History YMMV / FinalFantasyIV

* NintendoHard: The original Japanese release and the [=DS=] version were hard enough that the version released for the SNES was substantially nerfed in difficulty (this was also released in Japan as an 'easytype' version.) This came as a nasty surprise to Western players who were only familiar with the reduced-difficulty English SNES release who then replayed the [=DS=] version. Mind you, even the reduced-difficulty English SNES release was still pretty difficult.

** The Pixel Remaster is also considered this from fans, with several considering it ''the'' easiest version. The amount of EXP to gain per level was cut in half, making it much easier to grind to higher levels. In addition, some items had their cost reduced as well, meaning there was much less grinding overall. Plus, unlike the SNES and other versions, the player never seems to run out of arrows in battle, no matter how many times they're used to fight enemies with any bow. Thanks to this decrease in the equipment cost and increase in leveling speed, bosses are much easier to do away with unless one is actively skipping enemies, even with auto-battle turned on. Of particular note is the Demon Wall, a WakeUpCallBoss for the end-game, where it does require some strategy at moderate level gain, but can now be easily beaten in only a few turns at a moderate pace with the reduced XP per level threshold. Exclusive optional [=QoL=] enhancements and EXP/Gil Boosters make the game extra easier.

* SequelDifficultySpike: The 3D remake is not only harder than the remake of ''FFIII'' (and other versions of ''FFIV''), but is also one of the hardest games in the series. Enemies have more HP and better AI, attacks and counters. Several bosses were redesigned to be more challenging, and some were even made to specifically counter the strategy that players would have tried in the sprite-based releases. The difficulty can be mitigated a bit with the new Augment system, which gives new abilities to improve the party's effectiveness, but they still have their work cut out for them.

** The ''music'' also falls victim to this, after a fashion. It still sounds good even today, for sure, but in 1991 going from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9J91NDX_HI this]] to '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoKwx7BexFQ this]]''', from NES FM synth to near-perfect [[UsefulNotes/{{MOD}} MOD orchestration-sampling]], was absolutely revelatory. Its use in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBXVcXysdac#t=13s opening sequence]] alone, using volume control and broader instrumentation to make for a more effective lead-in before the orchestra hits, cemented the game's place in the zeitgeist of the time all by itself.

** Most of the text in the SNES translation comes off as narmy. Because Square's in-house translators in Japan couldn't use the words "die" or "kill", it led to some unintentionally hilarious dialogue as an unintentional consequence. One in particular is when Edge meets his [[spoiler:possessed]] parents in the Tower of Babil in the SNES version. "Come with us, Edge...to the Dark World!" If you've played ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', you can see how ridiculous this line is.

** Outside of very limited situations noted above, the Goblin/Imp summon is basically useless, and it has the same drop rate as things like extra ribbons or the other hidden summons. The only reason it shows up more frequently is because goblins are common foes in several areas. (That said, it is a decent offensive option if you get it early in the game, while Rydia is still a child.) The [=FireBomb=] in the American SNES version as well -- not a terribly common drop, from an enemy that only shows up as an uncommon encounter late in the game, and its problems are noted on the main page under UselessItem.
** The other optional Summons for Rydia that can only be found as drops in the game. Although the Goblin can be useful early in the game (where it can potentially drop), the others are all outclassed by her regular arsenal.

* JunkRare: Outside of very limited situations noted above, the Goblin/Imp summon is basically useless, and it has the same drop rate as things like extra ribbons or the other hidden summons. The only reason it shows up more frequently is because goblins are common foes in several areas. (That said, it is a decent offensive option if you get it early in the game, while Rydia is still a child.) The [=FireBomb=] in the American SNES version as well -- not a terribly common drop, from an enemy that only shows up as an uncommon encounter late in the game, and its problems are noted on the main page under UselessItem.

* GrowingTheBeard: Many fans consider the game to be the starting point of the franchise taking itself seriously with CharacterDevelopment and a fleshed out plot. While it's not as impressive decades later, but the game remains popular and recognized for what it did for the franchise in its time.

** As noted, Golbez when encountered in the Dwarf Castle ''can'' be this in certain versions of the game (specifically the original US SNES release). It's bad enough that you fight him right after the slugfest with the Calcabrina dolls, but the first part of the battle is treated as an in-game cutscene where Golbez summons a Shadow Dragon to kill everyone except Cecil, before [[BigDamnHeroes Rydia shows up]] and frees our hero from paralysis. That leaves you with just two out of five characters in fighting shape. Now, in later editions of the game (from the GBA onwards), this isn't as bad as it might seem because the leveling has been sped up and you're likely to have enough stats to survive the pounding. The 3D versions give Golbez a lot more HP, but it's still a similar fight overall. And this isn't factoring in the one-use items you get that can cause status effects - in particular, the Tower of Zot can give you a Lunar curtain, so if you use that and give a character Reflect for a bit, Golbez will largely kill himself on your shielded character. And even lacking that, Webs are plentiful, so slowing him to molasses is trivial. The original US SNES release, however, ''removes'' those items to make the game "simpler", while still featuring the original, unaltered leveling curve and stats. The end result is that the fight turns into a grueling race to get people up and beat down Golbez's HP bar while he relentlessly pounds you with amped-up -ra level spells and Virus/Bio (which is capable of taking most characters down from full HP) and your only real way to slow him down begins the fight face down on the floor.
*** Also, the fight can potentially be UnintentionallyUnwinnable. If Cecil is [=KOed=] at the start, Golbez will just kill the rest of the party, leading to a Game Over.

