I'm a native spanish speaker and I learned english thanks to this game. The movements and expressions were enough to make me understand the tone of the story and keep me engaged despite not being able to read everything effectively. I started using my english notebook from school as a guide for the game. I got the most rewarding feeling when I found myself reading and understanding everything

@imagery5425

Жыл бұрын

whoah :0

@CosmereInformant

Жыл бұрын

I love this, I’m glad this happened

@howlrichard1028

Жыл бұрын

Same here. FF IV and VI (amongst other games) are definitely responsible for a good part of my English education.

@MS-fe3vo

Жыл бұрын

@@howlrichard1028FFVI Made me grow up like 20 years when I was 12. Man...🐴🏖️

@john_smith_john

Жыл бұрын

Man, you probably had to relearn english if you originally learned from FF4's attempt at the language haha.

Still can't get over "Learning that this game's creative direction was in the hands of Mr. Story and the theater kid kinda tells you all you need to know". It's a good summary of what makes FF4 different from its predecessors _and why it wound up that way._

@speinz9430

Жыл бұрын

What do you mean?

@ap1evideogame44

Жыл бұрын

@@speinz9430 those are the types of people who would put the characters first in this scenario

@timothymclean

Жыл бұрын

@@speinz9430 I mean what I said. The quoted quote explains who was in charge of the game, and those creative priorities are why FF4 is the way it is.

@adiksaff

Жыл бұрын

10:02 - RIGHT??!! Winner quote

@MrMarinus18

Жыл бұрын

With FF4 it looks better than the NES games but it still looks old. It doesn't have the timelessness that FF6 does.

The crossfade between the live "Welcome To Our Town" and the game version was perfect

@maninblack3410

Жыл бұрын

For real

I feel like a lot of times when we talk about advances in animation in games, the conversation starts and ends with advances in the hardware. So it's really cool to see you talk about these early games, not just in terms of how many pixels or panels they could use, but also the new and clever ways they found to use them and how they developed the craft of using animation as a vehicle to communicate plot and character.

God but these videos are just the absolute best! I love this analysis so much!

@NewFramePlus

Жыл бұрын

Awww shucks

@lordcrispen

Жыл бұрын

@@NewFramePlus Everyone look, it's game recognizing game =P

@Beowulf45

Жыл бұрын

I just found this video and channel and wouldn't you know, it's on one of my absolute favorite games of all time! In 1991 I was 12 years old and had played FF1 when it came out, but of course didn't have access to 2 or 3 so this was my second FF game. This does a great job putting into words several of the things that impressed me at the time and which I still appreciate now.

@stormRed

Жыл бұрын

Collab when 😛

@timothymclean

Жыл бұрын

@@stormRed That would be pretty cool! Maybe one of the Patreon PlayFriends should suggest a League of Legends animation analysis or something-you know, a topic in Skyen's wheelhouse where a collab would make sense.

As a low-res RPG developer, I wanted to say a big thank you for this series! These are such fascinating looks at the mountains of personality packed into simple actions like spinning a character or giving them a slightly different pose. Doing more with less is the name of the game in these early games, and I adore how much care and respect you've packed into these deep dives. Thank you! :>

@timothymclean

Жыл бұрын

Do you have anything released? I don't see any game dev mentioned on your channel.

I think a cool thing about the combat characterization in FF4 is that a lot of this feels relatively unspoken. An example I like is Cecil, who I read as very very reckless due to not only some of his story actions but also how in both of his jobs, his main skills lead to him losing HP, Darkness literally costs HP, and your goal with Cover is to take damage. The key difference between these two feels like it also coincides with Cecil's growth, as his recklessness goes from outwardly destructive, to defensive. This clearly shows us a character who wants to protect those around him at any cost with nothing but gameplay and that's cool as hell.

I don’t remember where I read it, but supposedly, FF4 started as a NES title. Development didn’t move to the SNES until pretty late. Makes me wonder how much improvement would there have been if it started a a SNES title since day 1.

@NewFramePlus

Жыл бұрын

You are half correct! There originally was a FF4 in development for NES and plans for FF5 to be the first SNES release. But Squaresoft eventually decided to scrap the NES game and rename the FF5 they'd started work on to FF4 (which is what we have now). Alas, the NES FF4 they'd started work on never came to be, although I understand they pulled a lot of their ideas for it into later releases.

