I’ve loved this game for decades, but after watching a speedrun of Final Fantasy IV from this past season of the Awesome Games Done Quick charity stream, it’s clear that this game fascinates other players for wildly different reasons, no matter how similar the roots of our appreciation are.ĭespite my best efforts to avoid aging and shaking my fist at cloud, I’m old and out of touch in many ways. The game’s music soundtracks most of the D&D sessions I administer, and Yoshitaka Amano’s artwork set the aesthetic standard for my mind’s eye while reading fantasy for years. I’ve played its 25+ hours more than I’ve read my favorite books, beating Zeromus several times and investing myself deeply in redemptive headcanon for resident edgelord Kain. If you are familiar with the Final Fantasy franchise, you probably know this entry in its official Japanese capacity as Final Fantasy IV, or the one that coined the delightful faux-Shakespearean insult “You spoony bard!”įinal Fantasy IV was the first role-playing videogame to burrow into my brain, and as such, my attachment to it goes beyond logic or cold critical remove. But there’s one I’ll always treasure, in regular rotation as my social media profile photo: young me in pine green long johns, Spaceballs on pause in the background, waving copies of Metroid II and Final Fantasy II.

My collection of Christmas photos is not exactly extensive.

Speedrunners game comics