The year was 1991, the 8 Bit Era was officially over, and the 16 Bit Era had begun. It was the dawn of the greatest Console War in the history of the industry, and both Nintendo and Sega were bringing out video games that would become instant classics. During this year, Squaresoft released what could very well be called one of their best games ever, beloved by many gamers the world over: Final Fantasy 4. The 90's were what I would very much like to call the Golden Age of the RPG, because this was when the genre was really releasing its best and most famous games. Final Fantasy 4 was no exception. This was only the second Final Fantasy to be released in the US (Final Fantasies 2 and 3 didn't make it at the time), so when this game was released, it was called Final Fantasy 2. However, since I've already covered the real FF2, I will refer to this game as FF4, regardless of how nostalgic anyone feels for the old (false) name.
There is no direction to go, but forward
The game starts as Cecil, our hero, a Dark Knight in the service of the Kingdom of Baron, returns to his home after having killed many citizens of the Kingdom of Mysidia in order to get his hands on their Water Crystal.
"Wait, what? THAT'S our hero!? But that sounds like a bad guy!" Ah, but here is where the game starts showing us the first sign that this is a more complex story than the usual fare (of its day). Cecil hands over the Crystal, and questions his king, to his FACE, if what Baron is doing is really the right thing! Questioning the king, that takes chutzpah. The king, angered at Cecil's insubordination, strips him of his rank as Captain of the Red Wings (Baron's Air Force) and turns him into a simple errand boy. The king gives Cecil a new mission: go to the town of Mist and deliver a Bomb Ring.
Accompanied by his friend, Kain, Cecil travels the Mist Cavern, where they are attacked by a Mist Dragon. Killing it easily, the duo arrive in Mist, where the Bomb Ring activates, releasing several Bombs (living balls of fire) unto the town, killing many. Angered at his role in taking more lives, Cecil runs across the town, searching for someone to help. He finds a girl, Rydia, who is clutching her dead mother. Trying to help her, Rydia instead demands the Cecil keep away, summoning Titan, an earth Eidolon (magic spirit creature), to protect her, which in turn creates a crevice in the earth that separates Cecil and Rydia from Kain. Seeing as how the girl has lost consciousness, he takes her to the nearest town, the oasis of Kaipo of the Damcyan Kingdom, to get her a doctor.
While there, he discovers several Baron soldiers that want to kill not only him, but Ridya as well! Fighting them off, he vows to put an end to Baron's new warring attitude. The next day, he discovers that his girlfriend, Rosa, had followed him to Kaipo, but came down with Desert Fever, a dangerous disease that can only be cured by a Sand Ruby, which itself can only be gained from the Antlion of Damcyan. Accompanied by Rydia, Cecil travels towards Damcyan, meeting the sage Tellah along the way, whose daughter had run off with the prince of the kingdom. As soon as they arrive, they find that Damcyan Castle had been pillaged by Baron, and that with the exception of the prince, Edward, everyone was dead. Stricken with rage born of grief, Tellah swears revenge on the man who led the attack: Golbez. Stricken with grief, Edward loses all hope to live, but Rydia demands he snap out of it, as she and Cecil need his help in getting the Sand Ruby.
After acquiring the Ruby, Rosa is healed. She informs Cecil of Baron's intention of attacking the kingdom of Fabul for their Wind Crystal. Cecil and company travel to Fabul to protect it from Baron. On their way, they encounter Fabul's finest warrior, Yang the monk. After telling the king of Fabul of Baron's plot, the group volunteer to fight off Baron's forces...
...and they get their butts kicked by Baron's new top warrior, Golbez, who is just leagues above the heroes. Golbez swats them away like they were nothing, taking the Wind Crystal like he was grabbing a can of beans from the grocery store! Humiliated, Cecil aims to re-take the crystal, face Golbez, and put an end to Baron's war path once and for all!
Boarding a ship, Cecil, Rydia, Rosa, Edward and Yang depart towards Baron, but are soon attacked by the Eidolon, Leviathan! Leviathan destroys the ship, separating the crew, and particularly swallowing up Rydia.
Wait, WHAT!? A kid died in a Final Fantasy game!? Holy crap!
Anyway, Cecil washes up on the shores of Mysidia, the kingdom he helped nearly destroy. Here, he finds that not only is everyone hostile towards Baron, they are particularly hostile towards him, too. Finding that he needs to make amends, Cecil asks the Elder for help. Not trusting him, the Elder sends Cecil towards what is, for all intents and purposes, a snipe hunt: go to Mount Ordeals, and become a Paladin. Cecil accepts the quest, and the Elder assigns the twins, Palom and Porom, tospy assist him.
