History VideoGame / FinalFantasyIV

* ReformedButRejected: Cecil attacking the city of Mysidia to take the crystal under orders from the King of Baron, an act Cecil feels immense guilt for doing. A few hours into the game later, Cecil washes onto the shores of Mysidia and approaches the city to ask for help. The people of Mysidia all promptly [[WhatTheHellHero call him out for attacking them]] at the start of the game and make it clear he is not welcome in the city, and the only reason he is allowed in is because the city's Elder is willing to listen and give Cecil a chance for redemption. Shortly after, Cecil braves Mt Ordeals and goes from a Dark Knight to a Paladin to complete his redemption. His traveling companions Palom and Porom then reveal the real reason they joined for this trip; the village Elder wanted them to spy on Cecil to make sure he did actually try to redeem himself. Just because you feel immense guilt and want to redeem yourself doesn't mean your victims will agree or listen, and those who do have every right to be doubtful of you for doing so. Even after Cecil becomes a paladin, there's still a few people in Mysidia who admit they can't bring themselves to forgive what Cecil did, a conclusion that Cecil ultimately accepts.

** Square's love affair with StarWars may have become more blatant with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' but this installment found other ways to pack its story full of homages.

* BonusBoss:
** The GBA and PSP versions have [[spoiler:Zeromus EG]], the Brachioraidos, and the Lunar Summons.
** The DS version has two accessible only on a NewGamePlus: [[spoiler:Geryon and Proto-Babil]]
* BoringButPractical: The 2D version's stinginess with MP recovery items means that you'll be relying on regular weapon attacks quite a bit. Not to mention that many characters use little or no magic to begin with.

* {{Nerf}}: The Pixel Remaster inverts this as far as bows are concerned. In addition to giving them an accuracy boost, arrows are no longer consumables but can be used indefinitely. Pay attention to monster type and Rosa will be matching Cecil and Edge blow-for-blow.

* DifficultySpike: Once you reach the Sealed Cave in the Underworld, you'll start running into a lot of enemies that do heavy damage (plus a multitude of trap door monsters that kill in one hit).

** NeverSayDie is in full effect, leading to lines like "A girl from Baron was kept from falling down" or "Fall flat into the deep ravine!". However, while Rosa is stated to be ill due to Desert Fever in previous versions, she is specifically stated to be "on the verge of dying" in the DS version.

* NeverSayDie: This is in full effect in the SNES translation, to the point of {{bowdleri|se}}zation. However, in a rare Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad way, this actually makes the game's many {{Disney Death}}s more believable.

** In the US version, the [[OffWithHisHead guillotine]] Rosa was trapped under was replaced with a giant iron ball that crushes the entire chair she was tied to.
** This is the first installment in which a [[ImprovisedWeapon kitchen knife]], later usually wielded by Tonberries, becomes a [[LethalJokeWeapon weapon dealing massive damage]]. Despite the game being full of cutlery actually intended for murder, for some reason it was the weapon that needed to be replaced with a spoon.

* CuteMonsterGirl: Higher-resolution graphics in the DS and PSP releases result in some female monsters becoming this. Meet [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110404151850/finalfantasy/images/8/8d/FF4PSP_Lamia.png the Lamia]], for example.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: The [=GBA=] release added several in the BonusDungeon. Most notable are the Lightbringer (for Cecil), Abel's lance (for Kain), and Fiery Hammer (for Cid). Not only is their attack power at or near the maximum of 255, but each may randomly cast a high-power spell ''on top of the regular attack!''[[note]]Holy, Tornado, and Flare, respectively[[/note]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Just be careful around enemies that use Reflect.]]

* TheLoad: Edward, in the original version of the game. He's so wimpy he even has a "Hide" command. In later versions of the game, his abilities and available weapons are increased, so that he eventually becomes one of the most desired characters near endgame. Initially, Rydia can seem to be this as well, until you figure out that her rods can be used as battle items.

