthetic lacking and prefer the graphics from earlier versions, such as the PSP release. Overall, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the graphical presentation, with many suggesting that the game would benefit from a return to its classic visual style.

    • “The story is still the same story I enjoyed so much, but with better visuals.”
    • “It is FF4 with new stories and better graphics.”
    • “Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is based on the epic quest of the 2009 release of FF IV: The After, but enhances the experience with an all-new 3D graphical presentation.”
    • “The graphics are really bad, compared to the standard FFIV, V, VI for the SNES and the GBA too.”
    • “Graphics: 3/10; they are honestly worse than Super Nintendo graphics. To get this level of horrid, they literally had to try for the worst possible.”
    • “The tight forced perspective and the ugly polygon graphics don't do it any favors either.”
  • character development9 mentions

    Character development in this game is a mixed bag, with some players noting that while familiar characters like Kain and Edward receive more depth, the episodic format disrupts emotional attachment and coherence. The attempt to revisit characters from the original game results in a disjointed narrative that often prioritizes gameplay over meaningful development, leading to a lackluster overall experience. Despite some intriguing elements, many feel that the character arcs are overshadowed by a mediocre story and repetitive gameplay.

    • “In FF4, I started getting glimpses of character development, which was quite nice, but in this one, the characters felt much more alive in terms of personality.”
    • “Now, while some parts of this story are a little one-dimensional, they vastly improved on the character development.”
    • “Many old familiar characters such as Kain, Edward, Parom, and Polom (hey, those two are 22 and not 5 now!) also receive more welcome character development.”
    • “The story is split into tales to try to have more character development, which doesn't work well, especially when the storylines of each tale cross over each other.”
    • “The episodic format feels disjointed and takes too much focus away from vital character development; the player doesn't get to really attach themselves to these characters before being swept up into the next shuffling chapter.”
    • “The result is an emphasis on grinding and repeated uses of dungeons as opposed to character development.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous visual and audio glitches, frequent crashes, and significant slowdowns during gameplay. Many feel that the port was rushed, leading to a frustrating experience marked by softlocks and overlapping audio tracks. Overall, the game's stability issues detract significantly from the overall enjoyment.

    • “I cannot stress this enough! I experienced a bunch of visual and audio glitches throughout my play, which is frustrating. You get the sense that this port was rushed and not much thought was put into it, just how much money they could make from it.”
    • “The dungeon in particular seemed more buggy than the rest of the game, with a previous boss softlocking because Kain jumped and refused to come down, two music tracks overlapping each other, and then a crash.”
    • “I see some reviews of this game that state that it runs slow, freezes, and even frequently crashes during gameplay.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The game is praised for its humor, featuring a mix of funny stories and characters from both the original and new installments. Players appreciate the continuity of humor from the first game, while also enjoying the introduction of new characters that contribute to the comedic experience. Overall, it maintains a lighthearted and entertaining tone throughout.

    • “Lots of funny tales with old and new characters.”
    • “It's a funny game.”
    • “Even the characters seem to retain the sense of humor they had from the first game, while introducing new children and followers that serve as the protagonists in the new game.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization of the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users expressing disappointment in its lack of creativity and effort, suggesting it should be avoided.

    • “I feel they could have really had a lot of fun with this if it wasn't such a cash grab.”
    • “This game... this is a cash grab more than anything.”
    • “It's a lazy cash grab game that should be avoided and nothing more.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players find it to deliver a touching narrative, others feel it falls flat with a boring storyline.

    • “This made for a touching story.”
    • “The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
    • “I found the narrative to be dull, lacking the depth needed to connect with the characters.”
    • “The emotional impact was nonexistent; I couldn't care less about what happened to the characters.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is highly dependent on individual hardware and Windows version, leading to varied performance experiences among players. Some users express frustration, suggesting that the game's performance may not meet expectations compared to other titles.

    • “I believe it ultimately depends on your hardware and version of Windows you are running as to whether the game will run smoothly and reliably or not.”
    • “The optimization in this game is abysmal; it feels like it was rushed out without any proper testing.”
    • “I can't believe how poorly optimized this game is; it struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end hardware.”
    • “The lack of optimization makes the gameplay experience frustrating, with constant stuttering and long loading times.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers limited replayability, but players can expect to invest over 40 hours in their initial playthrough.

    • “There is not much in the way of replayability; however, the game will easily take up 40+ hours.”
    • “Once you complete the game, there isn't much incentive to play through it again.”
    • “The lack of varied endings or choices makes replaying the game feel redundant.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

Buy FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS

Play time

9hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
2-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News