My family didn’t give me any video games for Christmas (clearly they don’t understand me*), so I went out on Boxing Day and picked up a copy of Final Fantasy IV Advance. Can’t say I’m disappointed. Some of the sound effects aren’t spot-on, but the music is as great as ever, and the graphics have been nicely polished. Also, the script has been rewritten and actually localized (not just translated) to not only make more sense, but to actually contain some dramatic heft. Bonus!

I’m nowhere near far enough to have reached the added content (extra dungeons, trials, and ultimate weapons), but I have had the chance to sample a number of the new features in the GBA version. The ability to move at double speed in towns and dungeons is nice (it took me a moment to realize that autorun could be disabled), as is the quick save feature that lets you suspend the game while you’re away from a save point.

One quibble: the battles seriously need a pause feature. I need to be able to put the game down mid-battle to go move my car so my brother doesn’t hit it while backing out of the garage without coming back to find my whole party dead at the hand of the skeletons I was fighting. Or what if you’re playing this game on your public-transit commute? Or on the bench between your field appearances as part of the Colts’ special teams? Or in between panicked calls from the International Space Station? These situations shouldn’t mean that some lowly Goblin can have his way with you.

Other than that, so far, it’s great. You should totally play it.

CORRECTION! I discovered last night that there is, in fact, a pause feature. Although that doesn’t explain to me why pressing start in battle didn’t seem to do anything on Monday. Anyway, now there’s really no reason not to play this fine, fine RPG classic. You do like RPGs, don’t you?