@kenshokram

Жыл бұрын

@@NewFramePlus Oooh, could that be the reason FF5 has so many elements from FF3 too? It feels like a direct sequel of it almost

@SophiaNyx

Жыл бұрын

@@NewFramePlus your brain is huge

@KaoruMzk

Жыл бұрын

@@NewFramePlus Ah! I see, good to know.

@MrMarinus18

Жыл бұрын

I don't think it is. I think it's just a case of the developers being cautious. Sticking to what they know works on this new hardware and only using the new things that are relatively easy to impliment. I like that. That they made a good product first and didn't make it all fuggly just to prove "See guys, it's on the SNES now!"

I love just how many characters do the spin-jump excitement thing. It adds so much energy!

@AkaiAzul

Жыл бұрын

It's a thing that sprites have over 3D models. To "realistically" show Paloma being an energetic bundle of kid, he'd be fidgety in a constrained way, hoping at most 1 foot. Not the jumping 6 or 9 feet sprites get to get away with. Our brains normalize the cartoony quirkiness, but less so for 3D models.

@timothymclean

Жыл бұрын

@@AkaiAzul Somewhat realistic models like FF 8+ have, yeah. Simplified or stylized models like SM64 or Crash Bandicoot 4? Nope, cartooniness works perfectly fine there. It's not the tech, it's how you use it.

This has to be my favourite episode of New Frame Plus to date. (Well, maybe it ties with the one about Sonic the Hedgehog animation.) The only version of Final Fantasy IV I ever played was a 3D remake, so I never got to see these simple, efficient, expressive little animations that were so impressive. It makes me smile to see the characters like this. On a personal note, I've known some friends, and some friends of friends, who have thought about doing a game jam, or even forming an indie studio. Things keep getting in the way, nothing ever materializes, so I've been trying to teach myself as many game-making skills as possible. I have almost no talent in animation, but seeing how much they could do in this game with so little is encouraging. I may be able to figure out game animation after all. Whew.

I never considered how absolutely perfect the wedding is presented. Great episode!

i was literally just thinking yesterday "man, it's been months since the last video hasn't it? i wonder when he'll do the next one" and here we are!

I have heard about Mode 7 before but never really know what it was! I learned something to day! Thank you!

@rmsgrey

Жыл бұрын

The SNES Mode 7 wasn't the only one out there. BBC Micros had a Mode 7 too, which was used for teletext displays. I suspect there were probably others out there too.

@Stratelier

Жыл бұрын

If you look up the technical details, there's actually something of an intuitive order in each mode's index number. For starters, the higher the index, the fewer layers you have to work with _but_ the more colors (and effects) you can do with each layer, including: * "Direct Color" (modes 3,4,7 only): Allows a background layer to directly access a full 11-bit RGB color space, bypassing tiles and color palettes entirely. * High Resolution (modes 5 and 6 only): Doubles the horizontal resolution to 512 pixels (in same physical screen size), and can double the vertical resolution to 448 pixels (interlaced). * "Offset per tile" (modes 2,4,6 only): Allows columns of the background to be scrolled independently of one another.

Thinking back on it, the FMV cutscenes they added to the PSP release of the game were really only for characterization, and I really appreciate that

I don't know why but whenever I am asked which is my favorite Final Fantasy game, I always answer 4. I have so many memories of this game in its various incarnations.

@arieljacobsegal

Жыл бұрын

Yes the leap from 1 to 4 was that much more spectacular given it seemed that it was from 1 to 2. Also it had a rich plot but less dark than vi. This was a highlight of my high school years

every time someone brings up the snes, i am reminded just how fantastic that console was... Live-A-Live, SMW, Super Metroid, FFVI, Yoshi, Earthbound. What a fantastic lineup

@zzz43344

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget Chrono Trigger, SMRPG, F-Zero, A Link to the Past, Killer Instinct, DKC trilogy. All of these still stand the test of time as some of greatest games ever made!

@ghirardelio4037

Жыл бұрын

And ilusión of gaia,secret of mana,Kirby súper Star and dream land 3,the megaman Xs and 7,Castlevania IV and bloodlines,FF mystic Quest.... The 16-bits games seriously hits different

1:30 seconds in and I am in tears for a simple soundtrack loop and animation. That is how much this game meant to me.