In Mount Ordeals, Cecil re encounters Tellah, who is seeking the ultimate power, Meteor. The four climb the mountain. In the summit, they find the Fiend of the Earth, Scarmiglione, who had been sent by Golbez to kill Cecil! After a tough battle, the four eradicate the fiend, making their way towards an altar, where a sword lays. Cecil picks up the sword, and a voice beckons him to abandon the darkness in his heart. He vows to atone for his sins, and in what many consider the best scene in the game, becomes a Paladin!
Returning to Mysidia, Cecil earns the Elder's trust and forgiveness. The Elder allows Cecil to use their special teleporter to go to Baron, to confront the king and end his madness.
In Baron, Cecil finds Yang, who had been brainwashed...for some reason...After regaining his senses, Yang helps Cecil, Palom, Porom, and Tellah sneak into Castle Baron to fight the king. There, they discover that Golbez had actually replaced the king with the Fiend of Water, Cagnazzo, this whole time! Defeating the fiend, Cagnazzo springs on them a little trap: the walls of the throne room are closing in on them, and the exits are sealed! Palom and Porom then turn themselves into stone statues, stopping the walls before they could crush the party.
THREE! Three kids have died in this game! Holy cow!
The remaining party joins up with Cid, Baron's main engineer and designer of the Red Wings, to get an airship and stop Golbez. However, they are intercepted by Kain, who was serving Golbez as well, and delivers the news that Rosa was at the hands of Golbez, and that the only way to ensure her safety was if Cecil would deliver the Earth Crystal to Golbez! Cecil goes to the land of Troia, where Edward had ended up in (under intensive care, no less), and gets the Earth Crystal.
OK people, here's a pop quiz. Your significant other has been kidnapped, and in exchange for his/her safety, you are asked for a powerful, magical object whose power is necessary to maintain balance in the world. Do you:
A- Give the object to the hostage taker after ensuring your SO is safe and secure in your side?
B- Give the object to the hostage taker while he/she gives you back your SO?
C- Give the object to the hostage taker just like that, without even ensuring if your SO is there with them?
D- Tell the hostage taker you don't make deals with terrorists, and go to their lair, Rambo style?
E- Forget the whole thing and go eat pizza?
If you picked anything, ANYTHING other than C, congratulations, you have more sense than Cecil! Cecil, however, at least has the sense to go after Golbez himself, going to his sky fortress to fight off the evil general. While in the Tower of Zot, Cecil saves Rosa from Golbez' clutches. Tellah, furious with Golbez, plans on using Meteor on him, at the cost of his life. Although the spell fails to kill Golbez, it does free up Kain from his mind control. Escaping from the tower, Kain reveals to the party Golbez' ambitions: gather the 8 crystals of the world and open a path to the moon.
The other four crystals are located in the Underground. Making their way there, they find that Golbez' forces are at war with the Dwarfs. Golbez, however, manages to steal the crystals, taking them to the Tower of Bab-Il.
You can groan at this name, I sure did.
Making their way towards Bab-Il, the gang encounter Golbez! In a mighty fight, Cecil and company are, once again, outclassed, but they are saved by Rydia, who has now aged about 20 years and is now a smoking hot babe!
OK, WHAT? Turns out, Leviathan took Rydia to the Land of Eidolons, where she got stronger, aged faster, and now has the power to summon the strongest Eidolons there is. OK, but WHY? Why make us believe Rydia died, if you planned on bringing her back to life anyway? Ah, but this isn't the last time this happens...
Anyway, Yang stays behind, because a pulsar cannon threatens to decimate the Underground, and he decides to block the blast with his body. Also, as they escape the Underground, Cid jumps off the ship and blows himself up to prevent the rest of the Red Wings from following Cecil and crew.
Those of you expecting me to do a joke at the expense of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians, go fuck yourselves. I'm better than that.
The gang make their way to the kingdom of Eblan, so they can re enter the Tower of Bab-Il and take the stolen crystals back. There, they meet the ninja, Edge, who joins them on their quest. After defeating the Fiend of Fire, Rubicante, the gang find the stolen crystals. But at that moment, Golbez retakes control of Kain, and orders him to steal the crystals from Cecil and the crew! Now without the crystals, Cecil and company are left with no clues...
They go to the kingdom of the dwarfs, where the king reveals that there is a way to the moon: the legendary ship, Lunar Whale! Also, Cid's alive!
At this moment, I screamed into my TV screen "I SAW YOU DIE! HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT!?" The game never gives a satisfactory explanation.
Anyway, the crew find the Lunar Whale and take it to the Crystal Palace on the Moon, where they meet Fusoya, who reveals a few truths. Number one: Golbez is under control of another Lunarian, Zemus, who wants to eradicate all life on Earth by taking the Crystals and summoning the Giant of Bab-Il. Number two: Golbez is Cecil's brother, Theodore.
So Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, Edge, and Fusoya have to race back to Earth because Golbez had managed to summon the Giant. With the forces of all the kingdoms of the world, plus Edward, Cid, Yang (yes, he's still alive) Palom and Porom (the Elder of Mysidia used his magic to make them human again) holding back the Giant, Cecil and crew go inside the giant, and kick Golbez' butt, and also saved Kain from his mind control...again.
With Zemus' control broken, Golbez reveals his motivation: guilt because he couldn't save his father from being killed, and hatred at both his brother's hand at their mother's death (she died in childbirth) and his own inability to do anything for her. Cecil, angry at Zemus, decides to go to the Moon and kill him, putting an end to his tyranny.
The seven go to the moon. With Zemus defeated, Fusoya opts to return to his hibernation. Theodore, no longer accepting the name Golbez, joins Fusoya, feeling he has no place in the world below. Edge becomes king of Eblan, Edward becomes king of Damcyan, Yang becomes king of Fabul, and Cecil marries Rosa and becomes king of Baron.
Final Fantasy 4 is a game that really summarized what made the Japanese RPG so great: it told an epic, original story with a cast of well rounded characters, in a very unique world that has its own customs and traditions. Final Fantasy 4 was not the first story centered Japanese RPG, but it was the one that really codified how the J-RPG should be. Suffice to say, this standard is still very much in practice to this very day, to the point that, save for a few franchises (the most famous being Nintendo's Pokemon) the RPG has moved beyond its simplistic roots of "go to town, solve problem, go to next town, solve problem" style of gameplay. I dare say no other video game genre has evolved this drastically, and Final Fantasy 4 had a big hand in this evolution.
The game also helped bring story telling to a brand new level. This game told a story that was at least twice as long as any previous Final Fantasy, and with good reason: it is a story with many shocking twists and turns. It also brought characterization in gaming to a whole new level. Characters weren't just spouting exposition, they were interacting. A good example is how Palom and Porom play off each other. The two are twins, yet are very different: Palom is a bratty five year old boy while Porom is a respectful five year old girl. Porom is always scolding Palom for his mischief, and Palom always speaks his mind, consequences be damned. These two had, in my opinion, the best dynamic in the story. There was also Edge's unrequited love for Rydia, Cecil and Rosa's relationship (which was SHOWN, when Rosa went to Cecil's room at night to comfort him. No, they did not have sex, this is a video game aimed at pre-teens) and Kain and Cecil's friendship. Characters played off each other, complemented each other, and it is this that helped make them feel like characters, rather than plot devises.
A major theme to Final Fantasy 4 is Atonement, and this is present in Cecil's struggle with his actions as a Dark Knight. Cecil is a murderer, a man who killed many Mysidians in the name of his king, a man who, willingly or no, had a hand in destroying the town of Mist and killing its citizens, including Rydia's mother. Cecil is a man whose sins weigh heavily in his heart, and it is not until he learns to forgive himself and make peace with his past that he can move on. The game, basically, tells us this one important message: Yes, we CAN make up for our past misdeeds.
Another major theme to the game is the subject of Following Orders. Most of the greatest crimes in the game are made by people who were "following orders". The massacre of Mysidia? Cecil was following orders. The Mist massacre? Cecil was following orders. The destruction of Damcyan? The Red Wings were following orders. Pretty much everything Golbez did? He was just following Zemus' orders. The game however, shows us that just because you were "following orders", it didn't exempt you from your guilt. Cecil still has to prove he's not a heartless monster to the Mysidians in order to get their help, and in fact many Mysidians refuse to ever forgive him for his actions. Golbez himself also feels like he has no place in the world, and feels like he needs to atone for his sins before he can face his brother again. Rydia only forgives Cecil for his role in her mother's death once she sees his willingness to atone for his sins.
That's another major theme present in the game: Forgiveness. The game shows us how that we can be forgiven for our misdeeds, whether we forgive ourselves for our own sins (like Cecil), or forgive our trespassers (like Rydia to Cecil) or give our forgiveness to those who need it most (like Theodore). The one character who never learns to forgive, Tellah, dies in a most pitiful way: a failed suicide attack. This is a subtle lesson: revenge will destroy us, forgiveness will save us.
Cecil Harvey is our main character. When we first meet him, he is surly, cold, self loathing, and with good reason. However, beneath that dark armor he wore lay the heart of a true hero, a man who would stop at nothing to save those he loved. Once he became a Paladin, he became a man that could shield his allies from the greatest of dangers. Cecil's story is a classic tale of the man seeking to atone for his sins, whose soul is saved from the darkness by his own virtues, and who eventually manages to not only forgive himself, but to grow and become a better person than he ever was. Cecil is a great protagonist, and I'd say he's one of best in the entire franchise, specifically because his story ark is one that many of us can resonate with. Haven't we all done something so bad, it never left our minds or our hearts? Cecil is a character that tells us we can forgive ourselves, and I think that's very important.
