Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

Unreleased

Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection is a PlayStation Portable remake of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years to be released in March 24, 2011 in Japan and in April 19, 2011 in North America and in April 22, 2011 in Europe. Complete Collection also features a chapter bridging the gap between the two stories called Final Fantasy IV Interlude. It includes updated 2D graphics on par with those of the PlayStation Portable versions of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II. The game also has a new opening FMV for The After Years; interestingly the opening FMV from the DS version of Final Fantasy IV isn't used despite footage of it being used in the games trailer. It is however in the games Main Menu Gallery. The Complete Collection also features data install.

Final Fantasy IV Interlude
New to Complete Collection is a scenario called Final Fantasy IV Interlude, which bridges the original game with The After Years. Interlude is based on the gameplay of the original Final Fantasy IV and not The After Years. It is longer than the average After Years tale and lasts at least 15 hours in gameplay time.

Interlude is set roughly a year after the original game, and players take control of Cecil again. The story begins at Baron after Cecil has a dream about one of the Crystal Chambers, where he sees Rydia and hears a voice which says "Finally, it has a new form." As soon as the voice is just about to reveal itself, Rosa wakes him. Cecil and Rosa set off on one of the Red Wings airships for Damcyan. Meanwhile, at the Feymarch, Rydia is about to leave and is confronted by Asura, who asks her where she is going. Rydia tells her she is headed for Damcyan for its reconstruction celebration, and Asura lets her pass. While at the celebration, a guard enters and tells Yang that some monks were brutally attacked at Mt. Hobbs. Hearing this, Yang plans to leave but Cecil and Rosa decide to go with him. Once they get to the summit of Mt. Hobbs, they find two injured monks, Rosa heals. Soon after they are attacked by the Dad Bomb. When they defeat the Dad Bomb they head to Fabul where Yang's wife Sheila is about to give birth to Ursula. Yang asks Cecil to be Ursula's god father, which he gladly accepts. When Cecil and Rosa are about to leave they find Cid, Lucca, Palom and Porom, who tell Cecil that there is a swarm of monsters coming out of the Sealed Cave. As they are about to take off Cecil tells Yang to stay with his family. Cid notices that Rosa looks pale and Cecil asks Yang to take care of her while he is away. Once they get to the sealed cave, the notice the Tower of Babel pulse with light. Edge notices this as well and goes off to enter the Tower of Babel through the underground passage way. Once Cecil and the others reach the Crystal Chamber they are attacked by the demon wall and narrowly dispatch it. In the Crystal Chamber they find Rydia there. She did not know where she was, but she says that "they" were calling her. While everyone wonders exactly who "they" are, the party decides that they should go to the Tower of Babel and investigate. While they are scaling the tower, Rydia begin sregaining her summons and acts more strangely. As they pass the cannon control roomm Rydia enters it and three guards come out to stop Cecil and the others from getting to Rydia. The three guards merge into the Deus Ex Mechina, where Edge finally arrives to lend a hand in defeating it. After the sentry is taken care of, they ho into the control room only to find that Rydia is nowhere to be found. They decide to keep going up the tower in hopes that they will find her. They then encounter someone who looks like Rydia, who attacks the party with her recovered Eidolons. At some point she summons Bahamut. The real Rydia shows up and talks sense into him. When the party realizes that the Rydia they had with them was not the real one, they defeated her and she escapes. Somewhere, possibly on the True Moon, the impostor Rydia says to an unknown entity that the "Eidolon project complete", before vanishing. Back on earth, in Cecil's bed chamber, Rosa lies in bed and Cecil asks if she is alright. At Damcyan, Cecil reveals that Rosa is pregnant. Everyone is overjoyed with the news, and they tell Cecil that he should start coming up with some names. Meanwhile, on Mt. Ordeals, Kain is still training when a voice calls out to him.

Gameplay
Players have the option of beginning with any game of their choice, including Final Fantasy IV Interlude. Final Fantasy IV will be more in-line with the original version and will not have the features or extra story sequences from the DS release.

Other features include the option of being able to switch between the original music and the DS versions during gameplay. The game contains an image gallery with videos and artwork. The gallery also includes new, never seen before images.

Special Edition
For the Japanese release, a limited edition of the game has been announced. It has an artbook and a walkthrough. Enclosed with the limited edition is a soundtrack CD called Final Fantasy IV & The After Years Sounds Plus, which includes seventeen tracks, five of which have been selected from the DS version of Final Fantasy IV by fans on the Square Enix Members website.

The European version of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection comes in a special edition package that features a fold-out box and contains a selection of art cards, a PSP screen cloth featuring Cecil and a new DLC costume for Cecil in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, which is based on the original super deformed artwork for Final Fantasy IV. The special edition will be available at pre-order and on launch.

All NTSC retail versions of the game will contain the product code for the Dissidia 012 DLC for Cecil, and will also include five bonus art cards featuring Amano's character designs.

Links

 * Official Japanese website
 * Official website