Prerelease:Final Fantasy IV (SNES, PlayStation)

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Final Fantasy IV (SNES, PlayStation).

Final Fantasy IV Famicom

After the completion and release of Final Fantasy III in Japan in 1990, development immediately began on its two sequels planned for release the next year. The first game, Final Fantasy IV, would've been released to the Famicom as a sort of send-off to the console, while Final Fantasy V was to be developed for the Super Famicom.

Unfortunately, a combination of budgetary and manpower restraints saw Squaresoft ultimately cancel the Famicom game and solely focus on the Super Famicom game, which was retroactively retitled Final Fantasy IV. While Kaoru Moriyama stated that the Famicom game had been cancelled early on with no proper coding done, series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi contradicts this, stating that the game had been cancelled at around 80% completion when it was scrapped. Certain concepts from the Famicom would be reused in the final Super Famicom game.

The image seen on the right is a mockup, found in an unknown Japanese magazine and likely sent by Square early on to promote the game.

Pre-Release Shot

This party is impossible in the final. The closest this party can happen is the first Tower of Babil dungeon where your party consists of Paladin Cecil, Kain, Rosa, Yang and Adult Rydia. Despite this, the Tower depicted in the screenshot cannot be Babil because the enemy formation is exclusive to the Tower of Zot, Golbez's offscreen flying tower where you save Rosa.

In addition, Rydia cannot normally cast Quake as a child without an absurd amount of power-levelling, especially not with that HP level. It should be noted Cecil's HP is that of when he becomes a Paladin, so it's possible this screenshot is entirely a fabrication to avoid spoilers.

Original Edge Character Design

Many sources seem to indicate Edge would have had different hair and a completely different palette design.

The earliest design (on the left) seems to have Edge with brown hair combed backwards, with a gray cloak, dark green or teal armor and shoes, and cream-colored pants. The second design (in the middle), used on the game's Japanese box art alongside "Warrior" Cecil, is an evolution of this design, cleaned up with bright green armor and a blue cloak. The final on the right, used for the GBA port, shows the correct colors, indicating the former two designs are definitely not the final ones, although the hair is still not accurate to the original in-game sprite.

Finally some mockups of the original sprite, recolored to resemble the two prototype designs.

Ultimania 25th Anniversary SAMPLE Images

A sample page of this guidebook is floating around showing some interesting gridded plans for menu screens. In those are some prototype character portrait designs!

Save Screen Mockup

Mockup	Final

The first mockup is an early version of the screen asking where to save. In the final version you are taken to a far more contextual screen showing all four save files with character information. The default character class is あんこくきし (Dark Knight), and the character name is... ザリガニイル (Zaliganiel), a name that never appears in the game! The text in the upper left reads "New Game", "Save 1" through "Save 4"; the bottom text reads "このデータでいいですか？ はい いいえ" which translates to "Is this data okay? Yes No". The final text reads "まえのデータをけしますか？", or "Do you want to delete the previous data?".

Most interesting is the character portraits, which all have differences from the final game:

Cecil

Mockup	Final

Here is Dark Knight "Zaliganiel", with a portrait looking closer to a Dark Knight from the previous game as pictured above this line. This portrait doesn't bear a resemblance to most other character art for Dark Knight Cecil, which would imply this is for another character entirely - without the gold trim, however, it does bear a resemblance to the original SD artwork for "battle" Cecil:

Yang

Mockup	Final

Yang's head is angled differently, and the prototype artwork seems like it would be too large to fit the reserved space, but otherwise the prototype portrait is very close to what was used in the final game.

Rydia

Mockup	Final

This portrait is nearly identical to the final game's, barring some spiky hair on the right side of her head.

Adult Rydia

Mockup	Final

This portrait is completely different from the final game, and seems to be of very poor quality compared to the final portrait, with a very low mouth and a lot of forehead exposure.

Edge

Mockup	Final

There isn't much here, but the contour of his hair doesn't seem to be as detailed as it is in the final game.

Shop Mockup

Mockup	Final

The only differences here are that the party member sprites aren't put into a box in the mockup, and the flavor text at the top. In the mockup, it's hard to read, but reads something like "なにをおもとめでー？" or "What are ya looking for?". In the final it reads "どれにいたしましょう？" or "Which do you want?"