Kain is one of the most famous characters in the history of the franchise, and not without good reason. Kain is a man of action, a get-it-done kind of guy. His character design is iconic, stylish, and unforgettable. Kain is a complex man, however; while he is loyal to his best friend Cecil, his heart yearns for Rosa. He loves Cecil like a brother, yet hates him because Rosa chose Cecil over him. He gets mind controlled twice in the game specifically because he hates this part of himself. Kain is, arguably, the game's most complex character.
If Kain is, arguably, the most popular character in the game, then Edward is, in-arguably, the most despised. Weak willed, emotional, and nigh useless in combat, Edward is someone who is unfit for the battles that wage around him. However, I'd like to give him a break. His girlfriend died right in front of him, protecting him from Baron's assault. Edward has to live with the guilt for the rest of his life, and to top it all off, the game itself berates Edward for daring to be emotional. Edward is a sensitive man in a world that demands its men be tough. The game treats it like a bad thing, but I leave it to you to decide if this is chauvinism on the game developer's part or not. I for one will leave this topic for a future blog.
Unstoppable, nigh unbeatable, stoic, a real iron man, that's Yang. There's not much to him in terms of character, as I feel he doesn't grow as much as Cecil or Kain. I'd call him the one character to grow the least, but considering how awesome he is, that's not a problem. Many people like Kain, but I like Yang.
Tellah was a man so consumed by his rage, that it ended up destroying him. Tellah is a tragic character; having lost his only daughter, and at his advanced age, Tellah might have felt he had nothing left to live for. Maybe that's why he attacked Golbez the way he did; maybe he knew, deep down, that he wanted to die. Or maybe he didn't, who knows? In my head canon, Tellah secretly wanted to be with Ana again, but would not allow himself to grieve, choosing instead the reckless path to death. This also makes Tellah one of the most tragic characters in the entire franchise.
Porom and Palom are two funny characters. Their bickering brought some much needed humor into an otherwise dark game, and yet at the same time, they never felt forced or out of place. It helped that their magic was truly powerful, and they pulled their own weight (unlike Edward). I'm not afraid to say, when they turned themselves to stone, I was shocked beyond belief, and their 'death' was the one I felt the most. Fantastic characters!
Final Fantasy is a franchise whose female characters are well rounded, strong, and independent. Rosa...isn't like that very much. She is demure, lovely, loyal, sweet and caring. She's also boring. It doesn't help that she needed to be rescued twice in the game, that she otherwise has little impact to the plot, and her importance is directly tied to her relationship with two of the male characters. Rosa is everything feminists complain about when they talk about female game characters, and this time? They're RIGHT.
Rydia, on the other hand, is a fantastic character. She gets to save Cecil in the Underground, she experiences the most character development beside Cecil and MAYBE Kain, she's super powerful, and she's 100% unique in the fact that she's the ONLY member of the team to be able to summon Eidolons, a skill which is, arguably, the strongest in the game. Combine the fact that her magic stat is through the roof, and that she has the best Black Magic in the game, and you have what could well be the strongest member of your team.
Cid...is boring. I hate Cid. I hate how he has no useful skills. I hate how his weapons suck. I hate his character. I hate how his survival makes no sense. I hate how it's not explained. NEXT!
Edge is a young man whose emotions still control him. He's hot tempered, disrespectful, bit of a womanizer, clearly acts first, thinks second. Since he joins so late in the game, it's hard to gauge just how much he grows, especially since he joins just when the climax is starting. Still, in battle, he's sort of OK, just below Kain and Rydia in terms of sheer power, but he's the only character who can wield two weapons at once.
Fusoya is not a character, he's an exposition fairy. He exists only to explain Golbez' actions better, and give some back story. Of all the player characters, I'd say his is the biggest waste of them all. He joins for one dungeon, nearly at the end of the game, and leaves once that's done.
Zemus is a horrible villain. He comes out of nowhere, his plan is generic, and worst of all, there is very little that needs to be said about him. Zemus is just another one of those "destroy the world BWA HA HA HA!!!" villains that you can find in a typical Saturday Morning Cartoon or Anime.
