Square Enix's DS remake of Final Fantasy IV is a lesson in how to properly recreate a game. Offering enough new content to make it a worthwhile purchase, this new version for the most part reinvigorates a game that is almost two decades old. However, despite the fresh graphics and an enhanced version of a solid battle system, the overall package still feels antiquated.

The game follows Cecil, captain of the Red Wings, an airship force in service of the country of Baron. The story starts after Cecil has just finished retrieving a magic crystal on orders from the king. The mission turned bloody, and Cecil was forced to kill innocents who refused to defend themselves. Left morally vexed by the massacre, he winds up questioning the king's orders, resulting in his rank being stripped. With friend and rival Kain in tow, he is then sent on another mission. When that ends badly, he knows he cannot follow his king any longer.

Boss battles pan to an over the shoulder view.

The story here is a bit of a mixed bag. Early on it is dark and moving, but that doesn't last long. Cecil's quest to transcend his crimes is interesting, but that section is short-lived, quickly transitioning into a more typical "good guys vs. ultimate evil" plot that is rampantly overused in the RPG genre. While this narrative was fresh when the game was first released in 1991, these elements of the story have aged rather horribly. As promised by the developer, a few short sections have been added to flesh things out, but these additions are generally insignificant. The biggest change to the story is the retranslation of the script, which to its credit, is very good, lending more clarity to events.

Gameplay, for the most part, follows the active time system that was present in the original title and requires little explanation. Characters take turns in real time; after each turn you have to wait until an individual's turn bar refills before they can act again. All the while, your opponents are taking their own turns, trading blows with you until the battle is over. It's a solid system, but again, somewhat stagnated both by age and its prominence in the RPG genre.

The remake does, however, offer some new additions to the formula. For one, the difficulty ramps up much earlier in this version. Areas the player might have once breezed through now require more meticulous care and, in a few cases, some level grinding. Boss fights have also been redone, and many require entirely different strategies this time around. Overall, the new level of challenge provides a welcome change for veterans of the series, but it also shifts so sharply at times that it may turn off newcomers.

Due to the very consistent shuffling of party members in previous iterations of the game, it was very common for potentially useful skills to become permanently unavailable. FFIV DS changes this by making a number of skills available for use through augments. Throughout the game, the player can find and earn augments that can be used to teach characters new moves that might have once been exclusive to another party member. While simple, this system adds a level of customizability that is definitely welcome, given Final Fantasy IV's incredibly linear party restrictions. Within a few limitations, you can now fashion a party more in tune with your own play style. Characters still fit distinct roles - you'll never be able to craft a healer into a fighter, for example - but it's still an excellent addition to the game.

Another notable inclusion is the addition of Whyte. When activated, Whyte replaces the summoner and fights in their place. Whyte's stats can be adjusted through a series of touch screen-based mini-games. While Whyte has limited use throughout the game, the accompanying mini-games present a welcome diversion when things get frustrating. With an internet connection, you can also link up with another player and duel against their copy of Whyte as well.

While level grinding is a chore at times, it is made a tad less tedious by the addition of the auto-battle feature. By pushing the X button in battle, your party will fight on its own using moves you have pre-assigned. While you will always have to play attention to a battle, level grinding doesn't require nearly as much attention as it used to. Other small touches, like the ability to make maps of dungeons and the thought bubbles that appear over your characters when you enter the menu add more personality to a game that's already abundant with it.

The most significant overhaul lies in the updated graphics.

The star of the show is of course the updated graphics. Fans may be disappointed to know that the CGI visuals featured so prominently in the game's trailers are limited mainly to the title sequence. Even so, FFIV's visuals consist of some of the best 3D graphics on the DS. Everything has received a complete makeover, taking on the look of the refined, crisper Final Fantasy III remake. Final Fantasy IV's party size is the largest in the series, and Square Enix has succeeded in featuring up to five characters and their opponents on-screen while still maintaining a stable frame rate. While touch screen interactivity is still rather limited, the bottom screen is also put to good use, as the game wisely displays battle information that would not have fit well on the top screen alone. Although it may take a moment to get used to, the bottom screen is used well.

On the audio front, the game is mostly adequate, with a few exceptions. The newly implemented voiceovers are around for the majority of the game's key moments and are a nice touch. Most of the actors fit their characters well, although many of the female voices can be a bit generic and whiny at times. Any problems with the game's audio can be tracked to its underwhelming soundtrack. Final Fantasy IV has long been lauded for having one of the best scores in the series, but this remake does little with it. The songs have been fleshed out to some degree, but many offer no improvement over the Super Nintendo originals. The music is lively, appropriate and still enjoyable, but with the effort put into refining other facets of the game, it would have only been appropriate for this aspect to be reimagined as well.

In the end, Final Fantasy IV DS is the best version of the game available. The developers have done an admirable job in their efforts, giving new legs to a seventeen year old game. That being said, Final Fantasy IV isn't perfect. Even with this version's improvements, it still suffers from old age, which is something that no level of polish could likely ever erase.