In the mid Noughties Japanese developer Tose undertook the task of converting and updating the early Final Fantasy games to the Nintendo Game Boy Advance for Square Enix (as they were known then).
I’ve already written about the first two – released in 2004 as Dawn of Souls – and I believe they didn’t bother with the third – going straight on to Final Fantasy IV (four), then releasing five and six in quick succession. Making four releases and five games in total. All four releases use the same game engine and graphical interface and could be considered “a set”.
This fourth Final Fantasy remake came out in 2005 and follows on from Dawn of Souls beautifully. To play it feels like a more refined and detailed Final Fantasy Legend, with cute characters and colourful, beautifully-drawn backdrops. If you compare it next to the Super Nintendo original it certainly looks better – the Game Boy Advance‘s extended colour palette gives the game much more vibrancy and depth.
The story is nothing to write home about, but if you want hardcore, old school, turn-based level-grinding – Final Fantasy IV Advance is one of the best handheld RPGs around. In fact: all four of those Tose Final Fantasy remakes are worth a play if you can find them.
Final Fantasy Advance remakes on The King of Grabs:
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls, Final Fantasy IV Advance, Final Fantasy V Advance, Final Fantasy VI Advance
More: Final Fantasy IV Advance on Wikipedia
The King of Grabs 
“And then they went to the moon.”
No, but seriously, the GBA remakes were lovely. For context for anyone who isn’t familiar, they followed the PS1 re-releases which were pretty terrible to be honest. Some had cut scenes shoved in to pretty them up, but the loading times were notoriously terrible even compared to the originals. The GBA re-releases nailed everything they needed to.
You’re right that Final Fantasy III didn’t reach the GBA, although it did eventually turn up as a remake on the DS (to, possibly unfair, mixed reception).
I think the FF releases on GBA are my favourite examples of re-releases. Enough spit and polish to keep them accessible and worth the entry cost again, but not too far to detach them from their original essence.
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I quite like the idea of going to the moon in a Final Fantasy game, so you’ve inspired me to finish it! 🙂
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I mean, you go to space in FF7 and I think the moon(?) in FF8, but I mean at least those games had sci-fi elements from the off, I seem to remember it sort of coming from nowhere in FF4 as it’s not exactly in with the theme!
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True – the early games are more fantasy medieval, than tech. Looks like you’ve discovered where the crossover occurred!
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