Second Verse, Not Quite the Same as the First

I was somewhat disappointed with the second chapter in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.  After Ceodore’s chapter, which was a tour de force, Rydia’s chapter is a really big letdown.  It’s not that its bad, per se, it’s just that it looks bad next to the first chapter.

Rydia’s Chapter takes off roughly at the same moment that Ceodore’s chapter ends.  Basically, things get real fast and you are forced to go on a quest in the Underworld with Rydia and Luca, princess of the Dwarves.  And so begins a relatively short three hour jaunt to further the plot of the series.

This chapter is very much standard JRPG fair, but it felt more like a Dragon Quest game than a Final Fantasy game.  There are two main reasons for this.  First of all, the second dungeon is insanely hard, and can only be overcome after several long boring hours of level grinding.  Secondly, you are presented with a bevy of powerful weapons and armor that you can only afford after; you guessed it, hours and hours of grinding for gold.  I suppose they did this for a reason, because once the player finishes the third dungeon, this chapter pretty much ends.  If they didn’t force me to level grind for three hours, this chapter would have been less than an hour long.

I’m not happy about this.  Let me be very clear here: I do not like to grind for xp/gold, and neither do the majority of the gamers I’ve met.  It’s not fun.  Creating situations that force me to grind for xp and loot shows bad pacing on the part of the design team, and an unwillingness to actually create content.  After all, what’s easier, creating another dungeon, or just making the first one so hard that I have to level for two hours before I can complete it?  Square clearly knows what the answer is.

While the gameplay of this title leaves something to be desired, the story keeps delivering in spades.  There are a couple really gut-wrenchingly depressing moments in this game, and everyone’s situation just seems to be getting worse.  The story had me on the verge of tears at one particular moment.

I really want to give this game a high rating, but the overwhelmingly frustrating issues I have with the difficulty curve keep me from doing so.  Still, check it out, if only to advance the plot so you can experience the rest of the series.

	System:	WiiWare
	Genre:	RPG
	Experience:	Finished the game

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