Dan, there is nobody on the whole gosh darn internet that makes a better funny transition than you. Your humor is a true gift.

@TJDious

Жыл бұрын

He has the wit of a gentleman swordsman.

I’ve been waiting for this! This is my favourite series of yours honestly, watching the evolution of the animation over the years!!

This would break up the series rhythm, but doing one on Chrono Trigger after FF5 and FF6. Square employees wanting to be unfettered by the standard FF design and right at the end of life cycle for the SNES where they have mastered getting the most out of the system. Aside from that the FF6 one is going to be an intense video to compile, looking forward to it.

@cogspace

Жыл бұрын

+1 Chrono Trigger is just... Incredible. One of my favorite games ever.

@NarendraU23

Жыл бұрын

Chrono Trigger will be an awesome one to see for sure

@reloadpsi

Жыл бұрын

FF6 and 7 easily have my favourite character animations of all time. The way they made them so expressive with what was available to them was insane.

@MrMarinus18

Жыл бұрын

FF6 is one of only a very small number of games to use background mode 6. Many think it's opening is mode 7 but it's actually mode 6. Mode 6 is like a more limited form of mode 7 but with an additional background layer which was extremely limited to only 4 colors and only 1 scroll direction. Very few people used it as mode 7 allowed for far greater manipulation and mode 5 was far more flexible with both background layers able to have full color and move in different directions independent of each other.

@razmatazz9310

Жыл бұрын

I always thought the effects in CT were a bit over the top. Too much of everything, just because they could.

I absolutely adore every installment in this series. Can't help sharing with all my friends. Keep them coming, thanks!

As someone that grew up with FF4 (aka 2) for the SNES, this video made me so happy to watch. I was always fascinated by the music, characters, and animation from the game as a little kid and even learned to read from it. Asking my parents constantly what certain words meant. This game holds a special place in my heart and every remake and port of it is always an instant buy for me. I even enjoyed the sequel. The FF4 references in FF14 always bring a smile to my face as well.

i was wondering the other day when this series might continue! happy to see a new installment

Dan really feels like he's been so liberated and happy on KZread since parting ways with Extra Credits. His commentary style was what made me like those videos a lot of the time and now he's everything I liked about him without the rest of what I didn't like about EC *and I am here for it*

I played and completed 4 for the first time this year, making it the first 2D Final Fantasy I've ever finished. I've dabbled with the original in a "Hey this is a novelty!" sort of way, and tried several times to get into 6 but just not clicking, so with the new pixel remasters I decided to get 4 and 6 as they're the ones people seem to rate the highest. I didn't really have any sort of expectations coming into 4 but it absolutely blew me away. It might seem strange considering how primitive it is compared to most modern RPGs, let alone modern Final Fantasy titles, but that simplicity is in itself such a masterclass in how little you need to put into a performance to really infuse it with character and charm. It's hard to know what exactly my reaction would have been to the original version, considering I played the pixel remaster with it's redone (but in my opinion very faithful) sprites and quality of life improvements, but regardless it strikes me as having a timeless feel alongside games like Super Metroid where it utilises the tools it has with such artistry that it never really shows its age.

@Ahrpigi

Жыл бұрын

You're in for a treat with 6, it's held up very well!

@aidanhogan-thomas1797

Жыл бұрын

make sure you give ff5 a try too. it's my favorite incarnation of the job system except for maybe ff12. it's so wonderful.

Also want to point out that these sprites were created with the CRT in mind, which had a unique effect on making the art form really shine. Thanks for the vid.

@sakarain

Жыл бұрын

I hope to find a video one day describing how artists designed around and utilized the quirks of the CRT

@sakarain

Жыл бұрын

@@JB-mm5ff Oops yeah, I felt like my wording was off

FF4 is my favorite 2d FF game. 4 and 9 are the ones I replay ever few years. Not sure why it’s just so comforting to me to run through this game

@gaemr_o5147

Жыл бұрын

Ff4 is a cool game and all but where do I go after I heal Rosa, iim lost right now

@drowningin

Жыл бұрын

@@gaemr_o5147 Head to where the Antlion cave was, and continue heading east above the cave. And you'll reach some mountains with a path you can enter.

