Last updated on January 15th, 2026 at 09:35 am
FINAL FANTASY IV – Roleplaying Game Review
FINAL FANTASY IV is a Roleplaying game from SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd., first launched in 8th September 2021.
It’s rated 9+ and currently has 166+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes FINAL FANTASY IV Stand Out
A remodeled 2D take on the fourth game in the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series! Enjoy the timeless story told through charming retro graphics. All the magic of the original, with improved ease of play.
The Kingdom of Baron sent their elite airship fleet, the Red Wings, to attack the surrounding countries. Distressed by his mission, Cecil, a dark knight and captain of the Red Wings, decides to fight against the tyrannical Baron with his trusted friend and his paramour at his side. In his search for the crystals, Cecil must travel over land, under the ground, to the Land of Summons, and even to the moon. Join forces with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner, and many more skilled allies.
FFIV is the first title to introduce the dynamic "Active Time Battle" system, where time moves even during battle, giving the players an exciting sense of urgency.Thanks to the wide appeal of the game, this revolutionary system would be implemented in many future titles in the series.
Witness the dramatic story and dynamic battles in this fourth installment of the FINAL FANTASY series!
■ Beautifully revived with new graphics and sound!
・Universally updated 2D pixel graphics, including the iconic FINAL FANTASY character pixel designs created by Kazuko Shibuya, the original artist and current collaborator.
・Beautifully rearranged soundtrack in a faithful FINAL FANTASY style, overseen by original composer Nobuo Uematsu.
■Improved gameplay!
・Including modernized UI, auto-battle options, and more.
・Also supports game pad controls, making it possible to play using a dedicated gamepad UI when connecting a gamepad to your device.
・Switch the soundtrack between the rearranged version, created for the pixel remaster, or the original version, capturing the sound of the original game.
・Now possible to switch between different fonts, including the default font and a pixel-based font based on the atmosphere of the original game.
・Additional boost features to expand gameplay options, including switching off random encounters and adjusting experience gained multipliers between 0 and 4.
・Dive into the world of the game with supplemental extras like the bestiary, illustration gallery, and music player.
One-time purchase. The app will not require any additional payments to play through the game after the initial purchase and subsequent download.
This remaster is based on the original "FINAL FANTASY IV" game released in 1991. Features and/or content may differ from previously rereleased versions of the game.
[OS Compatibility]
iOS 13.0 or higher
[Applicable Devices]
iPhone 7 Plus, iPad (7th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad mini (5th generation) and higher
This Roleplaying game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, FINAL FANTASY IV is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 27th May 2025
Recent improvements include:
＊Minor bugs have been fixed.
Download & Availability
FINAL FANTASY IV is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get FINAL FANTASY IV on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Great remake of a classic game. One thing that would make it five stars: 2. Include the lunar trials and being able to select characters at the end similar to the GBA version would be great.
The glitch preventing achievement completion has finally been patched alongside several other QOL updates.
This game doesnt support the backbone one we would love to have this feature in the later dates.
Now that this game has controller support, you can pair a PlayStation or Nintendo pro controller and it is awesome! Music is great, game is great! If you like classic RPGs, you will love this game! Highly recommended.
We played this way back when it was called ff2. It seems a lot easier now than then. For some reason, elixirs arent showing up in our inventory. Thats a big deal when you have a lot of spellcasters in your party. Like part 3, tap mode doesnt work with secret doors. Kind of disappointing.
Alright, some minor spoilers for gameplay bellow. This game was the introduction to the new (at the time) way Final Fantasy handles real time back and forth battles. If there were issues in the NES version, we never had any playing through it. The whole process can be turned off but we played through it as it was and didnt mind it after a while. Some battles were pretty hard when you realize you dont have 2~5 minutes to review over your abilities. These enemies can attack whenever so it does add some urgency. Things we liked were leveling wasnt too bad and made it easier to play through. Saw a review that said they made it easier, but as a casual player we felt it made it easier to grind if we want to and beat tough bosses we didnt know would be randomly thrust at us. Am we unhappy that we couldnt play as the end characters we wanted, probably. But we will not fault this game. As a pixel remaster we dont see it as some definitive edition people say it should be. We never played the FF4 3D version which probably has these things, and maybe even added or changed story beats. The story was also pretty good, but Ill forgive them that it wasnt the end all be all standout. This game does great with revitalizing what it should. The game took us even longer to beat than FF3 which is not unexpected. There was a lot of additional content we didnt expect as well. Im curious if we missed anything but all in all, great game. Would recommend playing just to experience it if nothing else.
We LOVE the original Final Fantasy games so you can only imagine how happy we were to learn about these new versions. In good faith we bought the whole FF Pixel Remaster bundle. We were immediately upset to see there was no controller support. When we went online to see if an update was pending, we were dismayed to find out that not only has there NOT been an update in ages, but the PS4 and Switch versions have alternate music tracks, no encounter mode, and an EXP boost mode! As a family man with a rather busy schedule, those last two features would have been extremely welcome. Im unfortunately going to issue request for a refund. Hopefully someday Square will find it in there hearts to make all versions have the same feature set.
