Following three releases for the original Nintendo Entertainment System (aka the Famicom in Japan), Squaresoft finally decided to make the leap to the 16-bit era with their fourth game in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy IV released in 1991 for the Super Nintendo. This game has since been lauded as a hallmark in the role-playing game genre for video games, considered a classic of both the genre and the series today.

Final Fantasy took everything that made the previous entries in the series so good and perfected them down to a science. The Crystals of Light and the Crystals of Darkness make an appearance once again and rather than choosing one of a select number of jobs, the game pre-assigns them to the various characters. In doing so, it allows the jobs to define the personalities and actions of the characters the story seeks to tell, and it does so in spectacular fashion for the first FInal Fantasy title in this new era.

Today I'm going to take another look at several cards from the Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy expansion and provide lore breakdowns for each. Fire up those airships and let's dive in!

The game opens with Cecil Harvey, a dark knight, on a mission to retrieve the Water Crystal from the town of Mysidia. He's the captain of the Red Wings, an airship military group of the Kingdom of Baron. His best friend is the dragoon Kain, though they simultaneously have a bit of a rivalry between one another over. This boils over into a full-blown feud once Golbez takes control of Kain and pits him against Cecil and the rest of the party.

Roughly a third of the way through the game, Cecil and the party sail toward Baron when they're attacked by the mighty Leviathan. Cecil washes ashore on Mysidia, alone - the town he was charged with invading at the game's start. In order to redeem himself and prove his worth, he is tasked by the village elder to ascend Mt. Ordeals. The elder sends the two young mage prodigies Palom and Porom to accompany him on his journey as well as to spy on him. At the top of Mt. Ordeals, Cecil faces himself and casts aide his dark knight ways to become a paladin of light.

Golbez is quickly revealed to be the game's major antagonist. A dark ruler, he seeks the Crystals of Light for an unknown purpose. Along the journey, Cecil meets Tellah, an old sage who witnesses his daughter's death and seeks to avenge her. Learning that it was Golbez who caused her death, he vows to utilize the legendarily powerful spell Meteor to decimate Golbez. Tellah gets his wish, casting Meteor on Golbez and ultimately dying - something reflected in both his card art and mechanics. Golbez ultimately survives, but is severely wounded and retreats.

Halfway through the game, Golbez has acquired all the Crystals of Light. Afterwards, he descends to the planet's underworld in search of the Crystal of Darkness. With all eight crystals, he can activate the Tower of Babil which he intends to use to reach the moon and the realm of the Lunarians. You also descend into the underworld after them, where you encounter a group of dwarves who assist you in getting your airship to a state where it can withstand the intense heat of the lava of the underworld. These dwarves are famous for their greeting of "Lali-ho!" which has become a much-beloved saying among Final Fantasy fans.

It's not long before Golbez acquires all four Crystals of Darkness as well, where he then locks himself in the Tower of Babil and reaches the Moon, far away from the party. Cecil and his crew regroup and eventually return to Mysidia, where legend has it that a large whale rests in the mouth of a dragon and can grant passage to the moon. The dragon turns out to be a land mass near Mysidia and the Mysidians pray to summon the whale. It's then revealed that the Lunar Whale is a massive spacecraft which the party uses to reach the moon and engage with the lunarians.

On the moon it's revealed that the true antagonist of the game is the powerful lunarian Zemus who was sealed away by the other lunarians. Awoken, he manipulates the likes of Golbez to do his bidding. With his power, he raises the Giant of Babil from the Tower of Babil, which rains destruction upon the world. The party gets on board to stop it, but their progress is halted by the four elemental fiends, who return to attack them as one group. The party prevails, destroys the giant, and returns to the moon for one final showdown with Zemus.

If you're new to the Final Fantasy series and are looking for a good entry point, Final Fantasy IV is an excellent place to start. It's an early high point for the series with fantastic advancements towards the series' trademark storytelling and gameplay. It's beloved by many for good reason and remains a watershed moment in gaming. It's available on most gaming platforms these days so check it out and give it a shot!

Paige Smith

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