@dovahkiin53839

Жыл бұрын

Honestly, this video has me interested in playing it- any tips on where to find it for pc or such?

@gaemr_o5147

Жыл бұрын

@@dovahkiin53839 pretty sure it’s on steam

@Hwyadylaw

Жыл бұрын

@@dovahkiin53839 The PSP version is IMO the best one that exists. It works great through emulation, though if you want to find a legit copy it's a bit harder than getting it on Steam

Good analysis, though to be honest I spent most of it going "Oh man can't wait til he gets to V and VI!" I love the animation in those games.

that description of the cutscene at the end... this is so fun i love how much they can pull off with all those limitaitons

I always felt like Final Fantasy 4 was what they were aiming for with Final Fantasy 2. But they didn't have the experience or tech to pull it off. Funnily 4 became 2 in the US.

I really hope this series isn't gone, I'l not into final fantasy guy but your involved showcase is plainly interesting and the enthusiasm is very contagious. I got emotional at the end of the video even, there's something inspiring about how they worked around limitations to create cool stuff

0:45 Dan we notice and appreciate the effort you put in to use original hardware, it's so nice to see Yuna's original face! (Ooh actually in the X video a comparison of original and remaster facial animation would be interesting since they botox-ed up all of the faces in the remaster, really kills a lot of the expressiveness in the acting) Great video as always!

@Ahrpigi

Жыл бұрын

I played the remaster last year, I wo der if that's what felt "off" about it. I thought it was just nostalgia goggles.

@Cute___E

Жыл бұрын

The number of people who have told me "oh you just remember it looking better cause of nostalgia" is infuriating, I really would love a video to point to that breaks it down

"FF 4 is where Final Fantasy becomes itself." What a perfect line!

I was just thinking about this series recently and was curious if there had been any new ones I'd missed, so this is awesome to see! I must say, I hugely appreciate you breaking these up into every individual game instead of simplifying it down to "the NES era", "the SNES era", etc., since it really lets you notice and appreciate the subtle improvements that'd get easily glossed over otherwise!

This is probably the best breakdown of the wedding scene animation I've ever seen.

This might easily be my favorite video of 2022. There is just so much nuanced information packed into this presentation that I can honestly say that I learned much more than I anticipated. I can tell that you have a honest passion about this series and it shows in the writing and editing. Can't wait until the next video.

@timothymclean

Жыл бұрын

It can't beat Line Goes Up, but it definitely deserves to be in a Top X Video Essays lost with it.

I literally just refreshed the page and this masterpiece showed up on my notifications

This is one of my favorite KZread series. I know very little about animation, but your presentation makes me feel like I know a lot. Another amazing entry. Looking forward to FFV!

This is my favorite Final Fantasy game. I still remember my 10 year-old self crying during [redacted]'s sacrifice, knowing that I was crying over a fictional collection of colors on a screen, that it was stupid and I shouldn't need to cry about this fictional tragedy, and being unable to stop because I really liked [redacted] and was going to miss [redacted]. That was when I knew that I loved this game. When [redacted] reappears at the end of the game I learned that writers were jerks trying to break my heart. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for sharing this. And thank you for reminding me how much this game matters to me - and how important games can be.

@HighPriestFuneral

Жыл бұрын

Oh but when [redacted] lost himself in his desires and ended up making the largest sacrifice leading to [redacted]'s end, that moment still moves me to this day. It is such an elegant way to tell that plotline without bogging it down.

@davidharriss3792

Жыл бұрын

@@HighPriestFuneral What illustrates the brilliance of the story is that we are talking about different characters.

Those animations to illustrate the background layers are really cool.

This is great. It's one of those videos where I start feeling like "oh, no, is the video almost over!?" and then I check the progress bar and _rejoice!_ Very excited about the next two entries. They're the oldie Final Fantasy games I've (started 😅) playing the most!

Having grown up in the early 2000s, I got to experience the first 4 FFs mostly in order with the Advance/DS ports, and FFIVA definitely stood out to me even as a kid with how much harder it leaned into it's story compared to when I had played I and II. Looking back on the games through your analysis, it really does amaze me how such a small amount of animations were able to sell all the various emotions, actions, and story beats. I liked how the usage of scripted event battles for comedic purposes spilled over from fights like Dr. Lugae into the secret developer room you could find at the Dwarven Castle.

