Final Fantasy IV - Re-releases

Re-releases

In addition to its original release, Final Fantasy IV has been remade into many different versions. The first of these was Final Fantasy IV Easytype, a modified version of the game was released for the Super Famicom in Japan. The Easytype was modified to be even easier than its North American counterpart. In this version, the attack powers of weapons have been enhanced, while the protective abilities of certain accessories and armor are amplified.

A PlayStation re-release debuted in Japan on March 21, 1997. Ported by Tose and published by Square Co., it was designed and directed by Kazuhiko Aoki, supervised by Fumiaki Fukaya, and produced by Akihiro Imai. This version is identical to the original game, although minor tweaks introduced in the Easytype are present. The most notable changes in the PlayStation release are the inclusion of full motion video opening & ending sequences, the ability to move quickly in dungeons and towns by holding the Cancel button, and the option of performing a "memo" save anywhere on the world map. On March 11, 1999, this version was released a second time in Japan as part of the Final Fantasy Collection package, which also included the PlayStation versions of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI. Fifty-thousand limited edition copies of the collection were also released and included a Final Fantasy-themed alarm clock. On December 18, 2012 the port will be re-released as part of the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box Japanese package.

This version was later released with Chrono Trigger in North America as part of Final Fantasy Chronicles in 2001 and with Final Fantasy V in Europe and Australia as part of Final Fantasy Anthology in 2002. The English localizations feature a new translation, although certain lines from the previous localization by Kaoru Moriyama - such as "You spoony bard!" - were kept, as they had become fan favorites. A remake for the WonderSwan Color, with few changes from the PlayStation version, was released in Japan on March 28, 2002. Character sprites and backgrounds were graphically enhanced through heightened details and color shading.

Final Fantasy IV was ported again by Tose for the Game Boy Advance and published as Final Fantasy IV Advance (ファイナルファンタジーIVアドバンス, Fainaru Fantajī Fō Adobansu?). It was released in North America by Nintendo of America on December 12, 2005; in Japan by Square Enix on December 15, 2005; in Australia on February 23, 2006; and in Europe on June 2, 2006. In Japan, a special version was available which included a limited edition Game Boy Micro with a themed face plate featuring artwork of Cecil and Kain. The enhanced graphics from the WonderSwan Color port were even further improved, and minor changes were made to the music. The localization team revised the English translation, improving the flow of the story, and restoring plot details absent from the original. The abilities that were removed from the original North American release were re-added, while spells were renamed to follow the naming conventions of the Japanese version, changing "Bolt2" to "Thundara" for example. A new cave at Mt. Ordeals was added featuring powerful armor and stronger weapons for five additional characters, as was the Lunar Ruins, a dungeon accessible only at the end of the game.

The game was remade again for the Nintendo DS for the Final Fantasy series' 20th anniversary, and was released as Final Fantasy IV in Japan on December 20, 2007, in North America on July 22, 2008, and in Europe on September 5, 2008. The remake adds a number of features not present in the original, such as voice acting, minigames, and some changes to the basic gameplay. The game was developed by Matrix Software, the same team responsible for the Final Fantasy III DS remake, and was supervised by members of the original development team: Takashi Tokita served as executive producer and director, Tomoya Asano as producer and Hiroyuki Ito as battle designer. Animator Yoshinori Kanada storyboarded the new cut scenes.

The original version of the game was released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on August 4, 2009, in North America on March 8, 2010 and in the PAL region on June 11, 2010. An enhanced port for iMode compatible phones was released in Japan on October 5, 2009. It retains features introduced in the Wonderswan Color and Game Boy Advance ports, while incorporating enhanced character graphics on par with those found in The After Years, as well as an exclusive "extra dungeon" available after completing the game.

The game, along with Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, was released for the PlayStation Portable as part of the compilation Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection. The game features updated 2D graphics, as opposed to the 3D graphics in the DS remake. The collection also includes a new episode called Final Fantasy IV Interlude that takes place between the first and second games. Masashi Hamauzu arranged the main theme for the game. It was released in Japan on March 24, 2011, in North America on April 19, 2011, in Europe on April 21, 2011, and in Australia on April 28, 2011.