Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light DS
User Score
7.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 27
  3. Negative: 3 out of 27

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  1. Tielur
    Apr 27, 2013
    8
    The style and look of this game is wonderful. As I played through It feels very reminiscent of FF3 (one of my favorite rpgs especially the ds version). It's a nice nod to the classics in terms of mood, but different enough in game play too not feel like your playing the same old game.
  2. darkziosj
    Oct 5, 2012
    8
    This game takes almost every note from ff 3 and 4 remakes for the ds, if you liked them you will like this one, people say this game is hard, really it isn't if you manage to finish any of the other ff games u will finish this
  3. Serin
    Jan 19, 2012
    4
    This is one of those games I wanted to like so much, but it just couldn't live up to its potential. I'd just come off an invigorating Etrian Odyssey binge, and I wanted another game where you get to customize your characters with class/skill levels and gear and whatnot. And it really does sound promising. You have a team of four heroes who can constantly switch classes in order to learn new skills and become even more powerful as time goes on. There is a pretty huge catch, though: rarely do you control all four at one time until close to the end of the game. This led to frustrating sequence after frustrating sequence as every time I felt I had characters that complemented each other well, one of them would bugger off and leave me with just one character plus a worthless TEMPORARY one. And don't get me started on the gems. Oh, the gems...because if you want to level up your classes, you better be memorizing what gems are showing up where when you fight, because otherwise you can't learn new skills at all without them. These two things combined with a very limited inventory system that punished you on boss fights for not looking at a FAQ beforehand were enough to kill my enjoyment of the game. The music was fine, the graphics looked good, the plot...was a Squeenix story, I guess. I just wanted a fun game to play, and I didn't get one.… Expand
  4. Kairo
    Nov 21, 2011
    4
    This is huge disappointment for me. When i don´t count terrible music and graphics which hurt my eyes, I still have to hate characters who act completely unreal (and annoying) stupid story and extremely unbalanced difficulty.
  5. CorazonAzul
    Sep 13, 2011
    5
    Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light presents an equal number of great and terrible things to classic RPG lovers. While it delivers a more than capable story, characters, navigation system, art and even memorable music to satisfy a painful longing of lost tradition, haunting this game from the other side is the worst battle and quest planning I've seen in 20 years of RPGs. __________ Bosses are largely fought via equipping your characters with the appropriate elemental affinites beforehand. Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of bringing along all your element gear and making a choice at the boss' save point, thanks to an extremely limiting item storage system- and the game's single save slot. Specifically, each character only holds or wears 15 unstackable items, including potions, weapons, armor, spells and treasures. Therefore, making the wrong choices before trekking into a dungeon can mean heading back out just to swap equipment for a repeat journey. Townspeople aren't offering much help either, as you'll soon find their subtle clues more frustrating than charming. A town storage vendor safekeeps 99 unstackable items for you- think fat chocobo- but it doesn't fix any problems. __________ Job classes, or "Crowns" as they are called in this game, give you some cool looks and battle options, but the truth is if you don't go with specific classes- you're toast in most boss fights. Further dulling any sense of strategy is the auto-targeting system. For any ability used in battle- fighting, items, offensive or protective spells- this dreaded system dictates it all. Shielding or power-up magics always affect the caster first. Healing and potions are cast on the character with the most HP loss- not necessarily the one at the lowest HP. Anti-ailment spells choose at random- meaning instead of curing your silenced caster, you may be taking off poison from someone else. __________ To add insult to injury, many bosses later in the game take several turns in a single turn-based round, dishing out ailments and killing characters faster than you can cure them or keep them alive- or even bring them back to life. Even when you can determine who will be the target of what, it's normally a matter of waiting, being forced to use an ability twice, outright deeming an ability useless for the game, or worse yet standing strategically hopeless. __________ The amazing part is this: had they simply given you any break here at all- a second save slot, or a bigger bag, or the ability to target- they may have saved your adventure from being absolutely frustrating and miserable- and I mean that from the first boss to the end boss. It's truly saddening to see interesting mechanics like the AP system- meant to replace MP- get lost in translation and lose all their potential. __________ If you're going to play this game for the story, I highly recommend extreme grinding, gearing with the multiplayer feature, cheating, whatever you have to do to muscle through the content. Surprisingly after having developed the enjoyable Final Fantasy III DS remake, Matrix Software really dropped the ball here. I am hopeful in perhaps a sequel, they will fix the awful problems and produce a deserved 9 or 10 rpg experience.… Collapse
  6. curlybrace
    Aug 16, 2011
    10
    The 4 Heroes of Light is everything you love about old school RPGs, requiring a lot of exploring with a just-big-enough world to explore and a hint of guidance. It comes wrapped in a deceptively cute aesthetic, with lush, painterly graphics which I hope to see more of from Square.
