I don't know why I decided to play Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. I had two other games planned, but I decided to go with this awful sequel. I did not enjoy this game six years ago, but I want some more Rydia in my life, so here we are. Anyway, let's enjoy the chapter system before I get bored and move on to one of those other games I was looking forward to.
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We start in a way that feels familiar. A red airship is flying over a blue planet while a familiar militaristic build up plays. The Red Wings have returned. This time, they're going rather than coming, and it's to a test and not a war crime. A young man, Ceodore, is en route to his trial. Should he succeed, he will become a knight of Baron. Along with him are two other men. Wedge, who tries to aid the anxious Ceodore, and Biggs, the gruff, no nonsense commanding officer. Wedge constantly reminds Ceodore that he's King Cecil's and Queen Rosa's child. He's the descendant of two great heros. Ceodore isn't fond of that comparison and wants to be his own man. Biggs doesn't care that his future King is before him and treats him like any lowly grunt. He even hits him when he talks out of turn.
The Red Wings land outside the town of Mithril. The Adamant Mines are their destination, but that will come tomorrow. The trial is only to start on the full moon, which is a unique mechanic to The After Years. The phases of the moon alter the effectiveness of battle commands, and we'll have to keep track of the rest of the game. But know now that Ceodore's attack will be nerfed when we enter. I hung around the town and got to level eight just to be sure. It helped me get enough money for the gear in the shops, along with finding the pig dancer brother's ruby ring.
We return to the inn and prepare for tomorrow. Biggs and Wedge accompany Ceodore through the first floor of the Adamant Grotto and tutorialize the battle system. It's the same as IV, but there's also the new Band System, which is Chrono Trigger's duel tech. But the bottom floors are all Ceodore. At level eight (and a long sword), even with a lowered fight command, he can one shot the mobs and out speed the entire group. There are three floors, with a treasure chest located at the bottom. Inside is the Knight's Emblem, the goal of Ceodore's trial. But it's guarded by a sand worn. This battle felt scripted, and the worm will bring Ceodore's HP to 1 after a while. Biggs and Wedge enter the room and suggest returning a failure, but Ceodore is adamant to keep fighting. His unique battle command, Awaken, becomes available. It turns him super saiyan for several turns, but it will wear off eventually, leaving him at 1 HP again. Fortunately, Ceodore has white magic as a backup, but Awakened Ceodore should be around the entire battle. His COs congratulate him on victory, and the three return to the airship. Wedge is pumped, but Biggs and Ceodore don't seem to be plused. Ceodore knows he's got a lot to learn, and Biggs knows a rat tail only means the beginning of a story.
But just like Cecil seventeen years ago, the Red Wings are attacked! The three of them manage to defeat the belphegors before noticing that Baron is under attack.
We cut to the castle, and Cecil and Rosa experience the instigating event. Cecil asks Rosa to stay back because his mild sexism hasn't abated in two decades, and we control the previous hero as he patrols his castle. He saves a woman in the west tower before Rosa joins him in the east. They look up to the sky and see the return of the second moon, the same moon that housed the Lunarians from seventeen years ago. It skipped orbit after Zemus died, but it's returned now. Just as the monsters have... Cid unites with them before we can check out Cecil's room. It's the same as before, but we learn why Ceodore is an only child. The three Harveys sleep in the same bed(s). They wander through the barracks and learn the siege came from the sky. Cecil, Rosa, and Cid fight off more mobs before Cecil asks Cid to take Rosa and run. They should find Ceodore! Rosa protests for a moment before thinking of her teenage son. As Cid takes her, Cecil looks up to the moon. As he does, a dragon descends from it. It's god himself, Bahamut. A girl who resembles Rydia dismounts him and says some ominous things before Cecil tries to solo Bahamut. But his half blood isn't good enough, according to the girl.
We return to Ceodore, who's not having a good time. The assault has grown more powerful, and the ship is damaged. It begins to crash, and Biggs shields the prince from further damage. The Red Wings smash into the ground...
We jump around a few times to see Edge and King Giott remark on the return of the Tower of Babel. We also see Rydia in the Feymarch, but she's quickly warped out. The girl who attacked Cecil enters the room and turns the King and Queen of the Eidolons to stone.
Ceodore wakes up to the wreckage of the airship. He checks on his comrades, but they're all dead. Only Biggs is alive, but he's on his last breath. He recalls sailing with Cecil after the raid on Mysidia all those years ago before informing his young soldier of his final order: Return home! Ceodore is alone in the forest and is quickly attacked. He manages to defeat the first wave but is quickly defeated by the second. He's about to be killed, but a hooded man saves him. The two talk for a moment and plan their next move. They're west of Mysidia and can take the Devil's Road to get home. Ceodore introduces himself, but the hooded man says he abandoned his name. I'm gonna call him George.
The two go to Mysidia and meet with the acting leader of Mysidia. Elder Minwu is old and fragile, so a pink haired woman who knows Ceodore stands in. This is the twined white mage Parom. Since she can't leave town, she calls on two nameless mages to join us.
The Devil's Road is a dungeon similar to Sabrina's Pokémon Gym. It's short, though. But they arrive in Baron, and it looks okay. Everyone informs us Cecil saved them. We check in with Grandma Farrell before entering the castle. Despite being the prince, he's not allowed in by orders of the King. Something is fishy. But George knows of the e back way in once we find the key. He's also shocked to learn of Ceodore's lineage. But Cid's daughter has the key. The Ancient Waterway is the same as before. As they enter the castle, Ceodore goes ahead to find his parents, and the nameless, faceless mages leave. We control George, who hears a voice. It guides him to the dungeon, and it's filled with Baron knights. George knows Ceodore is in trouble. He walks to the throne room, but it's empty. As he leaves, Cecil joins him. He doesn't recognize George and demands the beggar to leave. George complies and finds Ceodore as he exits. They quickly exit, but George keeps his findings to himself. Cecil seemed different... But we see that Cecil sent guards to find them, so they need to escape.
George suggests running to Mist. The cave looks the same, but it's shaking a lot. One shake causes Ceodore to fall into a chasm, and George jumps after him. The two climb their way back up but find themselves surrounded by Baron soldiers, all of whom are monsters like the one guarding the cave. Fortunately, a thick mist affects the cave, and George and Ceodore use it to hide. The guards never saw them, so it's unlikely they'll meet again. The two leave the cave and head for Mist. Outside, George reveals that he's hunting Kain... The camera cuts to Kain on Mount Ordeals, and that's the end of the prologue. Unless my bosses patch, I'll keep on...
...tomorrow!
I wanted to write, but writing makes me hate writing, so radical!
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