* ViewerPronunciationConfusion:
** Many fans assumed Cecil's name was pronounced "see-sil" and were shocked to find out that it's really pronounced "seh-sil".
** Fans thought Yang's name rhymed with "sang" until the DS remake revealed it's pronounced very similarly to the word "young".

* MagnetismManipulation: Dark Elf has magnetic powers that cause your characters to become paralyzed if they enter his lair while equipped with metal gear. Though in a rare case of ShownTheirWork for a fantasy RPG, silver weapons aren't affected.

* TornadoMove: The game has Barbariccia, [[ElementalEmbodiment the Fiend of Wind]], whose hair is said to be [[RapunzelHair three times the length of her body!]] She uses her killer tresses to whip up wind storms, including a tornado around her own body; which deflects all outside attacks. [[DeathFromAbove Attacks from above]], on the other hand...

* TooDumbToLive: The Trickster/Li'l Murderer enemies, once the player catches onto their trick. They're scripted to immediately start spamming Bolt3/Thundaga once hit by a lightning-element attack, which can quickly overwhelm the unprepared player. However, the ''only'' thing they do if a lightning-element attack isn't used is use Scan/Libra on themselves. If the player doesn't have lightning-element weapons equipped (and at that stage of the game, the only one who might is Rydia, who can just defend the whole time), the player can just do normal attacks with impunity, treating it like a PinataEnemy with mediocre rewards.

* UselessUsefulSpell: Averted by Stop and Slow in the 2D versions. The former works on all monsters not flagged as a boss. Slow works on everything, including the final boss. In at least the SNES and PS1 versions, it stacks!

* NewGamePlus: In the DS version, after defeating the final boss, you can play the game again, inheriting all those augments you gave to your characters. And if you gave the previous game augments to characters that weren't going to be in your final party, you will be rewarded with these characters' abilities as augments. You can play NewGamePlus only three times in a row though.

** Palom and Porom can twincast Comet, a weaker version of Meteor that calls down a hail star-shaped magical projectiles. There's also stronger version called Double/Twin Meteor which is [[spoiler:cast by Golbez and Fusoya to kill Zeromus]]. The twins can also use it if they both have the Twin Stars equipped.

** In the Japan-oly mobile phone version, beating a character's trial in the Lunar Ruins three times nets you an exclusive piece of headgear for that character, usually with multiple status defenses. But since you've already beaten the game and most of the BonusDungeon, it's unlikely they'll make a difference, even against Zeromus EG.

* BraggingRightsReward: According to the Ultimania, stealing Dark Matter is so unlikely that doing so is cause for celebration. You might as well, since Pre-DS that's all its good for.

* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: You can only have five people in your party. This game's method of dealing with it? Killing off the spares. [[spoiler:Though only one stays dead, which makes it all the more obvious.]] That Baigan joining your party would take it up to six characters is your first rather fourth-wall threatening tip-off that he's a monster on Golbez' side (and he's outed as such before you even have a chance to go to the menu screen.)

* {{Expy}}: The Dark Elf is one for Astos from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', to the point that the two share the same battle sprite in the PSP versions.

->''Earth, with hallow'd bounty reconciled''

->''Yet fleeting is the reverie''

* MarathonLevel: The Subterranean Depths of the Moon, which is also TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. Thirteen floors, only two save points, and every random encounter is a BossInMooksClothing - on the last five floors they actually have the boss battle music.

* BrattyHalfPint: Rydia, when you first meet her, acts a bit like this, though to be fair, you had just killed her mother. She has a moment like this after her PlotRelevantAgeUp as well. A far better example of this is Palom, whom players admit to loathing even after his monumental black magic power essentially breaks the game.

* EasyModeMockery:
** Several monsters in the Lunar Subterrane had their scripts altered in the Japanese-only ''Easy Type'' version to make them more challenging than the other versions.
** [[spoiler:Zeromus]] gains the Count spell in the ''Easy Type'' version. In no other version does he use this ability.