EXTREMELY Happy about this series! Thank you! I've only played FFXIV, the (critically acclaimed) MMO. And watching your tour though these older games is giving me sudden flashbacks to moments in XIV's story, and monster design! I can't wait for you to explore XIV!

@kentknightofcaelin4537

Жыл бұрын

You should play some of the others, they're really good!

Love your content as usual but I really can't emphasize enough how I agreed that that Fusoya's beard puddle was perfect.

Super Mario RPG also makes such great use of the blocking and movement to give their characters personality and space to express themselves. I don't think Mario has a real single piece of dialogue but the way they make use of the various emotion sprites, jumping, twirling just made him feel so expressive. Super awesome to see this is how square worked up to this. Loving this series!!!

This may be my favorite FF. This and VI of course, I vacillate between them but secretly I think this one just got to me first. As a kid I knew there was something special about it. I couldn't tell you what but I definitely picked up on it, it just had so much life.

never stop doing videos man

11:47 actually I was thinking about how much I'm enjoying your roundabout approach here. Your love for the series oozes from the video and I adore that. It feels like I'm at the intersection of your passions and it's impossible to avoid a good time

Always a pleasant surprise to see an upload

I greatly appreciate that you don't discuss animation in a vacuum. You're completely right -- animation is inherently tied to character, story, and more.

Retro game mechanics explained has already done a deep dive into the SNES and NES for anyone who wants more information.

A Playframe best-of video AND a New Frame Plus video on FFIV on the same day?! Boy we are blessed.

FFIV was my first FF ever, it holds such a special place in my heart, I've played and ALMOST finished every version (3D Phone and PC and the GBA yet to be finished) and I resound so much with Cecil as I, too, fought my own darkness and accepted the Light by defeating my depression. It's a game I often revisit either normally or through the randomizer. And I won't lie, this video did bring me to tears, and was singing along the music I've become so familiar with. THIS is the game who introduced me to the franchise and JRPGs plus it gave me my love for the Dragoon.

Knowing Takashi Tokita worked on FF4 and would go on to direct Live A Live and have a chapter that acted as a dark mirror to Cecil makes so much sense

This series is super cool and has me thinking about the animation in some of my favorite RPGs, like Breath of Fire, which has a drastic jump in detail on sprites between games, until the ps1 games where they're absolutely gorgeous even to this day with amazing art and animation with cool little details

I’ve literally never played a single final fantasy game but I’m kind of obsessed with this series, I can tell you’re passionate about both FF and game animation in general! Soooo hyped for the next in the series :-)

This is an exceptional video. The sheer amount of things you can do just with blocking and a few movement sprites really is incredible.

Seeing this in my feed is the happiest I've been all week, and almost 4o minutes long? Brilliant

"grey and purple" me sitting here in central Europe with my colorful SNES controller "what?"

nothing like someone more versed than you taking your favorite game of all time and explaining the finer details that you feel, but cannot put concisely, in a neat shinny package, also with a dosis of gut punching nostalgia with all the story highlights trough the video

Dan, you are amazing. I have watched you from extra credits, and then to here, and your content has been consistently amazing, one of the single most consistently amazing creators on this platform. Good luck with your continued efforts!

that whole section about the ending cutscene is masterpiece, you should be really proud of how well you managed to convey how impressive FFIV’s rudimentary and limited animation is.

"All of whom express concern for Cecil's well-being" Cid: "How's my airship?"

Ooooh lesgooooo! Been waiting for a new video in this series for so long!

What I think this showcases is how much creativity limitation can bring. Because of all these hardware and animation limitations the designers had to get a lot more creative to show the emotions and message they want to show. Modern day animation can be a lot of eye candy and look very stunning, but that wedding scene as you describe just doesn't get made in the modern AAA scene. I feel like games are trying to adopt cinematic language without knowing how to speak it very well, when we had decades of video game language to draw from.

Just found this series through this video being recommended to me and I gotta say I enjoy the fade from orchestral version to the original version of the music you do at the start to an unreasonable amount every single time.