Unlike Zemus, Golbez is awesome. He has it all: back story, character development, motivation, a goal, presence, urgency. Golbez is someone that you just look at him and you can FEEL his power. How is he introduced? He kicks Cecil's ass and takes the Wind Crystal like he owns the place! The Nintendo DS version of FF4 ups the ante with this scene by giving him this awesome line: "I did not come here to step on worms." Golbez is, undoubtedly, one of Final Fantasy's finest villains. I love this guy, and I love to hate him. In my opinion, Zemus wasn't needed. You could have made Golbez to be the man behind everything, and the game would still have been great. This would have made Golbez and Cecil into a sort of Cain and Abel, giving this struggle between good and evil that "It's Personal" touch that makes games so great. Oh well, for what he is, Golbez is still an awesome character.
Accompanied by his friend, Kain, Cecil travels the Mist Cavern, where they are attacked by a Mist Dragon. Killing it easily, the duo arrive in Mist, where the Bomb Ring activates, releasing several Bombs (living balls of fire) unto the town, killing many. Angered at his role in taking more lives, Cecil runs across the town, searching for someone to help. He finds a girl, Rydia, who is clutching her dead mother. Trying to help her, Rydia instead demands the Cecil keep away, summoning Titan, an earth Eidolon (magic spirit creature), to protect her, which in turn creates a crevice in the earth that separates Cecil and Rydia from Kain. Seeing as how the girl has lost consciousness, he takes her to the nearest town, the oasis of Kaipo of the Damcyan Kingdom, to get her a doctor.
While there, he discovers several Baron soldiers that want to kill not only him, but Ridya as well! Fighting them off, he vows to put an end to Baron's new warring attitude. The next day, he discovers that his girlfriend, Rosa, had followed him to Kaipo, but came down with Desert Fever, a dangerous disease that can only be cured by a Sand Ruby, which itself can only be gained from the Antlion of Damcyan. Accompanied by Rydia, Cecil travels towards Damcyan, meeting the sage Tellah along the way, whose daughter had run off with the prince of the kingdom. As soon as they arrive, they find that Damcyan Castle had been pillaged by Baron, and that with the exception of the prince, Edward, everyone was dead. Stricken with rage born of grief, Tellah swears revenge on the man who led the attack: Golbez. Stricken with grief, Edward loses all hope to live, but Rydia demands he snap out of it, as she and Cecil need his help in getting the Sand Ruby.
After acquiring the Ruby, Rosa is healed. She informs Cecil of Baron's intention of attacking the kingdom of Fabul for their Wind Crystal. Cecil and company travel to Fabul to protect it from Baron. On their way, they encounter Fabul's finest warrior, Yang the monk. After telling the king of Fabul of Baron's plot, the group volunteer to fight off Baron's forces...
...and they get their butts kicked by Baron's new top warrior, Golbez, who is just leagues above the heroes. Golbez swats them away like they were nothing, taking the Wind Crystal like he was grabbing a can of beans from the grocery store! Humiliated, Cecil aims to re-take the crystal, face Golbez, and put an end to Baron's war path once and for all!
Boarding a ship, Cecil, Rydia, Rosa, Edward and Yang depart towards Baron, but are soon attacked by the Eidolon, Leviathan! Leviathan destroys the ship, separating the crew, and particularly swallowing up Rydia.
Wait, WHAT!? A kid died in a Final Fantasy game!? Holy crap!
Anyway, Cecil washes up on the shores of Mysidia, the kingdom he helped nearly destroy. Here, he finds that not only is everyone hostile towards Baron, they are particularly hostile towards him, too. Finding that he needs to make amends, Cecil asks the Elder for help. Not trusting him, the Elder sends Cecil towards what is, for all intents and purposes, a snipe hunt: go to Mount Ordeals, and become a Paladin. Cecil accepts the quest, and the Elder assigns the twins, Palom and Porom, to
In Mount Ordeals, Cecil re encounters Tellah, who is seeking the ultimate power, Meteor. The four climb the mountain. In the summit, they find the Fiend of the Earth, Scarmiglione, who had been sent by Golbez to kill Cecil! After a tough battle, the four eradicate the fiend, making their way towards an altar, where a sword lays. Cecil picks up the sword, and a voice beckons him to abandon the darkness in his heart. He vows to atone for his sins, and in what many consider the best scene in the game, becomes a Paladin!
Returning to Mysidia, Cecil earns the Elder's trust and forgiveness. The Elder allows Cecil to use their special teleporter to go to Baron, to confront the king and end his madness.
In Baron, Cecil finds Yang, who had been brainwashed...for some reason...After regaining his senses, Yang helps Cecil, Palom, Porom, and Tellah sneak into Castle Baron to fight the king. There, they discover that Golbez had actually replaced the king with the Fiend of Water, Cagnazzo, this whole time! Defeating the fiend, Cagnazzo springs on them a little trap: the walls of the throne room are closing in on them, and the exits are sealed! Palom and Porom then turn themselves into stone statues, stopping the walls before they could crush the party.
