Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, an episodic sequel to Final Fantasy IV, is coming to WiiWare in nine separate episodes.
Revealed by the ESRB a little over a month ago, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, an episodic sequel to Final Fantasy IV originally released on mobile phones in Japan, has been officially revealed by Square-Enix. The series will be released in nine separate episodes on Nintendo’s WiiWare service.
Taking place “many years” since the end of Final Fantasy IV, the series begins with FFIV protagonists Cecil and Rosa living peacefully with their son, Prince Ceodore, when the “Lunarian Moon” appears in the sky and the world is thrown into turmoil as monsters appear. Saving of the day commences, with FFIV characters showing up left and right along the way.
Gameplay will be traditional 2D Final Fantasy RPG style, with a couple twists. There’s something called the “Band System,” which is a combination attack that lets two or more characters do one powerful attack in exchange for MP from all the characters involved. “They can be learned by searching for them during battle,” says Square, so I’m guessing some mix-and-match trial-and-error’s involved here.
Also new in battles is the element of the moon, as each moon phase “alters the physical and magical attack powers for both player characters and enemies, forcing the player to change battle strategies.”
And, most interestingly, the product information for the game lists that it supports up from 1-4 players. Multiplayer battles, maybe?
No word on release dates or how many episodes will be out at once, but the After Years official site lists three entries under the “Tales” section, with each entry seemingly providing a synopsis of an episode, so I’m wagering we’ll see the series launch with the first third of its story available.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was originally rumored for Xbox Live Arcade, but according to Square, it’ll be available “only” on WiiWare.
