Monday, July 20, 2020

TEXT PLAY QUICKIE: Final Fantasy 4: Chronicles Version (2001; PS1): Issue #006: First Tower Of Many


I'm pretty sure this time through the Tower of Zot is the first, anyway.

As I'm sure I've mentioned at least once in each one of the Text Plays I've done of this game, I've been through this game often enough that I could at least tell the story from memory and get it pretty close to right, but it also means I sometimes forget which parts come when. This'll be important in a minute, but first, I'd better mention the grinding I did in between issues here.

I did get a few levels for Cecil, most importantly, because he's the only party member I've got right now who'll really need them when I get to the part I wound up quitting at last time I tried this version of the game. Everybody's at a somewhat higher level than I usually have them at, though. I did kind of a world tour of all the places I'd already been in hopes of finding something interesting along the way. I also spent a little more time in Cave Magnes in hopes of getting the Mage summon, since the one for the Imp had come so easily early in the game, but no such luck, and nothing else truly interesting, either.

Story-wise, the cutscene were the party thanks Edward for his help is pretty much the same. The scene where the Clerics let the party take the Earth Crystal is also pretty similar, though it is made a little clearer that they know that they're probably not going to get the crystal back any time soon because of the disembodied-voice message from Kain and Golbez. When the party goes aboard the airship, Kain comes along and takes them to the Tower of Zot, where Golbez is waiting with Rosa. Kain says the party has to go on up to rescue Rosa, and then Golbez chimes in and makes it clear that if the party doesn't make haste here, he'll kill her. All the items, mostly weapons and armor, are in the same places, guarded by the same monsters as before.

The fight with the Magus Sisters Cindy, Sandy and Mandy is pretty much the same as in the original US release. The dialog's a little different, but not terribly much so. Since we're given a chance to save after the battle, I took it and quit for the night in hopes of getting to bed at a slightly more reasonable time than I had been, with the plan to come back for Golbez and Valvalis in the next session.

One thing I can say is kind of an improvement in this translation is that there are quite a lot of things that are made more clear than they were in the SNES version. I'm sure I've mentioned that a time or two by now. The scripted battle between Golbez and Tellah is another example of this. Tellah's reactions show more of the emotions he's feeling, and Golbez's responses to the attacks make it clear how little he thinks of Tellah's magic before he uses Meteo. I also like that they changed the line beforehand to “I must cast Meteo!” from “I'm spending my life to cast Meteo!”, if memory serves.

The fight with Valvalis after is a good deal harder than it was in the SNES version, which is a good thing from a challenge perspective, but it's a good thing that I went in with a healthy supply of life potions as well, because I managed to lose a few of my party members and that was the most practical way of bringing them back. I probably should have had some soft potions or gold needles or whatever the relevant item is called here because Valvalis used her glare attack frequently and it even managed to turn Kain completely to stone.

As far as the cutscene after that fight goes, I think I figured out one of the issues I've got with this version. Whoever did this translation tried to change the personalities of the characters along with how they talk. In some ways, that's an OK thing, as in what I was saying with that bit between Golbez and Tellah. In other ways, it's not such a good thing, and Cid's an example of that. I think I may have mentioned how he's supposed to sound like he's from Texas or the Southeastern US. That probably would have worked out better if this was voice acted. I think there might have been a few versions where that was a thing, since this was abut the same time that Final Fantasy 10 was coming out, too. Another part of that is their use of “adult language” and cuss words, that sort of thing. There's less of the old censorship here, but it seems a little silly where it is. The cutscene after the fight with Valvalis is a good example. Even though I didn't really miss Cid's “Getting cozy” line, I'm having a little trouble getting past their use of the word “bleeping” when they mean “fuck”. I don't think I'd have such a problem with it if there hadn't been instances of other swear words along the way. I recall a few people using the word “damn” along the way, and I seem to remember one of the Red Wing crew saying “shit” at the beginning of the game. Maybe it's just me, but I don't get why some of the coarse language got through and some didn't.

Anyway, when the party warps back to Cecil's room in Baron, the conversation about needing to find the Dark Crystals is also much clearer than the version I'm a little more familiar with. I know where to go, of course, because I've played this game so many times, but I think I'll go exploring anyway because I need to get a little grinding done. I'm going to want to get a few extra levels for Kain and Rosa because I'm pretty sure they're in the party later, when I had a little trouble and gave up. I could be wrong, though, because I know there's a point where Kain leaves the party again for awhile and I can never remember for sure if he's back before we fight Bahamut on the moon. I know Rosa's going to be there, at the very least. But I'll get to some of that next time.

Until then, stay safe, have fun, keep gaming, and DFTBA. See you soon, folks!

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