Config Mockup

Mockup	Final

An extremely elaborate controller configuration screen was (wisely) cut down to a simple menu in the final game. The title text differs; the mockup reads something like "ボタンはいち" (Button layout), and the final's is "カスタマイザ" (Customizer).

Config Number	A	B	X	Y
1	Select	Cancel	Menu	"All-Cancel"
2	Cancel	"All-Cancel"	Select	Menu
3	All-Cancel	Menu	Cancel	Select
4	Menu	Select	"All-Cancel"	Cancel

Prototype Information from official Japanese "Final Fantasy Setting Material" Guide Book

There is some information from one of the guidebooks with information that seems to hint at concepts that were entirely cut before being implemented into the game, or were part of an earlier build of the game but were later changed or omitted, as it's known from the game's designers that a huge portion of the game's script was cut before the final version.

"Cain lost his parents when he was young. Since his father was a particularly active and vigilant captain renowned for his exemplary service to the Corps in his day, rumors even arose that he was assassinated. The members of the Dragon Knight Corps fell to squabbling and chaos; only the fallen captain's dragon held true to his memory, still faithfully awaiting his return. The dragon's devotion touched the hearts of the Dragon Knights and spurred them to regroup. The dragon, however, continued to waste away regardless. It was Cain, under the watchful eyes of the corps, who eventually saved the fading dragon. Due to his great ability to connect with dragons, Cain was appointed captain of the Dragon Knight Corps."

"Dragon Knights train and tame dragons for riding, but since the process takes at the very least about fifteen years, positions within the corps are hereditary. Moreover, since dragon breeding is labor-intensive and cannot be mechanized, the Dragon Knight Corps has not been included in Baron's recent military expansion."

"Dragon Knights can handle a variety of weapons - swords, lances, and more. They favor the long range of lances, though, for the particulars of aerial combat and of fighting astride a dragon."

"Given that Rosa is of noble blood and has a Dragon Knight for a father, however, her family does not approve of her associating with Cecil, whose origins and parentage are unknown. Therefore, Rosa has kept her true feelings hidden within her heart."

"Octomammoth. A crazed octopus that has settled in the city sewers. It is no ordinary cephalopod; its internal equilibrium has been upset from a chemical reaction to the sewage, and it has grown to a humongous size. Marked by its venomous hues; also has a hard and sharply-pointed head with which it can pierce enemies. Usually, it will entwine its enemies in its tentacles and their powerful suckers, squeezing its prey to death."

"Red Dragon. Frequently encountered in all corners of the world, this dragon boasts huge wings with which it careens across the sky, then swoops down on its enemies. Marked by its pure red body, its strongest weapon is its fiery breath. It is popularly called - and feared as - the "fire dragon" in many parts of the world due to its alleged ability to command flame."

Unreleased Music

Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album contains three additional tracks that aren't present in the final game's data.

Title	Title (Translated)	Title (Official English)	Audio	Linear Notes (Japanese)	Linear Notes (Translation)
序章 (ゲーム未収録曲)	Prologue (not used in game)	The Origin (Unreleased Track)		F.F.IVの制作に入って最初に出来た曲で、この曲のイメージか回の全ての音楽の性格を決定したといえます。結果的には『赤い異」が流れることとなったゲーム導入部分用に作った曲です	Since this was the first composition to be made for the production of F.F.IV., it may be said that this composition’s image determined the character of the music of the entire episode. As a result, this composition was [initially] made for the game introduction where “Red Wings” was played [in the final version of the game].
ローザを救え! (ゲーム未収録曲)	Save Rosa (not used in game)	Restless Moments (Unreleased Track)		当初の企画では、時間制限を設けて一定時間内にローザを栽い出さ ねばゲームオーバーになる場所がありました。 そこで流す予定だった曲ですね。その、ある場所とは 『ワットの示」です。	In the original project, there was a place where it would be ‘game over’ if we exceeded a time limit and Rosa had to be saved within the certain period of time. This is the composition planning to be played there. That place is the “Tower of Zot.”
静かの海 (ゲーム未収録曲)	The Sea of Silence (not used in game)	The Sea of Silence (Unreleased Track)		月のワールドマップで使うつもりでしたが、 ちょっと究囲気かあわなかったのでボツにしました。 かわいそうにね。個人的には気に入つてるんですよ、結柄。ね、そんなに悪くないでしょう?	I intended to use it on the world map of the moon, but I was a little skeptical, so I decided to drop it. I’m sorry. I personally like it. It’s not so bad, is it?