** Lodestone Cavern/Magnetic Cave: The cave has a certain effect where anyone who is using ''any'' gear that is made of metal will be completely paralyzed and unable to attack. To counteract this, you must equip gear that is non-magnetic. For Yang and Tellah, this is not a particularly big deal. For Cid, it can be annoying. For Cecil, it is crippling. His only real option for the dungeon is to equip a bow and arrow, a weapon he is not exactly proficient with. And non-metal gear tends to be inferior to metal gear as well, so the party is not running at full efficiency. And if you somehow miss talking to Edward before entering the dungeon, the dungeon's boss is unbeatable.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Though not accurate to the original Japanese script, "spoony" is a real word, meaning lovestruck or foolish. Thus, it's used accurately in relation to Edward's character.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Among the Elemental Archfiends, Barbariccia and Rubicante have more of a following than the other two. The former thanks to her [[EvilIsSexy sexiness]] and [[{{Stripperiffic}} outfit]], and the latter thanks to his NobleDemon tendencies. They even got to be playable in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyRecordKeeper'', getting that distinction before a fair chunk of the cast of ''The After Years''.

* GrowingTheBeard: Many fans consider the game to be the starting point of the franchise taking itself seriously with CharacterDevelopment and a fleshed out plot. SeinfeldIsUnfunny has sunk in over the years (see further down), but the game remains popular and recognized for what it did for the franchise in its time.
* HypeBacklash: Of the six "Nintendo-era" ''Final Fantasy'' games, this one is the most heavily exposed and marketed -- it got a 3D remake, a sequel, both got ported to PSP with enhanced graphics, and the sequel got a 3D remake itself, while Cecil and Kain are pushed as iconic characters almost to the level of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning]] sometimes. However, many feel [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the game has not aged very well]] and wonder why it gets so much attention from Square Enix when its fellow SNES titles, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', have much better gameplay and stories (the latter is more arguable in regards to ''V'', which opted for a much more simplistic and lighthearted story bordering on ExcusePlot territory), and prior to 2013 had nothing more to their names than their GBA ports (and when they did get modern ports, they had ''far'' less effort put into them).

* ObviousJudas: If it wasn't obvious enough that your having a full party meant Baigan wouldn't join you, recall his previous {{Jerkass}} behavior in the prologue, when he scoffed at Cecil's remorse over killing the Mysidians and readily badmouthed him to the king.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:
** The game was a ''huge'' departure from the previous games at the time. The cast of playable characters is vast, their personalities are developed and unique and they will leave or join Cecil on his quest as their interests align, it was the introduction of the Active Time Battle system when turn-based combat was the norm for [=RPGs=], there are bosses who change their attack patterns and behaviors forcing the player to adapt, and the story is far deeper, the gameplay being driven by the plot instead of the player being free to wander the world. In short, this is when ''Final Fantasy'' [[GrowingTheBeard truly began to come into its own]]. Of course, the series has since surpassed this game in story, character and gameplay complexity, so when you talk about ''IV'' today, you'll hear about how it has a boring battle system with little customization and flexibility, boring characters, and a straightforward and simple story.
** The ''music'' also falls victim to this, after a fashion. It still sounds good even today, for sure, but in 1991 going from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9J91NDX_HI this]] to '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoKwx7BexFQ this]]''', from NES FM synth to near-perfect [[UsefulNotes/{{MOD}} MOD orchestration-sampling]], was absolutely revelatory. Its use in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBXVcXysdac#t=13s opening sequence]] alone, using volume control and broader instrumentation to make for a more effective lead-in before the orchestra hits, cemented the game's place in the zeitgeist of the time all by itself.

** The Behemoths get Maelstrom. You thought the Tornado spell, which [[HPToOne reduces HP to a single digit]], was bad news? Imagine that on your entire party all at once. Thankfully, it only uses this attack if you cast Holy or Meteor on it, but it's still a huge disadvantage.

** In the first Japanese and North American releases of the Game Boy Advance port, there is a random bug in which the game will semi-regularly give a character an extra turn immediately after they take a turn. It's similar to using Quick in later ''Final Fantasy'' games (which is frequently listed as a GameBreaker rightfully in those games), except it's free, present from the beginning, and anyone can use it rather than just those who put in the work with time magic. This takes the challenge out of pretty much all of the game. There was also another Game Breaker where the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity+1 Swords]] added to the game were well beyond what even the BonusBoss could handle -- most infamously, Abel's Lance (for Kain) could randomly cast a spell that instantly set an opponent to single-digit health. And ''nothing'' resisted it. While the game's translation is held in high regard, often seen as one of the better versions of the script, this version of ''FFIV'' itself is frequently derided as one worst of due to its easiness and bugs. The 1.1 Japanese and European versions corrected the "free turn" bug and are generally considered to be solid versions on the other hand, being identical to the PSP version of ''FFIV'' graphical changes aside.