THREE! Three kids have died in this game! Holy cow!
The remaining party joins up with Cid, Baron's main engineer and designer of the Red Wings, to get an airship and stop Golbez. However, they are intercepted by Kain, who was serving Golbez as well, and delivers the news that Rosa was at the hands of Golbez, and that the only way to ensure her safety was if Cecil would deliver the Earth Crystal to Golbez! Cecil goes to the land of Troia, where Edward had ended up in (under intensive care, no less), and gets the Earth Crystal.
OK people, here's a pop quiz. Your significant other has been kidnapped, and in exchange for his/her safety, you are asked for a powerful, magical object whose power is necessary to maintain balance in the world. Do you:
A- Give the object to the hostage taker after ensuring your SO is safe and secure in your side?
B- Give the object to the hostage taker while he/she gives you back your SO?
C- Give the object to the hostage taker just like that, without even ensuring if your SO is there with them?
D- Tell the hostage taker you don't make deals with terrorists, and go to their lair, Rambo style?
E- Forget the whole thing and go eat pizza?
If you picked anything, ANYTHING other than C, congratulations, you have more sense than Cecil! Cecil, however, at least has the sense to go after Golbez himself, going to his sky fortress to fight off the evil general. While in the Tower of Zot, Cecil saves Rosa from Golbez' clutches. Tellah, furious with Golbez, plans on using Meteor on him, at the cost of his life. Although the spell fails to kill Golbez, it does free up Kain from his mind control. Escaping from the tower, Kain reveals to the party Golbez' ambitions: gather the 8 crystals of the world and open a path to the moon.
The other four crystals are located in the Underground. Making their way there, they find that Golbez' forces are at war with the Dwarfs. Golbez, however, manages to steal the crystals, taking them to the Tower of Bab-Il.
You can groan at this name, I sure did.
Making their way towards Bab-Il, the gang encounter Golbez! In a mighty fight, Cecil and company are, once again, outclassed, but they are saved by Rydia, who has now aged about 20 years and is now a smoking hot babe!
OK, WHAT? Turns out, Leviathan took Rydia to the Land of Eidolons, where she got stronger, aged faster, and now has the power to summon the strongest Eidolons there is. OK, but WHY? Why make us believe Rydia died, if you planned on bringing her back to life anyway? Ah, but this isn't the last time this happens...
Anyway, Yang stays behind, because a pulsar cannon threatens to decimate the Underground, and he decides to block the blast with his body. Also, as they escape the Underground, Cid jumps off the ship and blows himself up to prevent the rest of the Red Wings from following Cecil and crew.
Those of you expecting me to do a joke at the expense of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians, go fuck yourselves. I'm better than that.
The gang make their way to the kingdom of Eblan, so they can re enter the Tower of Bab-Il and take the stolen crystals back. There, they meet the ninja, Edge, who joins them on their quest. After defeating the Fiend of Fire, Rubicante, the gang find the stolen crystals. But at that moment, Golbez retakes control of Kain, and orders him to steal the crystals from Cecil and the crew! Now without the crystals, Cecil and company are left with no clues...
They go to the kingdom of the dwarfs, where the king reveals that there is a way to the moon: the legendary ship, Lunar Whale! Also, Cid's alive!
At this moment, I screamed into my TV screen "I SAW YOU DIE! HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT!?" The game never gives a satisfactory explanation.
Anyway, the crew find the Lunar Whale and take it to the Crystal Palace on the Moon, where they meet Fusoya, who reveals a few truths. Number one: Golbez is under control of another Lunarian, Zemus, who wants to eradicate all life on Earth by taking the Crystals and summoning the Giant of Bab-Il. Number two: Golbez is Cecil's brother, Theodore.
So Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, Edge, and Fusoya have to race back to Earth because Golbez had managed to summon the Giant. With the forces of all the kingdoms of the world, plus Edward, Cid, Yang (yes, he's still alive) Palom and Porom (the Elder of Mysidia used his magic to make them human again) holding back the Giant, Cecil and crew go inside the giant, and kick Golbez' butt, and also saved Kain from his mind control...again.
With Zemus' control broken, Golbez reveals his motivation: guilt because he couldn't save his father from being killed, and hatred at both his brother's hand at their mother's death (she died in childbirth) and his own inability to do anything for her. Cecil, angry at Zemus, decides to go to the Moon and kill him, putting an end to his tyranny.
The seven go to the moon. With Zemus defeated, Fusoya opts to return to his hibernation. Theodore, no longer accepting the name Golbez, joins Fusoya, feeling he has no place in the world below. Edge becomes king of Eblan, Edward becomes king of Damcyan, Yang becomes king of Fabul, and Cecil marries Rosa and becomes king of Baron.
