So I downloaded FF IV: The After Years today

[Crossblades]

And so far I like it! Spent about $37 worth of wii points to get the game itself and the the rest of the tales that come with it. But I'm curious to know how long will take it to complete the entire game? Because I was told that the game was pretty short. So should I expect about 25-30 hours of gameplay?

[Roogle]

It depends on how much you choose to develop the characters after the ending of a chapter.

A character chapter, aside from the Prologue and the ending chapters, only lasts for about 2 - 3 hours by itself at the most. There are sidequests after the completion of each chapter in the form of Challenge Dungeons which have much more difficult enemy encounters and treasures that can take some time to get to.

The game effectively lacks a middle stage. Each character begins at a low level, aside from The Lunarian chapter, and has the opportunity to prepare for end game. There is one chapter that serves as the middle of the game leading up to the final chapters, and its difficulty is moderate at best.

[Bastian]

But don't let Roogle's negativity dissuade you! :P It really is an awesome game. Its structure is a bit wonky, but it is still very enjoyable. And while it's true that each character's chapter is only about three hours (without doing the bonus dungeons at the end of each) the second to last and the last chapters are quite long. I think all in all, this game as a whole might be just about as long (if not longer) than the original FFIV.

[Crossblades]

I have another question(s). Since I'll be playing different character tales, would I need a different save file for each? Also, how and when can I import data?

[Bastian]

I have another question(s). Since I'll be playing different character tales, would I need a different save file for each? Also, how and when can I import data?
Yes, dear god yes! Do NOT make the same mistake my buddy and I made. We kept saving in the same save slot only to find that each chapter requires its own save slot. When you get to the final chapter it will ask you if you'd like to import the save data from those other chapters.

[Crossblades]

Yes, dear god yes! Do NOT make the same mistake my buddy and I made. We kept saving in the same save slot only to find that each chapter requires its own save slot. When you get to the final chapter it will ask you if you'd like to import the save data from those other chapters.

Ah, okay. Thanks alot. I have read before that I would need a different save file for each tale and it didn't really make much sense to me until I beat Kain's story and it took me back to the title screen. Then I started Rydia's Tale and saved in a different file just to play it safe. But now it's all too clear for me on what I need to do with the future tales.

[Bastian]

Alas, it was NOT clear to me and I made it all the way to the last chapter and tried to import my saved data . . . to find out that I needed to replay the entire game (all of the chapters) again. Which I did in three days.

[Roogle]

But don't let Roogle's negativity dissuade you! :P

Oh, this was my favorite Final Fantasy title in recent years. I liked it a lot! I think it could have been better if it was developed as a virtual console game across multiple platforms rather than as a mobile game, as I think the chapter to chapter format has inherent flaws like the lack of a midgame that I mentioned.

[Bastian]

I've only recently started playing Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen for the first time . . . and I'm struck by how similar the structure is to FFIV:TAY. I hate to say it, but clearly FF borrowed from DQ in this regard.

Each chapter is a short little 2-dungeon and a few towns afair with an individual character or two from a different part of the world out on a personal quest only to realize that their quest is tied into a major quest and ends with them setting off to join that major quest.

Anyway, I agree with Roogle that it seems like only nine or so different "beginnings" and then the last chapter is the end all of a sudden . . . sans middle part. But it's wonderful. I would take more like this over all the FFXIIIs in the world.

[Crossblades]

Anyway, I agree with Roogle that it seems like only nine or so different "beginnings" and then the last chapter is the end all of a sudden . . . sans middle part. But it's wonderful. I would take more like this over all the FFXIIIs in the world.

But it seems to me that even though the game does indeed lack a middle part, I noticed that leveling up seems to be a breeze. I'm not up the final chapters yet(just started Porom's tale yesterday), but it seems that it don't need one due to the easy leveling. Unless I'm wrong o.O

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm hijacking this thread cause I don't see the point in starting a new one since its the same topic. ;)

I just started The After Years and I believe I'm still in the Prologue since my party just got to Kaipo after escaping Baron.