  7. Jcelsius
    Mar 16, 2011
    9
    This game is a lot of fun. For potential gamers, be forewarned that there is a lot of grinding (fighting tons of battles to boost your level before progressing) HOWEVER the battle system is fun and challenging. If you're an avid RPG player who rarely uses revive,phoenix down, etc. be prepared to change that. Your people will die. The game play and presentation takes me back to old school RPGs which I love. It's without all the added frills of today's games, but with a core of amazing appeal. I have not beaten the game, but from what I have played thus far the story is interesting. You cannot completely choose your target in battle, which is a little frustration and there aren't multiple save slots so if you mess up on one and then save, you cannot revert to a previous save. Those are really my only two "complaints" about the game and those are barely worth mentioning. If you're a Final Fantasy fan or just an RPG fan, buy this game and enjoy. If you haven't previously been into RPGs I would more than likely not recommend this as a starter in the genre, but if you play some more accessible RPGs and love them, then perhaps you can come back to this little gem. As with most games, it will be waiting.… Expand
  8. Luigibarqs
    Nov 27, 2010
    8
    Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is an RPG that plays on nostalgia and uniqueness to make a new kind of RPG experience. Does it deliver? It sure does!
    The soundtrack is nostalgic yet dynamic, the graphics are very beautiful and a pleasure to look at, the characters have very interesting personalities and the story is quite well written overall.
    A unique inventory system limits the item    s you carry making the game difficult if you don't plan well, battles use a new AP system and selects your targets for you based on the situation of battle to keep players on their toes and strategically planning their next moves.
    Don't underestimate this game by its looks, it is quite fun and rather challenging also.    … Expand
  9. nickjames3
    Nov 15, 2010
    9
    Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a enjoyable R.P.G (role playing game) that has a old time feel to it. There is not many hints on where to go next, which is half the fun of it, exploring until you find the right spot. The combat system may be turned-based, but it will still have you on the edge of your seat. The monsters are extraordinary looking, and it has a good story. The vocations may sound weird (such as party host), but there are many uses for them, and it's always fun to try out which ones you like best. Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a great game and is worth buying. It is unlike any modern R.P.G you have played before.… Expand
  10. Turine
    Nov 6, 2010
    9
    This game is not like modern day games whereby it is easy to move through a dungeon.
    This game has complicated dungeons whereby the maps are huge and it is hard to move through them.
    The crown system in this game, is truly remarkable as players can try to use many different jobs rather than sticking to one throughout the whole game which many games have these days.
    The graphics of this gam    e is quite appealing too, although some of the major towns and cities are abit messy. For example, players of the game should know the town of Urbeth, which is very messy (the shops are all spread out).
    However, the point where monsters level up as you level up, I feel, is one of the best gifts of this game. This function is not only rarely seen in such games, but is also a function that people can appreciate and not get bored of. Reason being is that players need to grind at certain points of the game. If the monsters levels are not boosted, grinding would be very hard. This function thus enables players to grind easier. However, one thing that I don't like is the lack of space to hold items. (A total of sixty items for four characters; that's pretty little).    … Expand
  11. Kthalas
    Oct 29, 2010
    8
    FF: The 4 Heroes of Light is a throw-back to the old school RPG styling of the 80s and 90s. Like the original Final Fantasy and the first releases of the FF II - VI, combat is turn based but you aren't able to directly choose which monster your characters attack. The first half o fthe game has you controlling each of the 4 characters as they separate and try to save their kingdom. Eventually you have control of all 4 in one group. Like the early RPGs, the story is light, heavy on exploration and grinding. The crown system is similar to the job system of FFIII (DS) and FFV but a bit more limiting at the same time. As you fight to save the various towns you gradually receive Job Crowns for your hard work. Most of them are iffy at best, but can make for interesting challenges. Upgrading the crowns can be a chore due to the randomness of the jewels, although each area is more prone to a certain type of jewel. The 15 space inventory (per character) is very limiting especially if you are using mages. The hand drawn graphics are nice to look at and the music is solid. It is frustrating at times but worth the challenge. If you are looking for an easy RPG or an Action RPG you likely won't enjoy it very much. But if you're a fan of turn based combat, you'll enjoy The 4 Heroes of Light.… Expand
  12. ttocs
    Oct 7, 2010
    8
    Final Fantasy: Four Heroes of Light is the most recent installment into the Final Fantasy handheld market. While itâ
  13. Skrapmettle
    Oct 7, 2010
    8
    This game is a surprise to me, as I typically don't find myself drawn to what appears to be a gimmicky RPG, and based on the graphics and advertised anachronistic gameplay, this definitely looked gimmicky. But after a few hours, I find myself engrossed. The story is light, true, but the game play and graphics really shine. Most of the issues that I've read in reviews are in some ways a new way to play for a lot of younger gamers raised on easier RPGs like Pokemon or Paper Mario. I would recommend this game to anyone either seeking some nostalgia or looking for a solid challenge.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 49 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 49
  3. Negative: 1 out of 49
  1. Gaming Age
    Mar 11, 2011
    50
    FFT4HoL revives an old-school design with a new aesthetic, but which misguided aspects of that design come along with it will divide the line between appealing and off-putting to players.
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  2. Hardcore Gamer Magazine
    Feb 15, 2011
    70
    Final Fantasy The Four Heroes of Light is a nice addition to the ever growing collection of the franchise. While not deliberate enough in it's efforts to be a numbered entry, it still represents the series as a whole.
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  3. games(TM)
    Jan 20, 2011
    80
    Where it really excels is in its world design. [Issue#102, p.104]
See all critic reviews »