With the HD consoles getting the main series in the Final Fantasy franchise and the with the Wii having its own Crystal Chronicles series to tuck into, DS owners might be getting a bit tired of getting old ports and updated versions of past Final Fantasy games. Well, now you can stop cursing at the skies because Square Enix has announced an entirely new game in the franchise, developed exclusively for the DS.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a traditional RPG with a classic story of four young heroes on an adventure that wouldn't be an adventure if it didn't include witches, kings, princesses, and dragons. The approachable battle system should be enough to engage new fans as well as keeping old ones. The familiar turn-based battles make a return as players will choose which commands to perform with the help of the DS's touchscreen.
Up to four players can band together and embark on an adventure that sees them conquering various dungeons as a team. There are over 20 classes to choose from; including the traditional White Mage, Black Mage, and Ranger, and thanks to the new job change "Crown System", players will be able to switch the characters' class simply by changing the hat that they are wearing.
Straight from the press release, here's a rundown of the narrative and some of the features you can find in the game:
Story:
In the small kingdom of Horne, Brandt awakes on the morning of his fourteenth birthday.
Today is the day he becomes an adult, and the custom of the realm says that he must go to the castle to present himself to the king.
Yet when he arrives at the castle he finds the kind distraught and the youngest princess missing, abducted by the Witch of the North. With no one else to turn to, the king makes a shocking request: will Brandt save the princess?
And thus Brandt’s adventure begins…
Eventually he is joined by three other brave young souls. Together they will experience a journey full of joyous meetings and sad partings.
Though at first they don’t always see eye-to-eye, these four Heroes of Light will build bonds of trust and affection so strong that, in the end, they may even save the world.
This is the tale of their legendary fantasy.
Features:
- A Brand-New FINAL FANTASY For Nintendo DS
Experience an original story set in an all-new world created by the team behind the Nintendo DS versions of FINAL FANTASY III and FINAL FANTASY IV.- Beautiful Picture-Book Visuals
Akihiko Yoshida (FINAL FANTASY III DS, FINAL FANTASY XII) provides world-class art direction, lending the game’s cast and environments a charming picture-book style.- User-Friendly Controls
A simple Touchscreen interface offers easy access to the game’s extensive arsenal of physical, magical and summoning abilities, meaning that players can forget about the controls and focus on the enemy.- Near Limitless Customisation
Thanks to the game’s Crown System, characters can now switch their class at the drop of a hat or, more accurately, the change of a hat. Simply by changing the crown a character is wearing, players can assign them different abilities, and with over 20 crowns to discover (including Black Mage, White Mage and Ranger crowns), the strategic options are practically limitless.- Share the Fun with Friends!
Using DS Wireless Play, up to four friends can team up to tackle challenging dungeons. Apart from being a lot of fun, multiplayer mode allows players to collect Battle Points which can be exchanged for rare items, and these can then be used in single-player mode.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is currently scheduled for release this Autumn and for more information, be sure to check out the official game website.
Comments 38
Even moar final fantasy!
Yet, so cute and cuddly this time... it is beautiful.
I'm not digging the cutesy look, and I'm not a fan of turn-based games. Thus, I most likely won't purchase this.
I'm looking very much forward to this one. Love the design and old-school charm I've seen from it so far. :3
Awesome, soundtrack is immense.
This looks very good. I wish I knew how multiplayer worked, not that it matters since it's offline only.
I'm glad this is finally being released outside of Japan. I've had my eye on it for a while.
Glad to see it's finally coming out in the West. It's been out in Japan for a while now. I absolutely can't wait for it! It'll probably be the only FF game I get for the DS.
Autumn? It was released in Japan last year. Slooow.
And where are FFs V and VI? Are they waiting for the 3DS or something?
And it looks like no active time nonsense. Hurrah, hurrah.
Final Fantasy? Job system? Turn based combat? Sign me up. This has all the kinds of things I liked about FFIII, which was a fantastic game.
Four player co-op?
Drools
The site says the NA release date is October 5th! Sound like a good date since I hope most of the other games I want like Zelda Wii and Golden Sun DS won't come out until November/December.
if i can talk my girlfriend into getting this (wont take alot, she likes rpgs) |I'll get it myself, i can see us enjoying the coop
looks interesting. i'd be down for a fully original turn-based FF game for the DS, heck yeah :3
I like the design, actually. Nice to take a break from the emo-looking characters we've had since Final Fantasy VIII.
Totally awesome! I love traditional FF games, so I'm all there. Also, is that Bahamut in one of those shots? Sure looks like him.
@MasterGraveheart: You don't like the DARK AND EDGY WITH ZIPPERS AND BUCKLES style?
me neither
I'm tired of the job system. It makes the characters WAY to generic. Plus the movesets are all one big hassle.
Man, me and my friend are gonna love this. Co-op RPGs FTW.
I am having flashbacks of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest in NA...Horrible...HORRIBLE! Does anyone remember it?
This has been on my radar ever since I heard about it last year. Looking very good, and it's nice to see some English screenshots.
@masterofgravy: I fail to see how a kid with a monkey tail is emo(FFIX).
oh yay the return of chibi characters just so awesome, and simpler controls this is a jrpg sense when have they not been simple
Anyone else getting the impression this game will use the old "4 crystals" plotline? Usually the Light Warriors figure into those stories.
@old School
hahaha.. me and my friend still do that outstretched WTF?! thing the character does towards the screen all the time. you know what i'm talking about
When i had first heard rumblings of this game, it sounded very much like a new take on the first Final Fantasy, storywise. I'm definitely down with a new classic FF-style game, so i'll be keeping my eye on this one.
I'm down for more old school RPG's. It may have a generic plot, a dated combat system and random battles that are not so great for others, but that's what makes it good for me since I'm a fan of the genre. I'll get this when my budget is enough.
Now I am getting my DS, Sign me in!!! XD
Well, at least it's not a remake. I'll give it that. Still too much Final Fantasy and not enough Chrono or Mana.
I`ve played them all with the exception of the latest ps3 outing. Yes including mystic quest (which i didnt think was that bad). This is a must for me! Need more final fantasy now!!
Don't like the Chibi characters look, but meh... if the story gets back to basics, has a story that can pull me in, has gameplay that is back to basics, then I will look forward to this "inspired by elements from FF 1-6" FF game VERY much. I'll need to see a review though...
So excited, but a remake of 6 would have been awesome also ( FF3 US)
I wonder if just the name or the game will have more parallels to the original title. The original game had the 'four light warriors' or derived of that over various translations. Now we got the 4 heroes of light here, and it's 3D but a traditional RPG. Looks fun though, but I have to admit I miss the days people had set classes and you leveled up exp to get new skills/spells as it gets tedious ranking up a ton of jobs when I just want to play the story.
I think I'd rather replay FF I or finish FF VI on GBA... But thats not to say it sounds bad. I just don't like the art style...
@33: I prefer this art style to the grade schooler scribbles and effeminate men of Amano.
I'm getting this on pre-order if it ships with a bonus, otherwise, I'm waiting. I've got a lot of other RPGs to play plus SE games always go on sale specially the FF ones. Dragon Quest on the other hand . . .
This actually looks good, so I might buy this.
Awesome but Dragon Quest IX comes first.
@zezhyrule: First, I don't actually like gravy that much. Second, point taken.
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