Originally released in December 2005 for the Game Boy Advance, Final Fantasy 4 Advance is one of several Final Fantasy ports to make its way to the console. The release of Final Fantasy 4 Advance would come between the GBA ports of both Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 2 as part of the Dawn of Souls collection and the GBA port of Final Fantasy 6. The original Final Fantasy 4 would be the series’ first foray into 16-bit and the franchise’s debut on the Super Famicom/SNES. As such, Final Fantasy 4 is many longtime Final Fantasy fans’ first introduction to the series, with the title originally releasing in North America as Final Fantasy II in 1991.
The main source for the GBA port of Final Fantasy 4 is the WonderSwan Color version of the title, with the visuals and audio featuring slight improvements over that version courtesy of the GBA’s superior hardware. However, the team at Tose (assisting Square Enix with the porting process) would put extra care into the game’s script and localization. Several key elements from the original script are either missing or censored in the original SNES port of Final Fantasy 4, and these discrepancies are resolved in Final Fantasy 4 Advance. Further, the team would add two version-exclusive dungeons as a bonus challenge to players.
The enduring popularity of Final Fantasy 4 among franchise fans and JRPG enthusiasts would help the title achieve strong sales for a port of an almost 15-year-old game. Total sales of Final Fantasy 4 Advance are estimated to be just over 230,000 units, and the title would receive considerable critical praise as well. While it doesn’t quite reach the same level of universal acclaim as Final Fantasy 6 Advance, FF4 Advance holds a respectable 85% positive review aggregate score.
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Premise
©Final Fantasy 4 Advance gameplay screenshot – Original
In Final Fantasy 4 Advance, players take on the role of the Dark Knight Cecil as he struggles to unravel a mysterious plot revolving around the world’s Crystals. Cecil is the commander of the Red Wings, the elite air force of the powerful military nation of Baron. When the King of Baron begins using his country’s military might to forcefully collect the Crystals from other nations, Cecil finds himself conflicted between honor and duty. What follows is a quest for redemption that ranks among the Final Fantasy series’ best narratives, complete with one of its better-supporting casts and some truly emotional highs.
Similar to other games in the series, Final Fantasy 4 is a traditional JRPG. Players control a party of heroes who must do battle with enemies to earn experience. In turn, gaining experience leads to leveling up and improving character stats and abilities. New to Final Fantasy 4 is the Active-Time Battle (ATB system), which transforms encounters into something more engaging than previously found in the JRPG subgenre. FF4‘s ATB allows enemies to attack while characters decide on their actions in battle. As a result, players must be able to think on their toes and quickly formulate strategies based on their party’s abilities.
In terms of its gameplay and plot, Final Fantasy 4 Advance is identical to other versions of the game. However, one of the key differences is the game’s additional dungeons. The Game Boy Advance version of FF4 contains two unique dungeons. Each of these locations (Lunar Ruins and Cave of Trials) features challenging optional boss encounters. In exchange for overcoming these dungeons, players get access to each character’s ultimate equipment. These items do not appear in the original Super Famicom/SNES release of Final Fantasy 4.
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Main Characters
©CheatCC
When discussing the best storylines in the Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy 4 tends to come up often. In addition to featuring a classic “Hero’s Journey” centering around a relatable tale of redemption, FF4 has one of the best casts in the series. The main character Cecil is a powerful warrior who must choose between using his position to help others or achieve personal gain, and his love interest is caught in a dramatic triangle between him and his best friend/rival and enemy Kain. Joining the story’s core trio is a colorful cast of characters with unique abilities that rotate in and out of Cecil’s orbit. The main characters in Final Fantasy 4 Advance include:
- Cecil: The commander of Baron’s Red Wings and a powerful Dark Knight. Cecil is the main character and hero of Final Fantasy 4. His doubts over Baron’s quest for the Crystals lead to a sweeping tale of redemption for the young hero.
- Kain: Kain is Cecil’s best friend and adoptive brother. As the commander of Baron’s Dragoon Knights, he is an equally influential figure in the kingdom. When Cecil departs on his quest, he joins the side of his ally and eventually turns from friend to enemy and back again.
- Rosa: Cecil’s romantic interest and Baron’s most powerful White Mage. Rosa’s love for Cecil can never be requited thanks to his position as a Dark Knight, which helps motivate him to change his ways and seek redemption.
- Rydia: The only surviving Summoner from the village of Mist. Cecil’s journey puts him in contact with Rydia under tragic circumstances. This prompts Cecil to swear to protect the young mage at all costs.
- Golbez: Golbez is the primary antagonist of Final Fantasy 4. He manipulates the King of Baron to collect the world’s Crystals.
