FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER celebrates its 17th anniversary in Japan on February 18, and is now also available to play on Apple Arcade! For this occasion, we’re ecstatic to present new commemorative art and a comment from the game’s executive producer, Takashi Tokita!
Illustration: Rika Okazaki (Designer)
Takashi Tokita Comment
I'm here to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the release of FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS, now available on Apple Arcade.
The DS remake of FINAL FANTASY IV was the catalyst that kicked off this project. Our hope was that players would move on to a legitimate sequel after finishing the remake. This was before smart phones and social games in Japan, when flip phones were the norm. Games you’d play casually were most common then. We started the project intending to release not just a proper sequel with graphics like the original SNES titles, but an episodic game similar to a serialized manga! Under the name FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER, myself and the other FFIV fanatics on staff worked our hardest to create this title while simultaneously developing the DS port.
Taking into account planning, software implementation, and debugging we knew that weekly releases would be a challenge, so the decision was made to release every three weeks. Even so, I think this was a revolutionary experiment in an era before DLC, especially on flip phones. This project was very ambitious, especially because of the final chapter where one can freely choose the number of party characters. But it was an exhilarating two years working like the production team of a serialized manga or anime.
Thanks to the support of fans like you, we renamed the game FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS and fulfilled our dream of a serialized worldwide release on WiiWare in 2009. Then, in 2011, FINAL FANTASY IV Complete Collection released on PSP with updated graphics and an additional story, FINAL FANTASY IV -Interlude-, which bridges the gap between FFIV and THE AFTER YEARS. Finally, the 3D version of THE AFTER YEARS was released in 2013 to match the original’s DS version, with additional ports to iOS / Android / Steam that are still available for you to play now.
FFIV released in 1991 and was the first title I worked on as a game designer. Seventeen years after that came the sequel, and another seventeen years have passed since. Even now when I look up at the sky and see the moon, it always reminds me of the story of Cecil and his comrades. My life as a creator is deeply intertwined with theirs. Without FFIV, I’m sure LIVE A LIVE wouldn’t have been released either. To those who have played FFIV and its sequels (or after you’ve cleared the game for those who haven’t yet), I would be overjoyed if you took the time to send your thoughts flying to the moon every now and again.
This sequel to FINAL FANTASY IV follows the story of the protagonist Cecil’s son Ceodore, with eight free additional chapters featuring familiar characters from the original game. We’ve collected introductions for each of the chapters below, but don’t miss the special ending that awaits those who complete all of them...!
Ceodore’s Tale
-The Last of the Red Wings-
Ceodore, the crown price of Baron, defies his mother’s wishes and joins the illustrious Red Wings to prove his prowess as a knight. But when the Red Wings are destroyed by an enemy ambush, Ceodore alone must set out to save all he loves with the aid of a hooded stranger...
Rydia’s Tale
-The Eidolons Shackled-
Rydia, returning to her second homeland in the Feymarch, finds its queen cold and unwelcoming. Suddenly, the Eidolon King and all his subjects freeze, as if turned to stone. Together with Luca, daughter of the dwarven king, Rydia heads to the dwarven castle to investigate.
Yang’s Tale
-The Master of Fabul-
Yang serves as king of Fabul, but even now he trains on a daily basis with his loyal monks. One day his daughter, Princess Ursula, slips away from the castle. Traveling to Mount Hobs to retrieve her, Yang is shocked to find the Red Wings in the sky, ready to invade his country...
Palom’s Tale
-The Mage’s Voyage-
Palom, the black mage, has sworn to follow in the late Tellah’s footsteps and become a sage. His elder sends him to Troia to train Leonora, an apprentice Epopt, in black magic. What does a peaceful kingdom need such powerful magic for? The upheavals rocking the entire world are about to land on Troia’s doorstep...
Edge’s Tale
-The Pulse of Babil-
Edge, honoring his parents’ dying wish, is now king of Eblan. His kingdom is prosperous once more, but the Tower of Babil’s ominous glow has returned. To investigate this dire omen, Edge sends four of this most faithful ninja on covert missions spanning the entire globe...
Porom’s Tale
-The Vanished Lunar Whale-
As the Lunar Whale sets off from the dragon’s mouth towards the new moon, monsters suddenly pour out of the Devil’s Road. Realizing the danger, the elder of Mysidia orders Porom to visit Mount Ordeals and find the reclusive dragon who once served Baron with pride...
Edward’s Tale
-Star Crossed Damcyan-
Aided by his neighbors, Edward has nursed the kingdom of Damcyan back to health. One night, he witnesses a meteor strike from within his castle’s windows. After a Baron emissary orders Edward not to touch the crash site, the king travels to Cecil’s domain with his secretary, Harley, in search of an explanation...
Kain’s Tale
-Return of the Dragoon-
Kain returns at last from Mount Ordeals only to besiege Baron Castle, bearing Mysidia’s Water Crystal in hand and accompanied by a mysterious girl. What can his dark mutterings about killing Cecil really mean? And what has happened to Cecil, Rosa, and Ceodore!? When they all meet again in Baron, the fate of their small blue planet will begin to change forever...
The Lunarians’ Tale
-The Blue Planet That Was-
After the great battle, the Lunarians embarked on an endless journey, slumbering until the time was right―but one of them has awoken from a fearsome nightmare, only to find the moon’s Crystals brimming with a foreboding red light in their palace...
Enjoy FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS on Apple Arcade, App Store, and Google Play now, alongside other SQUARE ENIX titles including FINAL FANTASY PIXEL REMASTER, FINAL FANTASY VI (3D Remake), and Trials of Mana!
Details here: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/ff-iv-the-after-years/id6504608150
Apple Arcade is Apple’s popular game subscription service that offers unlimited access to an evolving collection of more than 200 incredibly fun games — featuring new releases, award winners, and beloved favorites from the App Store.
The service offers breakthrough, unique benefits players love: no ads, no in-app purchases, support for Apple’s high user privacy standards, and one all-inclusive subscription offer with access for up to six family members. Apple Arcade continues to expand with the monthly release of fun new games and weekly updates to many of the existing hits on the service. The catalog is packed with unforgettable adventures, fast-paced action games and runners, fierce multiplayer competitions, relaxing and creative puzzlers, compelling sports and racing games, beloved App Store classics, and so much more.
