Old version eventually showed up, but this is hilarious:
âNO RECORDED ACTIVITYâ
âLAST PLAYED Nov 21, 2014â PLAY TIME 129.6 hours
mmm okay
I just started watching this and it mentions an âEasy Typeâ version with revised script that I wasnât familiar with:
https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_IV_version_differences
Itâs rather interesting, especially in the context of our discussion about the intended audience of these games and language difficulty:
- Localization - Many monsters, items, and nearly every piece of equipment, were renamed. For example, the Ragnarok was renamed to âSword of the Godsâ (ăăżăăżăźă€ăă, Kamigami no Tsurugi?). The original names mostly consisted of English names written in katakana; the new names are Japanese and written in hiragana.
- Spells are numbered instead of having suffixes or prefixes like the original (âBlizzard 2â instead of Blizzara).
- Certain words in the script were changed to make some parts of the dialog easier to understand for younger gamers e.g. replacing âhaughtyâ with âarrogantâ.
- New Dialogue - Additional dialogue is added, such as between Cecil and the Elder of Mysidia during Cecilâs flashback, Kain explaining how to move around and talk to NPCs, and Cid explaining the Airshipâs controls after he is rescued in Baron.
The simplified script seems interesting in the context of this club, but unfortunately the Super Famicom FF4 versions are full kana so I donât think I would recommend playing that version over the PR if you mind not having any kanji.
Yeah I heard about that one. I think it was supposed to be a âbackportâ of FF2US back to japanese.
I heard the mod manager was updated for the new FF7, so I tried it. Unfortunately, while it technically works⊠it runs the âoriginalâ assets which appear to bundled in as part of the new release install. So, The Eidos video plays, itâs only in english, etc etc. Either the mod manager doesnât work with the new version yet, or I havenât figured out how to force it. Even when I point it to the new versions exe it automatically changes my selection to the âoldâ exe.
Easy Type does also actually do its own thing in a lot of places (including having loot tables unique to itself when compared to both the original Japanese version and the US release), which makes it such a fascinating little thing.
The most comprehensive listing of a chunk of the really specific changes Iâve seen is actually Matoâs series on FFIV: Final Fantasy IV Translation Comparison « Legends of Localization . It mainly compares JPOG and US versions, but Easy Type (and DSremake) (and occasionally the Playstation and GBA releases) also gets dragged into it 
Iâd heard it was essentially made for younger players. We were discussing earlier how each FF seems to be targeted at older and older players, growing with the audience. They add more story, more complex grammar, darker themes and more kanji with each entry. Four is the one where thereâs a real spike in complexity and maturity, compared with the first three. I wonder if someone saw that and thought they needed a version younger kids could get into, that was easier to play and had simpler language.
Yeah, while it undeniably shares some of USâ DNA, Iâd say it was definitely made with that younger/a different target audience (as opposed to an outright backport). Itâs kind of interesting in that regard, because I canât really think of many other games that have done something like this.
The closest game that did something kinda of similar that I can think of is maybe Fire Emblem, though itâs definitely not the same.
On the 3DS they released Fire Emblem Birthright and Conquest, which are pretty different stories since you side with different kingdoms in the war depending on the version you pick although the first few chapters are the same. As youâd expect with that, the story between the two is pretty darn different but also Birthright is notably easier than Conquest by a good margin.
This website is great. One day I will sit down and read it cover from cover. (that would be the day after Iâm done with my ç©èȘ obviously)
At least you can change the language from the launcher without having to mess with system settings:
It always keeps the Xbox layout by default (confirm is bottom button, not right button) which makes sense given the platform, but my muscle memory does not enjoy that.
Also I still find the upscaled graphics ugly as sin. You have the low poly models standing like a sore thumb on top of the blurry background. Looks like absolute trash on my large 4k monitor IMO:
Looks like they fixed the sped up combat issue, or Iâm lucky.
May just be me being a gatekeeping purist though:
I think the backgrounds are blurrier than ever, but for the most part this is the same game I played 10 years ago⊠except I was able to use mods on that one. Replaced all models, higher res backgrounds. I think I even was able to replace the music with remastered stuff.
(edit: clarify, last played 10 years ago, not first played)
I think the new version has less clunky controller support, but I plan to play on keyboard anyway because it makes it easier to do all of the other language learning, looking up, transcribing etc when I donât have to put a controller down every 5 seconds. Iâve already got a standard one handed setup I use on all the pixel remasters that works nicely.
Weâll have to agree to disagree on the look though. I think the new version looks bad, and the old looks worse. With dem mods, thoughâŠ
Example of the controls wonkiness⊠it took me a couple of minutes to enter his name. I last played this with a controller, and Iâve switched to my typical WASD with F and C as confirm cancel⊠but the game wants you to type Cloudâs name with the keyboard. I couldnât navigate to the âendâ selection until I found some random key on the numpad that did it.
The original original PC version was entirely played on the numpad, with no option to change the layout, IIRC.
Way back when I heard about EasyType, it was widely believed by internet kids that EasyType was a backport of FF2, since it was âeasyâ like FF2 US. I think thatâs been debunked in the years since.
Wow Iâm slow today. I was like âwait why is his name Nuageâ for way too long 
Now let me find my PS1 and see how the game looks like
I donât mind full modded either, at least it looks visually consistent for the most part. Itâs original assets + high res that looks terrible to me.
3 discs for FFVII (I think some versions have a bonus disc with âextrasâ, that may be what you saw).
You seem to be using an âunpixelateâ shader, those work weirdly with 3D games.
I can really recommend the books too, if youâre interested in how localizers specifically deal(t) with the language (and in the Undertale bookâs case: how a game was localized into Japanese). I have to admit the IV comparison (unfinished as it is in its current state), remains my fav part of the site tho lol.
My favorite article is the Whatever article, I know Iâve already shared it like 10 times around here, but you know, whatever
Iâll have to deep dive into the IV comparison if itâs that good, but maybe after playing the game would make more sense!
Luckily, you wonât have to wait that long Youâre in the right place!