Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes Of Light Wears Its Release Date Crown

It's been almost a year since our wonderful Tiny Dancer scouted out a little Square-Enix project called 4 Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden. At the time, it looked much like a retelling of the original FF story, with four relatively anonymous heroes, a quest to save the princess, and probably some giant elemental crystals thrown in for good measure.

So while Japan has been playing this particular JRPG release since October, the latest good news for we anglophones is that we will indeed see a localized version later this year, under the name Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. (I guess the term 'warrior' wasn't heroic enough...?)

Having more time and reviews and press releases on our side, we now know more about what differentiates this FF title from all the others. It's been developed by the team behind the DS versions of Final Fantasy III & IV, with art direction by Akihiko Yoshida of FFXII fame--his drawings lend the characters and world a storybook feel, which comes across nicely in this trailer from TGS.

FF: The 4 Warriors of Light looks to try blending classic RPG elements with some new gameplay mechanics, bringing retro sexy back. The story starts with the 14-year-old Brandt, suddenly pressed into service to rescue a princess. As luck would have it, he quickly meets three more quirky characters: Jusqua, the mysterious rival; Unita, the stoic warrior-woman; and Aire, the ditzy one. In a move harkening back to classic NES gaming days, you can change these names as soon as you meet their respective personages... just in case you want to name the rival after your best friend or the comic relief after your ex.

The game also features a job system in the form of "Crowns" - hats you can equip to shift your role from paladin to black mage to dancer, with permanent effects to be earned allowing you to mix and match roles. The combat itself takes an interesting twist: rather than use a nebulous MP to fuel one's special skills, each character has an independent Action Point gauge, with larger increments required for bigger spells or abilities. You only get one AP naturally per turn, so it may be wise to, e.g., keep your white mage charging so you can pull off that Cure on a moment's notice. A mix of strategic turn management, combat abilities, and limited inventory space lend this new Final Fantasy its old-school cachet.

Reception in Japan has been solid, with the game reportedly selling out during its second week of release. Other good news includes the fact that this DS title will be dropping the so-called "Square-Enix tax," whereby the Japanese developer has seen fit to charge an extra $5 for anything with which they grace our shores, compared to other publishers' wares.

If all of this sounds like an exciting time, and you're eager to prove your might as a classic RPG fanatic with a creative twist on the turn-based genre, then pencil in some time with Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light on October 5 for the US (or October 8 in Europe).