We love this game so much but it would be so much better if it had controller support.
Ive been playing square games for years, and its a pleasure to continue. Controller support is whats missing from this great legacy of games.
We love the pixel version of this game. Its beautiful, and the soundtrack is wonderful. This is the first version that felt closest to playing the OG SNES. Im loving the nostalgia of playing our first FF again. Our only complaint is the rare drop rate. While the rare summons are easier to get, the rare weapons and armor are so difficult. We are at the point were we think the Artemis Bow does not exist. Im at lvl 99 now and probably farmed at least 2000 Selene Guardians.
We love this game but it would be better if we could use a controller with it.
Would be nice if you could use the backbone controller.
Square Enix continues its trend of questionable decisions. Is it really the ULTIMATE way to play this classic game if we cant even use a controller (backbone or otherwise) with it? Get it together SE.
The game is just how we remember, but it would be so much better if it were compatible with controllers. Could you please include this in an update.
Surprising this 30 year old game is to much for a iPad. Graphics looks great but the chugging between transitions triggers is going to crash? Spoilers yes it will so save often. We love the quality of life changes from the original but come on. Make it playable.
Im okay with onscreen controls generally, but this is god awful. The graphics are beautiful. It looks like the wonderful PSP port of this game. But why, dear lord, is it so difficult to control? We were disappointed that the version of Final Fantasy games you had in the store was no longer available, so all our save data was lost coming to this version. We created a new AppleID in divorce, but we finally decided Id buy them (again) just to be presented with a prettier version we can barely play. Our character wants to move all over the place. We dont mind the onscreen text appearance as some do, but These controls have got to be fixed. Also, why no Spanish translation? 30% of Americans speak Spanish? The sad thing is, we know none of this is going to be addressed. This port has been out for a while. We saw and ignored the bad reviews because we really missed the story and music from this game. Alas, we dont know if Ill be able to replay it on our iPhone. Our only hope is maybe Apple TV with controller support? Ugh. Why couldnt this just be a clean direct port of the perfection of the PSP perfect port.
There is absolutely no option to play the game in portrait mode. We hate using landscape. There was no warning that we would be forced to use land scape viewing only. Fix this. Its a mobile game, we should be able to play with one hand if we wanted to.
Game needs controller support, we paid much more for this decades old game than we would any other new iOS game only for it to not be updated to modern accessibility. ADD CONTROLLER SUPPORT PLEASE.
The Master of IV achievement is bugged on this game just like with the other pixel remasters. If the final achievement doesnt trigger correctly it may get locked for you as well. Support was no help and we haven't found a way to force it to trigger. The touch controls are janky. Tap to move works fantastic, unfortunately you cant use tap to move in hidden walls forcing you to swap to the touch joystick. Please add controller support! The older versions had it and the steam version of these has it! Ill change our review if these issues are ever patched.
Game is great but needs controller support.
Booted up the game after buying and there is no sound or music!!! Can someone tell us why that is.
Please and thank you. We just bought this backbone controller and it is not compatible. Please make it compatible. Thanks.
Absolutely love the Pixel Remasters. These are perfect time capsules to our childhood. Everything is the same but with improved graphics and easy playability on mobile – you get the choice of touch controls or tap to move. If you want controller support, then we suggest you play on Steam.
A flawless remaster of a timeless classic. Its really a joy to play on iOS. It would be 5/5 if it werent for review bombers.
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Four for four !! Final fantasy 4 get a 4 stars. The PSP version is a straight 5 stars. The reason why we have to dock points is due to certain nuances that affects the game play experience. First, the text is rather small and difficult to read. Second, the directional pad is quite large and occupies space. Third, unlike the PSP version, there is no bonus content. Fourth and final, there is no controller support. All in all if you want to support square and want a copy of FF4 on your phone then its a decent buy, otherwise we would suggest to just replay the PSP version for a more complete experience. Did we get our moneys worth ? Tbh its a no, but nostalgia in our case has superseded common sense. Even the pixelated sprites are at best average. Unfortunately this is just a watered down version.
Please add controller support squareenix! Otherwise pixel remaster is great! Wonderful remixed music by the original composer. Graphics are nicely done. Extra features such as quick save and auto battle are a nice feature. Dont know why they havent added controller support. Old school gamers dont like touch controls.
Please add controller support for the backbone.
Great remake of a classic game. Two things that would make it five stars- 1, the Master of IV Achievement doesnt activate even when all other achievements are unlocked. 2. Included the lunar trials and being able to select characters at the end similar to the GBA version would be great.
The on screen virtual game pad is awkward. Bluetooth controller support would be better.
A great version of this classic but please add controller support.
