The Animation of Final Fantasy IV

What improvements did the Super Nintendo bring to Final Fantasy's animation? Welcome to Part Four of this retrospective journey through the animation of the Final Fantasy series.

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Written and produced by Daniel Floyd

Special thanks to:
-Carrie Floyd
-Alexander Losego

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♪ Featuring selections from the Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker official soundtracks.

#FinalFantasy #animation #FF4

[MS-fevo]

I'm a native spanish speaker and I learned english thanks to this game. The movements and expressions were enough to make me understand the tone of the story and keep me engaged despite not being able to read everything effectively. I started using my english notebook from school as a guide for the game. I got the most rewarding feeling when I found myself reading and understanding everything

[timothymclean]

Still can't get over "Learning that this game's creative direction was in the hands of Mr. Story and the theater kid kinda tells you all you need to know". It's a good summary of what makes FF4 different from its predecessors _and why it wound up that way._

[corn]

I think a cool thing about the combat characterization in FF4 is that a lot of this feels relatively unspoken. An example I like is Cecil, who I read as very very reckless due to not only some of his story actions but also how in both of his jobs, his main skills lead to him losing HP, Darkness literally costs HP, and your goal with Cover is to take damage. The key difference between these two feels like it also coincides with Cecil's growth, as his recklessness goes from outwardly destructive, to defensive. This clearly shows us a character who wants to protect those around him at any cost with nothing but gameplay and that's cool as hell.

[kiapet]

I feel like a lot of times when we talk about advances in animation in games, the conversation starts and ends with advances in the hardware. So it's really cool to see you talk about these early games, not just in terms of how many pixels or panels they could use, but also the new and clever ways they found to use them and how they developed the craft of using animation as a vehicle to communicate plot and character.

[DQSpider]

The crossfade between the live "Welcome To Our Town" and the game version was perfect

[punkitt]

As a low-res RPG developer, I wanted to say a big thank you for this series! These are such fascinating looks at the mountains of personality packed into simple actions like spinning a character or giving them a slightly different pose. Doing more with less is the name of the game in these early games, and I adore how much care and respect you've packed into these deep dives. Thank you! :>

[TBSkyen]

God but these videos are just the absolute best! I love this analysis so much!

[KaoruMzk]

I don’t remember where I read it, but supposedly, FF4 started as a NES title. Development didn’t move to the SNES until pretty late.
Makes me wonder how much improvement would there have been if it started a a SNES title since day 1.

[ScentedPineForest]

I love just how many characters do the spin-jump excitement thing. It adds so much energy!

[LynRodriguez]

i was literally just thinking yesterday "man, it's been months since the last video hasn't it? i wonder when he'll do the next one" and here we are!

[LamanKnight]

This has to be my favourite episode of New Frame Plus to date. (Well, maybe it ties with the one about Sonic the Hedgehog animation.) The only version of Final Fantasy IV I ever played was a 3D remake, so I never got to see these simple, efficient, expressive little animations that were so impressive. It makes me smile to see the characters like this.

On a personal note, I've known some friends, and some friends of friends, who have thought about doing a game jam, or even forming an indie studio. Things keep getting in the way, nothing ever materializes, so I've been trying to teach myself as many game-making skills as possible. I have almost no talent in animation, but seeing how much they could do in this game with so little is encouraging. I may be able to figure out game animation after all. Whew.

[brockmckelvey]

Thinking back on it, the FMV cutscenes they added to the PSP release of the game were really only for characterization, and I really appreciate that

[ClairvoyantTruth]

This would break up the series rhythm, but doing one on Chrono Trigger after FF5 and FF6. Square employees wanting to be unfettered by the standard FF design and right at the end of life cycle for the SNES where they have mastered getting the most out of the system. Aside from that the FF6 one is going to be an intense video to compile, looking forward to it.

[CBGx]

1:30 seconds in and I am in tears for a simple soundtrack loop and animation. That is how much this game meant to me.

[ColeFam]

I never considered how absolutely perfect the wedding is presented. Great episode!

[everest]

I’ve been waiting for this! This is my favourite series of yours honestly, watching the evolution of the animation over the years!!

[Nyadlabaoth]

every time someone brings up the snes, i am reminded just how fantastic that console was... Live-A-Live, SMW, Super Metroid, FFVI, Yoshi, Earthbound. What a fantastic lineup

[laurensstreams]

I have heard about Mode 7 before but never really know what it was! I learned something to day! Thank you!

[Isteak]

I don't know why but whenever I am asked which is my favorite Final Fantasy game, I always answer 4. I have so many memories of this game in its various incarnations.

[johnmarshall]

Dan, there is nobody on the whole gosh darn internet that makes a better funny transition than you. Your humor is a true gift.