Final Fantasy 4 is a game that really summarized what made the Japanese RPG so great: it told an epic, original story with a cast of well rounded characters, in a very unique world that has its own customs and traditions. Final Fantasy 4 was not the first story centered Japanese RPG, but it was the one that really codified how the J-RPG should be. Suffice to say, this standard is still very much in practice to this very day, to the point that, save for a few franchises (the most famous being Nintendo's Pokemon) the RPG has moved beyond its simplistic roots of "go to town, solve problem, go to next town, solve problem" style of gameplay. I dare say no other video game genre has evolved this drastically, and Final Fantasy 4 had a big hand in this evolution.
The game also helped bring story telling to a brand new level. This game told a story that was at least twice as long as any previous Final Fantasy, and with good reason: it is a story with many shocking twists and turns. It also brought characterization in gaming to a whole new level. Characters weren't just spouting exposition, they were interacting. A good example is how Palom and Porom play off each other. The two are twins, yet are very different: Palom is a bratty five year old boy while Porom is a respectful five year old girl. Porom is always scolding Palom for his mischief, and Palom always speaks his mind, consequences be damned. These two had, in my opinion, the best dynamic in the story. There was also Edge's unrequited love for Rydia, Cecil and Rosa's relationship (which was SHOWN, when Rosa went to Cecil's room at night to comfort him. No, they did not have sex, this is a video game aimed at pre-teens) and Kain and Cecil's friendship. Characters played off each other, complemented each other, and it is this that helped make them feel like characters, rather than plot devises.
A major theme to Final Fantasy 4 is Atonement, and this is present in Cecil's struggle with his actions as a Dark Knight. Cecil is a murderer, a man who killed many Mysidians in the name of his king, a man who, willingly or no, had a hand in destroying the town of Mist and killing its citizens, including Rydia's mother. Cecil is a man whose sins weigh heavily in his heart, and it is not until he learns to forgive himself and make peace with his past that he can move on. The game, basically, tells us this one important message: Yes, we CAN make up for our past misdeeds.
Another major theme to the game is the subject of Following Orders. Most of the greatest crimes in the game are made by people who were "following orders". The massacre of Mysidia? Cecil was following orders. The Mist massacre? Cecil was following orders. The destruction of Damcyan? The Red Wings were following orders. Pretty much everything Golbez did? He was just following Zemus' orders. The game however, shows us that just because you were "following orders", it didn't exempt you from your guilt. Cecil still has to prove he's not a heartless monster to the Mysidians in order to get their help, and in fact many Mysidians refuse to ever forgive him for his actions. Golbez himself also feels like he has no place in the world, and feels like he needs to atone for his sins before he can face his brother again. Rydia only forgives Cecil for his role in her mother's death once she sees his willingness to atone for his sins.
That's another major theme present in the game: Forgiveness. The game shows us how that we can be forgiven for our misdeeds, whether we forgive ourselves for our own sins (like Cecil), or forgive our trespassers (like Rydia to Cecil) or give our forgiveness to those who need it most (like Theodore). The one character who never learns to forgive, Tellah, dies in a most pitiful way: a failed suicide attack. This is a subtle lesson: revenge will destroy us, forgiveness will save us.
And now, I would like to talk about the characters.
