Final Fantasy IV [Model SHVC-F4]

35 Years old Nintendo Super Famicom cart. Square Co., Ltd. [Japan]

Final Fantasy IV © 1991 Square Company, Limited.

Final Fantasy IV is a seminal role-playing game and the first entry in the series to debut on 16-bit hardware. It marked a significant evolution for the franchise, emphasizing a more cinematic, plot-driven narrative and introducing the "Active Time Battle" system, which would become a staple of the series for years to come. The story follows Cecil Harvey, a Dark Knight of the Kingdom of Baron, as he begins to question his King's tyrannical actions and embarks on a quest to stop a global conspiracy.

TECHNICAL

GAME ID: SHVC-F4

TRIVIA

Final Fantasy IV was released on July 19, 1991 (Friday) in Japan.

Development History: Square initially planned to develop a Final Fantasy IV for the 8-bit Famicom alongside a separate 16-bit installment (which would have been Final Fantasy V). However, due to resource constraints and the successful transition to the Super Famicom, the Famicom project was cancelled, and the 16-bit project was officially designated as Final Fantasy IV.

Version 1.0 vs. Revision A: The initial launch on July 19, 1991, contained an AI glitch involving enemies in the Underworld. Square quickly pulled the initial stock and released "Version 1.1" (often referred to as "Revision A") shortly thereafter to patch the issue, making it the first official revision of the title.

Easy Type: In October 1991, Square released Final Fantasy IV: Easy Type in Japan. This version was designed for a younger audience, featuring rebalanced weapon and armor stats, simplified combat, and modifications that served as the basis for the North American release (which was marketed as Final Fantasy II).

SERIES

📜

1. Final Fantasy [Model SQF-FF] (1987, FC)
2. Final Fantasy II [Model SQF-FY] (1988, FC)
3. Final Fantasy III [Model SQF-FC] (1990, FC)
4. Final Fantasy IV [Model SHVC-F4] (1991, SFC)
5. Final Fantasy V [Model SHVC-F5] (1992, SFC)
6. Final Fantasy VI [Model SHVC-F6] (1994, SFC)
7. Final Fantasy VII [Model SLPS-00700~2] (1997, PSX)
8. Final Fantasy VIII [Model SLPS-01880~3] (1999, PSX)
9. Final Fantasy IX [Model SLPS-02000~3] (2000, PSX)
10. Final Fantasy X [Model SLPS-25050] (2001, PS2)
11. Final Fantasy XI Online [Model SLPS-25200/20200] (2002, PS2)
12. Final Fantasy XII [Model SLPM-66320] (2006, PS2)
13. Final Fantasy XIII [Model BLJM-67005] (2009, PS3)
14. Final Fantasy XIII-2 [Model BLJM-60382] (2011, PS3)
15. Lightning Returns - Final Fantasy XIII [Model BLJM-60558] (2013, PS3)
16. Final Fantasy XV [Model PLJM-84059] (2016, PS4)

STAFF

👥

Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi (H. Sakaguchi)
Character Design: Yoshitaka Amano (Y. Amano)
Music Composer: Nobuo Uematsu (N. Uematsu)
Main Design: Takashi Tokita (T. Tokita)
Main Program: Ken Narita (K. Narita)
Main Graphic: Hiromi Nakada (H. Nakada), Ryoko Tanaka (R. Tanaka)
Map Design: Yasushi Matsumura (Y. Matsumura)
Battle Design: Kazuhiko Aoki (K. Aoki), Hiroyuki Itou (H. Ito), Akihiko Matsui (A. Matsui)
Battle Program: Kiyoshi Yoshii (K. Yoshii), Katsuhisa Higuchi (K. Higuchi)
Battle Graphic: Tetsuya Takahashi (T. Takahashi), Masanori Hoshino (M. Hoshino)
Menu Program: Keitarou Adachi (K. Adachi)
Music Program: Minoru Akao (M. Akao)
Sound Effect: Kenji Ito (K. Ito), Akira Ueda (A. Ueda)
Translation: Kaoru Moriyama (K. Moriyama), K. Okahisa (K. Okahisa), H. Takahashi (H. Takahashi)
Executive Producer: Masafumi Miyamoto (M. Miyamoto)
Special Thanks to: Akira Saito (A. Saito), D. R. Cloutier (D. R. Cloutier), Rich Silveira (R. D. Silveira), Junichi Yanagihara (J. Yanagihara), D. R. Garza (D. R. Garza), Chris Budd (C. B. Budd), V. A. Mayhew (V. A. Mayhew), K. M. Fredrickson (K. M. Fredrickson), K. E. Kirchner (K. E. Kirchner), Nathan Williams (N. Williams), Kyoji Koizumi (K. Koizumi), Ikuya Dobashi (I. Dobashi), S. Tanaka (S. Tanaka), Tetsuya Nomura (T. Nomura), Yasuhiko Kamata (Y. Kamata), Hiromichi Tanaka (H. Tanaka), Akitoshi Kawazu (A. Kawazu), Koichi Ishii (K. Ishii), Kazuko Shibuya (K. Shibuya), Takeshi Endo (T. Endo), T. Takahashi (T. Takahashi), Shinichi Kameoka (S. Kameoka), Hitoshi Takemura (H. Takemura), Hisashi Suzuki (H. Suzuki), H. Kobayashi (H. Kobayashi), Tetsuo Mizuno (T. Mizuno), Tomoyuki Takechi (T. Takechi), Tomoki Anazawa (T. Anazawa), Keizo Kokubo (K. Kokubo), Toshiyuki Inoue (T. Inoue), Nobuyuki Inoue (N. Inoue), Hiromi Ito (H. Ito), Yoshinori Kitase (Y. Kitase), Goro Ohashi (G. Ohashi), Satoru Yoshieda (S. Yoshieda), Masaaki Saito (M. Saito), Hiroshi Takai (H. Takai), Manabu Daishima (M. Daishima), T. Suzuki (T. Suzuki), S. Sano (S. Sano), N. Goto (N. Goto)

SOURCES

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ROM dump (MAME).