It looks and sounds great, but there is zero challenge in the FF4 pixel remaster. SNES version was way more challenging, took twice as long to level up, and you had to level up to beat the bosses. You cant walk through the 4 elemental fiends with no sweat in the SNES version like you can with this. This version also has the least amount of content. The 3D version is better. Way more content and its challenging. With the pixel remaster you are stuck with super easy difficulty and a shorter game.
Is anyone else having trouble with this? Last achievement is the achievement for getting all achievements and it is still locked. Anyways. Good game. This port is too easy, but the interface is good. Would be nice to have more features like old endgame content, swapped music for original, etc. FIX ACHIEVEMENTS PLEASE.
Would be higher but you will never get rare drops to drop even after over a 1000+ battles. They increased pink tail and now you can get it in 10 battles but if your farming more ribbons and protect rings dont waste your time farming youll never get any extra ones. Adding new game + and hard mode would be nice as well and controller support.
This game is best played with a controller, like the original. We wish controllers were supported.
We want to use our iPhone as a handheld, and this is one of the games we miss most from our PSP. Square was so close with a perfect release but didnt add basic controller support. Add it in and this is five stars.
Love the game, but crashes frequently which gets in the way of enjoyment. Could be because were playing on an iPad? Anyway, Ill update this if they fix this problem.
Great game but without controller support we regret our purchase and wish we bought it on PC instead or waited for a Switch version.
The game looks great, and the music sounds good, for all intents and purposes, but some people actually want to play the game they remember, and this soundtrack does not have that same retro feel. It would be great to have an option to switch to the original sound, since that is a huge part of what made the original game so great, and is something that got us to purchase this app, which we probably wont play now.
Not at all sure why, in the year of our lord 2022, there is still a need to call upon games like this that natively supported controller to do so on iOS. Just make it happen! 5 stars if added.
The much older 3D remaster has controller support for mobile phones, and the PC port for this remaster has controller support, so we dont understand why this version doesnt. Was looking forward to playing this on our iPhone with gamepad, very disappointed to see it not supported.
This is a glitchy mess, but the worst thing is just how bad the directional pad is. It makes the game almost unplayable. Considering all the other games have the same issue, its gunna be a hard pass.
Dont waste money on this slop – No controller support – Very easy and watered down with zero challenge – Missing content from previous versions.
Its probably worth 4 stars. The game is beautiful and has the best soundtrack of any version of this game. Im only giving one star because we spent 20 hours to grind all the achievements and the final achievement never unlocked. We have 29/30 achievements and the last one is earn all other achievements. Total joke. We dont recommend grinding for achievements because theres a chance you wont even get them. If they fix this bug Ill change rating to 4 stars.
The music alone makes it worth. A joy to play on our ipad.
We were skeptical But the soundtrack is stunning. The subtle effects are great for quality of life. And the font, which looks terrible in screenshots, is extremely easy on the eyes in motion. Happy to finally complete our FF IV journey.
Its a very good release. After playing for awhile, though, theres a lot more that could make it worth the price. For example, Controller Support. We could suggest adding the original soundtracks, not saying the new arrangements are bad -theyre amazing, in fact – but the feature would at least make it worth the price. Even then, the ports are very well made. Our only other complaint is how small the battle UI is on an iPhone 11, but thats it. The QoL updates make the game a lot fun, the music is very good, as well as the sprite work. Its very good, we very much love FF4, it just needs a little more to make it worth the price.
This was our first RPG back in the 90s, and Im happy to say it holds up. Ive played most versions of IV, most recently the 3D one. If theres something about the 3D reimagining that we disliked, its how slow the whole experience felt, from combat to dialogue. Every little fight took like a minute to resolve. In this version you can get through most random encounters in 20 seconds, which keeps the pace up, like the original did. The music is outstanding and the rearranged tracks strike a good balance between the classic MIDIs and real instrumentation. All sprites look fantastic, and theyve added really cool particle animations to spell effects etc. Negatives are: – Horrible font, would welcome an option for the classic pixel fonts – No controller support – Touch d-pad is awful, use tap to move instead (though tap to move doesnt work for discovering secret passages) – Easier than the 3D version (we never wiped in the entire play through).
Im used to mobile games always creating a quicksave if you close the app. Closed accidentally several times and lost progress. This is standard with mobile titles.
The only reason this masterpiece isnt getting 5 stars is because of Square Enixs puzzling decision not to have controller support. Dont get us wrong, the touch controls work fine but are not ideal. The Steam version supports controllers and other Square titles like Chrono Trigger and even other FF titles support them on iOS so whats the deal?? Also would really prefer a console port of these games since they belong there. Still one of our favorite Final Fantasy games and they nailed it when it comes to the soundtrack. Please add controller support though. Please.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.2.2
- Size: 468.50 MB
- iOS: 13.0 or later
- Languages: EN, FR, DE, IT, JA, KO, PT, RU, ZH, ES, TH, ZH
- Content Advisory: Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
- Developer: SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.
Last updated: 27th May 2025 | Genre: Roleplaying | Developer: SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.