I like many of the new game mechanics such as Band's and the overlooked Moon Phase system. The NPC party members have been pretty amusing as well. The plot is interesting so far, though I am having a very hard time not drawing parallels to the first season of DBZ with the old main character quickly removed from the picture and the game focusing on the son who happens to be getting a bit of a fatherly mentoring from the previous main characters rival. ;)

I think I've been rushing through the story too much though cause I feel Ceodore and his group is underleveled, not to mention I just realized now that Ceodore keeps taking so much damage cause he surprisingly has a very low stamina rating. His defense and level is the same as the Hooded Man but good god does it annoy me he takes almsot 2x to 3x more damage than him. Beyond that, I am liking the difficulty of the game, making me have to stop and level some more, the overpriced items help with that as well. Not to mention that the overabundance of Flan type enemies and my parties constant inability to keep mages in my party means I'm actually using all those magic casting items in my inventory which is a nice change of pace. :D

[Crossblades]

Glad you like this game :) I'm currently on the last tale and I've been doing some heavy grinding to some of my characters for the past few days since I they were underleveled. I'm glad you're taking the time out to grind a bit, because I never did that with any character tales until the last one. Grinding in the last tales was a kinda hard at first, but after a while it's gets progressively easier.

[NeoCracker]

I just barely beat it, and I must say I'm happy with the ending. It doesn't ret-con anything in FF IV, all the characters stay true to who they were in IV, and are well developed, and the additional NPC's were very well done, though a bit underdeveloped for the most part.

That's the games biggest flaw is the under developed of the new characters, though on a whole the game is definitely awesome. The ending may have come a bit fast, but theres not a lot of story I can see them fleshing out, so it's not to big of a deal.

It's also a bit to easy on a whole, but at least not mind numbingly so.

[Crossblades]

I just barely beat it, and I must say I'm happy with the ending. It doesn't ret-con anything in FF IV, all the characters stay true to who they were in IV, and are well developed, and the additional NPC's were very well done, though a bit underdeveloped for the most part.

That's the games biggest flaw is the under developed of the new characters, though on a whole the game is definitely awesome. The ending may have come a bit fast, but theres not a lot of story I can see them fleshing out, so it's not to big of a deal.

It's also a bit to easy on a whole, but at least not mind numbingly so.

What level were your characters when you completed the game? I'm currently level grinding and almost all my characters are at level 50.

[Evastio]

I was wondering, how does the final chapter work if you didn't play all of the tales? I heard that any new characters that you get in the specific tales won't show up at all in the Final Chapter. So characters like Harley, Leonora, the Eblan Four, etc. won't be available for you to use on your team. Will Golbez and Luca still be available without playing the other tales? Are you unable to switch out characters for the final dungeon without playing the other tales? That's the impression I was under, trying to figure it out in YouTube videos.

[Crossblades]

I was wondering, how does the final chapter work if you didn't play all of the tales? I heard that any new characters that you get in the specific tales won't show up at all in the Final Chapter. So characters like Harley, Leonora, the Eblan Four, etc. won't be available for you to use on your team. Will Golbez and Luca still be available without playing the other tales? Are you unable to switch out characters for the final dungeon without playing the other tales? That's the impression I was under, trying to figure it out in YouTube videos.

If you didn't play the other tales, your characters will start off at a certain default level with weak equipment and characters like the Eblan Four, Ursula, etc won't be available to play with at all. Golbez and Luca will still be available though and so will switching out party members, but like I said, default levels and weak equipment.

[Bastian]

Because I'm crazy I maxed out (level 99) more than half of my full party. But then I got bored.

Anyway, this is a fantastic game. I wish they'd made a third, but only in the far distant future so that ALL of the characters are considered myths or something. Or a prequel to FFIV about FoSoYa and Kluya or something. I just want MORE FFIV!

[beema]

So nearly a year after the final chapter was released, you still have to buy each chapter separately? That's pretty lame. I'm not sure if I want to spend almost $40 on what amounts to game from 3 console generations ago.

