Final Fantasy IV Advance (Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 2005)

The story behind the original Final Fantasy II game for the Super Nintendo is back on the Game Boy Advance. Cecil, the dark knight, is sent to steal the crystal of water from the Mysidians under the orders of King Baron. After plundering the crystal and taking the lives of a couple mages, Cecil has second thoughts of what took place. When he returns to Baron, he questions the King as to why he had to do what he did. Feeling Cecil is becoming treasonous, King Baron strips Cecil of his command as leader of the Red Wings and sends him off to the village Mist with a mysterious Bomb bracelet along with his long time friend Kain, who came to his defense.

Heading off to Mist and beyond brings to light what has happened to Baron and what must be done to fight back the powerful kingdom that controls the might airship. Many trials and tribulations must be undertaken by Cecil and his friends along the way...even the loss of his friends during a ship voyage that sends Cecil back to the same village he invaded in the beginning of the game and must prove his worth by becoming a Paladin and denouncing his Dark Knight self.

You will have control of many different characters that are able to cast magic or other special abilities that will help you against different bosses and monsters throughout the quest. Even the moon later in the game and the special dungeons you can go through before and after defeating the final boss give gamers the chance to play through the final dungeon with characters you could never use in the original version of the game like Yang, Edward, the twins Palom and Porom, and Cid.

I like this game because Final Fantasy II is the game that got me hooked into the Final Fantasy series and has become my favorite RPG series over the last 16 years since I first put FF II into my Super Nintendo. If you liked it then, you'll love it more now than ever being able to take the characters I named above into the final depths of the Lunar Subterrane to face Zeromus at the end. My favorite party to beat the game is Cecil (you have to have him anyway), Palom, Porom, Rydia, and Rosa. Two Black magic casters (especially when Rydia and Palom both know Meteor) and Two White magic casters (lots of Curajas, Full-Lifes, and Holy spells to cast throughout the battle) will help you in the end.

If you have never played a Final Fantasy game in your life, this is the one to start with. The DS version is harder and you might get frustrated with the way the story is played out. The GBA version is the best way to play the original game as it was designed and learn what was cut out of the japanese version (minus the bonus stuff). Then if you want a challenge, play the DS game like the orignal japanese version was meant to be played. Start with the FF IV Advance first.

Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: TRC

To the Moon and Beyond...

SquareEnix has re-released Final Fantasy IV (4) Advance for the GBA system, aka Final Fantasy II in the USA. This new and very improved version of the game takes you from the top of the Earth to the center of the Earth then the Moon and beyond…

In this retelling of a great story they use bolder language and more of the story is told.

You start out as a Dark Knight robbing innocent people, this starts you on a gripping tale of betrayal, love, loss, sacrifice and redemption.

Some of you might remember all those wonderful cheats like the duplication trick and the crystal trick in the dwarf’s castle, well they are all gone. No more cheats and that only adds to this game being even more of a challenge.

Just when you thought it was over, after you beat the game you get a 50+ Level dungeon you can explore that changes every time you go into the dungeon. One tiny detail, you can only go into the special rooms with the people that you beat the game with. So, you will have to complete this game 3 times. It sounds like a lot but I did it in 49+ Hours.

The music in this game is great! 8/10
Graphics are updated from the SNES version of the game. 5/10
Replay value is quite high because of it wonderful and gripping story. 9/10
Overall a must have RPG for any story driven person. 7/10

I really enjoy this game. The Final Fantasy series is very awesome. This is a unique version with the combat system as well as the ability and equipment system. The magic spells and abilities your specific class-based characters learn is based on overall level gain. Which is really awesome. I enjoy all the things to do in this game.

The plot starts out on Earth being Cecil as a part of the Red Wings which doesn't last long. You fight your way through the turmoil of the above-ground earth attempting to stop Golbez's reign of terror on the planet. You fight him on an above-ground fortress to have to go underground to try to get the crystals before Golbez, carrying out tons of missions underground. Then you realize there are crystals on an artificial moon that has been created and luckily you find an airship to take you there! This is where Golbez's quest should end if he can get the four dark crystals from the moon. You have to stop him.

This game is pretty crazy all kinds of scenery, the graphics in the remake for the Advance version are great. Lots of plot twists and little extras to mess around with in every town you go to. Plus the characters have amusing dialog as well as vast abilities to destroy your enemies. This game is highly recommended to any RPG's connoisseur.

This may not be the first time a lot of people have played it, and yet for some this may be new to them. After all this is the third time this game has been released. First on the Super NES as Final Fantasy II, then re-released just about as is with minimal change on PSone as FF Chronicles together with Chrono Trigger. This is the third release and comes on Game Boy Advance by itself, but with various enhances with graphics, sound, story line, gameplay, and a very highly expanded plot and several bonus features this time around that will add to the entertainment value of this game and replay.

In addition, the difficulty level seems to have been toned down somewhat, at least from the Playstation version, which will be a welcome adjustment for those that may have found this game somewhat difficult early on in this prior release.

Extra features added to this game from prior releases are what I consider what gives it the edge in making it a 5/5 instead of just 4. Bonus features include expanded storyline, a bestiary that lets you study stats of all monsters beaten, and a music player that you can play all soundtracks in the game.

Most notable additions will be seen upon completing the game the first time around. This includes a massive completely new underground area where different areas within it are unlocked depending upon who you have beaten the game with beforehand. With the multiple characters in this story that once you enter this new realm with you cannot switch characters, this needless to say amounts to significant replay value as you'll have to beat the game multiple times with the different members of your party in order to unlock the various sections that just happen to be directly tied to the further getting to know of your characters and unraveling never before seen plotlines, as well as the more tangible element of getting some of the strongest weapons and armor for your party's members.

Needless to say, there's quite a lot packed into this game, and thus a must-have for anyone who would consider themselves a fan of the series or RPG's in general, regardless of whether or not this is your first time with this game or not, anyone who gives this game a go will be thoroughly impressed.

To be honest, I had never played any other Final Fantasy game before in my life. Then one day I was with someone playing this game on the nintendo DS and was instantly caught by it.
Play as Cecil, a dark knight, and complete the adventure with several other characters joining you along the way. Exciting game to sit down and enjoy with challenging battles while you level up. The best thing about this game besides the vast variety of enemies, items, weapons, areas, and allies is the opportunity it gives you to continue playing even after you beat the game. It provides each character trials in which you obtain that character's most powerful items but the catch is you must defeat the main enemy, Zeromous, with a character in your party in order to unlock his/her trial. This provides you much fun with chances to experience the adventure with other strategies.
highly reccommended game hope you enjoy as much as I did :D