GTV 118 “Final Fantasy IV Thirtieth Anniversary” A look back at how the first 16-bit Square RPG was one of the greatest games of all time. (Chapter markers and more below…)
0:00 Pre-emption / GTV ID: Rally-Ho!
0:20 Introduction: A New Era for Square
1:12 Act 1: The Road to July 19, 1991
7:44 CM 1: Final Fantasy IV Is Coming! (SFC, Japan, 1991)
8:12 Act 2: The World of Final Fantasy IV
21:45 CM 2: Final Fantasy IV is Here! (SFC, Japan, 1991)
22:12 Act 3: The Release of Final Fantasy IV and Easy Type
28:25 CM 3: Final Fantasy II (SNES, U.S., 1991)
29:07 Act 4: Final Fantasy II In America
40:49 CM4: Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA, Japan, 2005), FInal Fantasy IV (DS, Japan, 2007)
41:45 Act 5: Final Fantasy IV: Re-issues, in 3D and The After Years
47:42 CM 5: FF IV: Complete Collection (PSP, Japan, 2011))
48:08 Act 6: Chocobo’s (Easter) Eggs and Spoony Bard
57:30 CM 6: Final Fantasy IV Reprise (SFC, Japan, 1991)
57:48 Act 7: Conclusion: A Legacy That Will Last Forever
All the GTV episodes about Role-Playing Games!!
19 Dragon Quest Museum https://youtu.be/o4bq48lkpvo
23 Kid Icarus 30 https://youtu.be/ZGf6wIu9kEM
38 The Manga of Zelda https://youtu.be/BeBFN9hdk-8
48 Phantasy Star 30th Anniversary https://youtu.be/FZcij7XPdzI
52 Final Fantasy Museum: Memories Of You https://youtu.be/sXF4srnPJqA
73 Final Fantasy XIV Fried Chicken https://youtu.be/Wn9QDKeklZM
Phantasy Star 2 CM https://youtu.be/q431-u3RvOw
75 Phantasy Star II 30th Anniversary https://youtu.be/4F3LnKYEv-8
77.1 The Manga of Link Part One https://youtu.be/GFJ_I5OBh1Y
78 Cosmic Fantasy 3 Secret Code! https://youtu.be/mV4jswNWn54
87 3D Dot Game Heroes https://youtu.be/wJXFge8SRiw
Phantasy Star 3 CM https://youtu.be/QSN3iH2wDvg
94 Phantasy Star III 30th Anniversary https://youtu.be/wrQbXEXlabo
97 The Legendary Mother https://youtu.be/7mpAdSpXb0E
107 StarTropics: The American Game https://youtu.be/65F7xNqiZVA
110 Where Is Chris Houlihan? https://youtu.be/Erytb_0MiQA
Partial transcript
On July 19th, 1991, Square Co. Ltd. entered the 16-bit era with the fourth installment of its flagship series: Final Fantasy!
The story, the characters, the visuals, the music, and the gameplay all represented an evolutionary leap over the first three entries, while setting the course for future installments afterward. In this “very special episode” we celebrate 30 years of this landmark game, a Role-Playing Milestone, a timeless favorite and one of the best games of the 1990s! Final Fantasy IV!
By the end of 1990, the Role Playing Game genre, had reached mainstream status in Japan. In the 5 years following the first Dragon Quest, a plethora of RPG developers, and series had arisen in the wake of the popularity of that original game. In 1990 alone over 25 Role Playing Games were released in Japan. These added to the already large number titles that existed before then. It didn’t matter which machine you had, there were decent RPGs offerings for each.
In 1990 Square became the #2 RPG maker behind Enix. Final Fantasy III becoming the second best-selling RPG that year, selling over 1 million units!
In the Western world, a few Role Playing Games were available while the initial boom occurred in Japan. The genre had a niche status, though fans were very passionate about the games that were available at the time. For many lovers of the RPG, no other kind of game would do. Square and Fantasy Fantasy were known in the United States, thanks to Nintendo, who localized and published the original Final Fantasy in 1990, and promoted the game heavily throughout the year.
Things moved fast back in those days. For Square and the Final Fantasy series, once the current game was out the door, work began on the next one right away! With the first three games coming in 1987, 1988 and 1990 respectively, the huge successes behind each built larger and larger expectations for following installment. It’s not incorrect to say that, before any official word came from on high, Final Fantasy IV was a hotly anticipated game, expected to arrive sometime in 1991!
In the greater scheme of things, the gaming industry had massively expanded since the days of that first Final Fantasy. The 16-bit era was now in full swing, with The Super Famicom available in Japan, alongside the Mega Drive and PC Engine. The portable Game Boy was also extremely popular, with Square supporting it with the Final Fantasy Adventure series, known in Japan as SaGa.
All artwork done by the great Yoshitaka Amano!
Gameplay footage provided by The FF TV Channel. Some of the tricks and glitches were by iPlay retro and Obdjar. The rest that filled in the gaps was by me!
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