[Bastian]

So nearly a year after the final chapter was released, you still have to buy each chapter separately? That's pretty lame. I'm not sure if I want to spend almost $40 on what amounts to game from 3 console generations ago.
I don't understand that logic. A good game is a good game. That's like saying you'd rather not buy a painting because it's not as realistic as a photograph. They're different mediums. This is intentionally retro.

And, frankly, it is a much better game than any current generation (or previous generation) RPG, in my opinion.

[beema]

So nearly a year after the final chapter was released, you still have to buy each chapter separately? That's pretty lame. I'm not sure if I want to spend almost $40 on what amounts to game from 3 console generations ago.
I don't understand that logic. A good game is a good game. That's like saying you'd rather not buy a painting because it's not as realistic as a photograph. They're different mediums. This is intentionally retro.

And, frankly, it is a much better game than any current generation (or previous generation) RPG, in my opinion.

yes a good game is a good game, but $40 is too much for a retro, year-old wiiware title, imo.

I don't have a lot of money to spend, so I always try to find the best deals on games. To me, this is a sucky deal, even if it is a good game. Especially when there are tons of other games I want to play which I can get for less (Chrono Cross for $15, for example).

Price aside, it's still lame that they haven't just packaged all the chapters together as one game by now. I was really hoping they had.

[Roogle]

I played this game from start to finish over the course of a few days. Lately, I find myself playing games a lot more slowly, but that was not the case with this game. It certainly earned its $40.00 thanks to its retro, lengthy style.

[Ultima Shadow]

And, frankly, it is a much better game than any current generation (or previous generation) RPG, in my opinion.
I personally completely disagree, as I find quite a few current gen and last gen RPGs to be way more enjoyable than the After Years.

I did skip Yangs chapter since I didn't want to go buy 1000 Wii points all over again just for 1 chapter, but I'm pretty sure I didn't miss out on the game's most exciting and groundbreaking moments because of that. If I did though, shame on me.

Anyhow... while I did enjoy the After Years, I have to say there are certainly RPGs that were more worth the money (in my opinion, mind you). So I agree with beema that the overall price for this title is a bit too high.

[Zeromus]

Hi guys... sorry if the question I'm going to make is already made here in the forums or if it is already answered too... I haven't read a thing about After Years because I'm SO afraid of finding an spoiler in the less unexpected place... I'm really afraid of spoilers... really... FFIV is one of my favorites (as you can imagine because of my whole life nickname xd), so The After Years is so important to me that reading an spoiler would be deathly D: ...

I got the game since a few days ago. I already played Ceodore (the first one), Rydia, Palom, Porom, Edward, Edge, and Yang tales. So, 7 in total. In my tales list I have 2 more left. The lunarians or something (with Fusoya sprite) and another one called The Crystals, which I guess is the final one. But I'm not sure if I got all the stories... Is there a Kain's tale? I don't have Kain sprite in my list ...is there another one more out there? or do I have them all?
I know I'm asking something so basic and stupid, I know I should navigate a little to know the answer to this, or read it in wikipedia or something... but as I said, I'm afraid of spoilers SO MUCH that I haven't read a thing about the game since its release. So I hope you guys understand me... >.<

I was going to ask about the import and saves thing too, but Crossblades already did it and thank you guys for the replies. I have things a little more clear now. But I still think I'm maybe missing tales.

Another thing, can I choose which saves I want to import in the final tale?
I mean, if I have 2 or more different saves from the same tale (with different levels and items) will I have the chance to choose the best one or should I delete the ones I won't want to use in the final chapter before the importing time? (I use to make a lot of saves :D )

Thanks for the replies =) ...

[Roogle]

The Wikipedia page for Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_IV:_The_After_Years) addresses this. The first chapter of the game is actually several stories:

1 Prologue: Return of the Moon
Joshō "Tsuki no Kikan" (序章 『月の帰還』?)

2 Ceodore's Tale: The Last of the Red Wings
Seodoa Hen "Saigo no Akaki Tsubasa" (セオドア編 『最後の赤き翼』?)

3 Kain's Tale: Return of the Dragoon
Cain's Tale: Return of the Dragon Knight
Kain Hen "Ryūkishi no Kikan" (カイン編 『竜騎士の帰還』?)

