4 Heroes of Light's Lasting Impact 15 Years Later

Final Fantasy‘s influence is often very obvious. As one of the biggest names in the RPG genre for decades, the series has had an impact on countless competitors, and key entries like Final Fantasy 7 carved out indelible impressions in gaming history. Not every Final Fantasy title is widely remembered, however, and Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is one that’s fallen largely by the wayside.

4 Heroes of Light was released for the Nintendo DS on October 5, 2010, in North America, nearly a year after it debuted in Japan. Unlike some spin-offs, 4 Heroes of Light maintains a lot of core genre elements, boasting a lengthy story filled with classic turn-based combat and random encounters. Despite Square Enix’s propensity for remakes and remasters, 4 Heroes of Light has never reappeared since its original release, but it’s managed to make a mark in other ways.

Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes Of Light Was A Unique Spin-Off

Equal Parts Familiar & New

I’m not really the target audience for 4 Heroes of Light. While I love some games with turn-based random encounters, especially Final Fantasy 7, a high encounter rate or any sense of grinding turns me off pretty fast. What attracts me about 4 Heroes of Light isn’t the core gameplay, but the art, which stands out as some of the best 3D design on the DS.

A chunky, low-poly world and rolling curve of the horizon make 4 Heroes of Light look a bit like Animal Crossing: Wild World, which isn’t a bad thing. Layering its own ideas on top of that foundation, however, is what really makes it stand out. The soft, painterly color scheme drapes the world in gentle hues, and architecture that slopes irregularly gives everything a lopsided, handmade feel.

Mechanically, it’s a grab bag of older Final Fantasy ideas and its own curiosities. Veterans shouldn’t have trouble picking up the nuances of a central job system, but random auto-targeting can take some getting used to. Some of these concepts never made it into future games, but the next title from the same creators ended up sharing plenty of the same DNA.

4 Heroes Of Light Paved The Way For Major RPGs

Team Asano Has Reached Greater Heights

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster woman in white dress in the middle of hooded figures.

Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light‘s spiritual successor isn’t a Final Fantasy game at all. In lieu of a direct follow-up, 4 Heroes of Light‘s producer and other key figures moved on to Bravely Default, a 3DS RPG that was quickly hailed as a modern classic. The games play differently, but along with the smattering of mechanical ideas that do carry over, 4 Heroes of Light fans could definitely recognize the similarity in art styles.

While 4 Heroes of Light fell off the map, Bravely Default certainly hasn’t. A direct sequel called Bravely Second: End Layer followed, as did Bravely Default 2, a Switch entry with a new world and story. The original game made its way back to store shelves with Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, which arrived among the limited lineup of Switch 2 launch titles.

That’s not the only lineage that can be traced back to 4 Heroes of Light, however. In addition to starting a franchise, Bravely Default set the stage for Octopath Traveler, yet another game from the same producer, Tomoyo Asano. While development of Asano’s games has undergone various studio changes, a core crew known as Team Asano persists.

Among all Asano games, Octopath Traveler has had the most widespread influence. The game’s HD-2D style quickly propagated as a modern twist on the classic pixel art formula, providing a new way to make expansive RPGs without massive development cycles or costs. It’s a love-it-or-hate-it approach, but more than enough people seem to fall into the former camp.

Team Asano has reused the style in Octopath sequels, Triangle Strategy, Live a Live and Dragon Quest remakes, and the upcoming The Adventures of Elliot. Despite coming from a different team, Star Ocean: The Second Story R also takes a similar tack.

Bravely Default & Octopath Owe A Lot To 4 Heroes Of Light

A Quietly Unshakable Legacy

Octopath Traveler 0's Key Art shows the main character walking toward a town. — Octopath Traveler 0’s Key Art shows the main character walking toward a town.

Team Asano’s modern games are no longer looking to Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light for much direct inspiration. Without that predecessor, though, they might not exist at all. Even if 4 Heroes of Light never appears on modern systems, games indebted to the DS curiosity will certainly continue to.

It’s not the only time that Final Fantasy spin-offs have spawned franchises that eclipsed them. Secret of Mana was a sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure, and the Mana name has stuck for all subsequent follow-ups. The opposite has also occurred —Final Fantasy Tactics, which just received a shiny new remaster, owes its existence to the creator’s previous Ogre Battle series.

4 Heroes of Light has gotten the fewest flowers, though, and the game deserves a proper homage on its 15th anniversary. Is it the best game Asano has ever produced? Absolutely not. But all these years later, 4 Heroes of Light is one of the most important Final Fantasy spin-offs, whether Square Enix cares to acknowledge it or not.

Released: October 5, 2010
ESRB: E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
Engine: unreal engine
Multiplayer: Local Multiplayer