The way you underlined the importance of story and characters in relation to animation makes me hopeful somehow. An amazing video! Cannot wait for the next one no matter how long it takes you it's gonna be too long. So take your time.

I will absolutely join you next time! I absolutely love this series! I get so excited when I see that notification that a new episode is out!

This is wonderful, Dan!

Filled to the brim with interesting detail! Nice video! I really loved the analysis at the end with the marriage scene!

Love this series, great work as always !

What I find fascinating about the wedding scene is not only how just the basic locomotion, a few emote poses, and blocking can be read in character, but also how some of the same events play out differently because of how that character would act. Yang doesn't look around the room to greet them, and it reads differently than how Edward looks around first, which reads differently than the Mysidia elder greets the room by not going to greet Cecil and Rosa first. It gives the impression of how a monk greets a room, versus royalty taught from birth how to greet a room, versus a mystical elder who guides a city of mages. All without words.

Rewatching these videos again because they're not just informative, they are also cozy.

Thank you so much for this. I've always struggled to articulate just WHY Final Fantasy IV means so much to me in terms of story and characters. And I think the extremely nuanced expressions of the characters is a huge part of it. Fantastic video!

That was a great video! I enjoy seeing someone go through all the games with the lens of animation. It's been so much fun and I think this has been my favorite video in this series so far.

When the notification popped on my phone, I was so happy! Keep up with the amazing work studyng and developing these amazing videos about Final Fantasy animation!

I played Final Fantasy IV when I was a kid, and that wedding sequence you cover at 33:27 is what stuck with me all these decades later. Your analysis is such a joyful nostalgic throwback! I remember re-watching that scene back then over and over again. Thank you 🙂

Loving this series, and how much you put into describing WHY the animation is important. That's a lot of important context you're giving, and I'm absolutely here to hear you talk about that as well as the animation for as long as you like

I am loving this series so much, it's brilliant you're going so far beyond just animation too. It's rare to find videos where I learn something new about FF but you're constantly surprising me.

“Mister Story and the Theater Kid” made me CACKLE 🤣

Dude I love all of your essays! I like watching you play, but sometimes I haven't finished the game, or I'm really busy so watching all of a dozens-of-episodes series can be difficult, but I ALWAYS make sure I watch any of your essays! Its an excellent look into video games, with the added benefit of your insight into the industry. Its always top-tier stuff!

Heck yes! I'm psyched to see more of this. You've done a great job with all of them.

Man, that analysis of the wedding scene... just blew my mind. I've seen that scene a couple of times, now, when you break it into its details, is just amazing how much they managed to convey with so little. Thanks for these videos man.

The way they nod to greet and jump around to express themselves reminds me of Golden sun it’s so cute I love it

I get so excited whenever I see another episode. Thanks for the awesome video!

I am crying watching this. This was my first Final Fantasy when it was new, and the more I learn about it, the more I am so grateful that it was.

man your enthusiasm talking about these games got me teary eyed. these are so fun to watch

That was a phenomenal video, thank you for the time and effort you put into these!

Excellent video as always, and the production quality really gives it justice. This series is a real treasure.

So loving this series, Dan! Amazing work.

Thank you so much for these videos! I've been slowly watching a family member succumb to cancer and your videos have been invaluable to helping me deal with the situation. Just wonderful commentary on a media art form that I thought I knew a lot about and being completely blown away every video! Thank you!

Wonderful video. Always happy to see more from this channel!

I always find joy in your videos, your animation analysis in this video was a chef's kiss

I love this series of yours! Special shout-out to that ending scene breakdown😄

Love this series insane work over here Daniel !

the breakdown of the wedding scene was just fab. Can't wait for the next episode, keep up the great videos :)

Our man Takashi Tokita is the person you can thank for the incessant character spins. That was his baby to convey a buffet of emotions.

Ah, IV.... the closest one I've come to beating (outside of the very easy 15). I have fond memories of getting through it, even if I did bounce off the final dungeon for lack of groking how to get through the last dungeon. And I probably could have cheat coded through there, but for some reason I never wanted to do that to IV.

I am living for this series. It's so informative and passionately written! I can't wait to see more.

Just seeing this video go up made my day that much better! Love this series!