[Roto13]

The last chapter is kind of ridiculously hard. Much grinding required there. Nice to see that particular throwback, I guess? Final Fantasy IV also got unreasonably difficult (and not that fun) once it hit the moon.


So nearly a year after the final chapter was released, you still have to buy each chapter separately? That's pretty lame. I'm not sure if I want to spend almost $40 on what amounts to game from 3 console generations ago.

WiiWare games don't drop in price. That's pretty much all there is to it.

[Bastian]

I really disagree that $40 is too much for this game. FF13 new was ten more dollars. It all comes down to preference, though. I definitely much prefer this game to FF13. For me, it was money well worth the spending.

That it is retro has zilch to do with the price.

Or maybe I just feel that way because I actually prefer the retro style to that of current gen (for instance, I'm much more looking forward to Final Fantasy Legends than I am FF14).

As for each chapter being released separately, I think that is because they want to allow you to choose which chapters you want to download. You don't have to purchase them all to get a decent understanding of the story. Really, you could just purchase the main chapter and the final chapter and it would still make sense. And be much less expensive.

The game was conceived as a chapter game because Tokita wanted people to experience the anticipation of waiting for the next chapter bit by bit like in a manga or tv series. I suppose it would make sense now that they're all release to just bundle them together, but that sort of goes against the original intent.

As for being able to get other games for less: yes, that's true, you can find used games for less. But this game can't be found "used" since no physical copies of it exist. Besides, buying used games is almost as bad as torrenting them: none of your money goes back to Square, so they have no idea how many people have actually purchased/played the game. But that's a discussion for another time. The point here is that yes, you can find other games used for less money. You can also find other games used for MORE money. Trying to find a copy of Dragon Warrior VII at it's original price or less is impossible; you can only find used copies for MORE than it originally cost.

[Roto13]

As for each chapter being released separately, I think that is because they want to allow you to choose which chapters you want to download. You don't have to purchase them all to get a decent understanding of the story. Really, you could just purchase the main chapter and the final chapter and it would still make sense. And be much less expensive.

The game was conceived as a chapter game because Tokita wanted people to experience the anticipation of waiting for the next chapter bit by bit like in a manga or tv series. I suppose it would make sense now that they're all release to just bundle them together, but that sort of goes against the original intent.

I think it's adorable that you believe this.

[Roogle]

The monthly model of manga and comic books works well because consumers will pay for the item month to month at a higher price than usual.

I believe that the selling model of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years as a mobile phone game was designed to capitalize on this same type of comic book model as a business decision rather than as a creative decision due to its dated style of graphics and gameplay. It is much easier to turn a profit when the actual price of all of the chapters combined is $40.00 USD than if the game had sold as a bundle package at $19.99 USD like other WiiWare titles.

[Bastian]

As for each chapter being released separately, I think that is because they want to allow you to choose which chapters you want to download. You don't have to purchase them all to get a decent understanding of the story. Really, you could just purchase the main chapter and the final chapter and it would still make sense. And be much less expensive.

The game was conceived as a chapter game because Tokita wanted people to experience the anticipation of waiting for the next chapter bit by bit like in a manga or tv series. I suppose it would make sense now that they're all release to just bundle them together, but that sort of goes against the original intent.

I think it's adorable that you believe this.

But... but... that's what Tokita said in an interview. :(

But your doubt and Roogle's explanation make a lot more (cynical) sense. :(

[Roto13]

I've actually been playing this again a little bit for the past few days. Man, those random battles are brutal. I mean, random battles are inherently bad, but they're worse when they're every two or three steps. Annoying.

[Roogle]

I have a number of customizations on my Wii that allow me to make adjustments to item drops and random encounters.

I found the game much more enjoyable when I applied certain codes to the game because some of the mechanics are designed only to take up large amounts of time. For example, the extremely low drop rate of certain items, and the large amount of random encounters offer little to the player experience, in my opinion.