GameIn
YEAR 1991
GENRE RPG
PLATFORM Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, iOS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance
ABOUT THE GAME

Final Fantasy IV, titled Final Fantasy II in its initial North American release, is a 1991 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the fourth main installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game's story follows Cecil Harvey, a dark knight, as he tries to prevent the sorcerer Golbez from seizing powerful crystals and destroying the world. Cecil is joined on this quest by a frequently changing group of allies. Final Fantasy IV introduced innovations that became staples of the Final Fantasy series and role-playing games in general. Its "Active Time Battle" system was used in five subsequent Final Fantasy games and, unlike prior games in the series, Final Fantasy IV gave each character their own unchangeable character class—although at a few points in the story, members of the cast change or evolve their vocation to suit the narrative. Final Fantasy IV has been ported to several other platforms with varying differences. A 3D remake of the same name was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007. The game was re-titled Final Fantasy II during its initial release outside Japan as the actual Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III had not been released outside Japan at the time. All later localizations of Final Fantasy IV (aside from the Wii Virtual Console), which began to appear after Final Fantasy VII (released worldwide under that title), used the original title. The various incarnations of the game have sold more than four million copies worldwide. A sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, was released for Japanese mobile phones in 2008, and worldwide via the Wii Shop Channel on June 1, 2009. In 2011, both Final Fantasy IV and The After Years were released for the PlayStation Portable as part of the compilation Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection, which also included a new game, set between the two; Final Fantasy IV: Interlude.

Source: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0 — Final Fantasy IV · retrieved October 19, 2026

Text is shortened from the original article; the full version is linked.

PROVENANCE

Fields on this page come from the catalog record and recorded sources. No popularity or rating claims are added.

RECORD FACTS
Developer
Square
Publisher
Square
First release
July 19, 1991
Series
Final Fantasy
Cover
Official thumbnail
Record ID
Q911226

TIME SHELF

Across decades

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