Cecil Harvey is our main character. When we first meet him, he is surly, cold, self loathing, and with good reason. However, beneath that dark armor he wore lay the heart of a true hero, a man who would stop at nothing to save those he loved. Once he became a Paladin, he became a man that could shield his allies from the greatest of dangers. Cecil's story is a classic tale of the man seeking to atone for his sins, whose soul is saved from the darkness by his own virtues, and who eventually manages to not only forgive himself, but to grow and become a better person than he ever was. Cecil is a great protagonist, and I'd say he's one of best in the entire franchise, specifically because his story ark is one that many of us can resonate with. Haven't we all done something so bad, it never left our minds or our hearts? Cecil is a character that tells us we can forgive ourselves, and I think that's very important.Kain is one of the most famous characters in the history of the franchise, and not without good reason. Kain is a man of action, a get-it-done kind of guy. His character design is iconic, stylish, and unforgettable. Kain is a complex man, however; while he is loyal to his best friend Cecil, his heart yearns for Rosa. He loves Cecil like a brother, yet hates him because Rosa chose Cecil over him. He gets mind controlled twice in the game specifically because he hates this part of himself. Kain is, arguably, the game's most complex character.If Kain is, arguably, the most popular character in the game, then Edward is, in-arguably, the most despised. Weak willed, emotional, and nigh useless in combat, Edward is someone who is unfit for the battles that wage around him. However, I'd like to give him a break. His girlfriend died right in front of him, protecting him from Baron's assault. Edward has to live with the guilt for the rest of his life, and to top it all off, the game itself berates Edward for daring to be emotional. Edward is a sensitive man in a world that demands its men be tough. The game treats it like a bad thing, but I leave it to you to decide if this is chauvinism on the game developer's part or not. I for one will leave this topic for a future blog.Unstoppable, nigh unbeatable, stoic, a real iron man, that's Yang. There's not much to him in terms of character, as I feel he doesn't grow as much as Cecil or Kain. I'd call him the one character to grow the least, but considering how awesome he is, that's not a problem. Many people like Kain, but I like Yang.Tellah was a man so consumed by his rage, that it ended up destroying him. Tellah is a tragic character; having lost his only daughter, and at his advanced age, Tellah might have felt he had nothing left to live for. Maybe that's why he attacked Golbez the way he did; maybe he knew, deep down, that he wanted to die. Or maybe he didn't, who knows? In my head canon, Tellah secretly wanted to be with Ana again, but would not allow himself to grieve, choosing instead the reckless path to death. This also makes Tellah one of the most tragic characters in the entire franchise.Porom and Palom are two funny characters. Their bickering brought some much needed humor into an otherwise dark game, and yet at the same time, they never felt forced or out of place. It helped that their magic was truly powerful, and they pulled their own weight (unlike Edward). I'm not afraid to say, when they turned themselves to stone, I was shocked beyond belief, and their 'death' was the one I felt the most. Fantastic characters! Final Fantasy is a franchise whose female characters are well rounded, strong, and independent. Rosa...isn't like that very much. She is demure, lovely, loyal, sweet and caring. She's also boring. It doesn't help that she needed to be rescued twice in the game, that she otherwise has little impact to the plot, and her importance is directly tied to her relationship with two of the male characters. Rosa is everything feminists complain about when they talk about female game characters, and this time? They're RIGHT.Rydia, on the other hand, is a fantastic character. She gets to save Cecil in the Underground, she experiences the most character development beside Cecil and MAYBE Kain, she's super powerful, and she's 100% unique in the fact that she's the ONLY member of the team to be able to summon Eidolons, a skill which is, arguably, the strongest in the game. Combine the fact that her magic stat is through the roof, and that she has the best Black Magic in the game, and you have what could well be the strongest member of your team.Cid...is boring. I hate Cid. I hate how he has no useful skills. I hate how his weapons suck. I hate his character. I hate how his survival makes no sense. I hate how it's not explained. NEXT!Edge is a young man whose emotions still control him. He's hot tempered, disrespectful, bit of a womanizer, clearly acts first, thinks second. Since he joins so late in the game, it's hard to gauge just how much he grows, especially since he joins just when the climax is starting. Still, in battle, he's sort of OK, just below Kain and Rydia in terms of sheer power, but he's the only character who can wield two weapons at once.Fusoya is not a character, he's an exposition fairy. He exists only to explain Golbez' actions better, and give some back story. Of all the player characters, I'd say his is the biggest waste of them all. He joins for one dungeon, nearly at the end of the game, and leaves once that's done.
As for the villains.
Zemus is a horrible villain. He comes out of nowhere, his plan is generic, and worst of all, there is very little that needs to be said about him. Zemus is just another one of those "destroy the world BWA HA HA HA!!!" villains that you can find in a typical Saturday Morning Cartoon or Anime.Unlike Zemus, Golbez is awesome. He has it all: back story, character development, motivation, a goal, presence, urgency. Golbez is someone that you just look at him and you can FEEL his power. How is he introduced? He kicks Cecil's ass and takes the Wind Crystal like he owns the place! The Nintendo DS version of FF4 ups the ante with this scene by giving him this awesome line: "I did not come here to step on worms." Golbez is, undoubtedly, one of Final Fantasy's finest villains. I love this guy, and I love to hate him. In my opinion, Zemus wasn't needed. You could have made Golbez to be the man behind everything, and the game would still have been great. This would have made Golbez and Cecil into a sort of Cain and Abel, giving this struggle between good and evil that "It's Personal" touch that makes games so great. Oh well, for what he is, Golbez is still an awesome character.
Final Fantasy 4 brought gaming to new heights, turning the RPG into a genre that could tell a story as well as a movie could. It is a game that still influences its genre to this very day, still have devoted fans, and still sells well enough to warrant remake after remake after remake. Furthermore, this game has a sequel, titled Final Fantasy 4: The After Years made in 2011, and starring Ceodore, Cecil's son.
Final Fantasy 4 changed the RPG for the better, and set new standards for the genre. How well did its successor hold up this standard? Well, join me next time to find out!
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