Games in the Final Fantasy Series
For more than 35 years, the Final Fantasy series has been synonymous with the JRPG subgenre. Along with Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy is responsible for establishing the conventions of the RPG subgenre. Additionally, Final Fantasy would go on to influence entire generations of creators thanks to its consistent quality in both gameplay and storytelling. With more than 16 mainline entires and dozens of spin-offs, Final Fantasy is also one of the most prolific RPG franchises in history. Mainline games in the Final Fantasy series include:
- Final Fantasy (1987)
- Final Fantasy II (1988)
- Final Fantasy III (1990)
- Final Fantasy IV (1991)
- Final Fantasy V (1992)
- Final Fantasy VI (1994)
- Final Fantasy VII (1997)
- Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
- Final Fantasy IX (2000)
- Final Fantasy X (2001)
- Final Fantasy XI (2002)
- Final Fantasy XII (2006)
- Final Fantasy III (DS) (2006)
- Final Fantasy IV (DS) (2007)
- Final Fantasy XIII (2009)
- Final Fantasy XIV (2013)
- Final Fantasy XV (2016)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
- Final Fantasy XVI (2023)
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024)
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Cheats & Secrets
Though Final Fantasy 4 Advance doesn’t have any official cheats, there are some secrets and Easter Eggs within the game. Additionally, there are many Action Replay cheats available for the game. The Game Boy Advance version of Final Fantasy 4 also features some unique unlockables that are exclusive to that particular release of the game.
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Unlockables
Completing specific conditions will net players the following unlockables as a reward:
| Unlockable | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lunar Ruins | Beat Final Fantasy 4 Advance to unlock a version-exclusive dungeon on the Moon. The Lunar Ruins contain special trials that reward the 5 final party members with ultimate equipment. |
| Music Player | Beat Final Fantasy 4 Advance to unlock the Music Player. Players can access the soundtrack under the Extras option on the main menu. |
| The Cave of Trials | After beating the game once, start a new game. After unlocking Party Switching and heading back to Mysidia, players will learn of a new trial awaiting them at Mt. Ordeals. Completing these trials will reward ultimate equipment for the other party members in Final Fantasy 4 Advance. |
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Easter Eggs
1991 Developer Team Office
The “Developer’s Room” from previous versions of Final Fantasy 4 is now the “1991 Developer Team Office” in Final Fantasy 4 Advance. After arriving in the Underworld, defeat Golbez in the crystal room of the Dwarven Castle. Get access to the armory and head down to the weapon/armor room. Go behind the pillar that is between the two shop desks. Move up from this spot to enter the hidden Lali Ho Pub. After, move to the right to the dark spot on the floor. This is a hidden path where you can walk through the wall. Climb down the stairs to reach the 1991 Developer Team Office entrance. Enter the hidden area to talk to the team behind Final Fantasy 4.
Magazine in 1991 Developer Team Office
While inside the 1991 Developer Team Office, players can access a hidden magazine on the shelf in the first room going down the hallway to the right. If Cecil examines it, the screen will turn purple and music will begin to play. Cecil will then remark “Now that is some good literature!”.
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Glitches & Secrets
Psycho Edward Glitch
Edward will become “Hidden” whenever his HP gets too low. Interestingly, players can take advantage of this by afflicting Edward with Berserk and then putting him into critical status. Cast Berserk on Edward and then either attack him with a strong melee character or cast a spell that will bring him to critical HP (such as Tornado). He will Hide his next turn, but he will also pop out at the beginning of every turn to attack because of his Berserk status.
Flan Princess Glitch
The Flan Princess is an extremely rare encounter that players will come across in the Lunar Subterrane (the final dungeon). On Floor B5, the southeasternmost room containing a treasure chest is the only location where players will find the Flan Princess. The Flan Princess drops the Pink Tail item, which players can exchange for the strongest armor in Final Fantasy 4 Advance — the Adamant Armor. To easily fight multiple battles with the Flan Princess and negate their rarity (1 in 64 chance to encounter), follow these steps:
- Get to the Flan Princess room on the southeastern portion of Floor B5 in the Lunar Subterrane. There is a treasure chest and the room looks similar to an upside-down L.
- Quick Save the game and turn off the Game Boy Advance as soon as you return to the Final Fantasy 4 title screen.
- Turn the GBA back on and select “Continue”. When given the option to continue from your Quick Save, press B to go back to the Main Menu.
- Select “Continue” again, selecting “Yes” after getting the chance to continue from the Quick Save.
- If done correctly, you will either fight a group of 5 Flan Princesses in your first encounter, or you may face a Gold or Silver Dragon, 3 encounters with Dino Zombies, and then a group of 2 Flan Princesses on the 5th encounter.
- After defeating either set of encounters, repeat the process as necessary to earn Pink Tails (plus tons of Experience and Gold).
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Action Replay Cheats
If players have an Action Replay device for the Game Boy Advance, they can take advantage of tons of Final Fantasy 4 Advance cheats. Alternatively, players using a GBA emulator can enter these cheats into the emulator’s “Cheat” menu.
General Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Master Code (Must Be On) | 00005DC3 000A 100BA024 0007 |
| No Random Battles | 3200E064 0001 |
| No Random Battles (Alternate) | D3D05B59 8E9A |
| Sprint Faster on World Map | 8E872727 B183 |
| 65K Gil After Each Battle | 820072BC FFFF |
| Infinite Gil | 820072BC DF47 820072BE 05F5 |
| 50K EXP After Each Battle | 6D723159 BE0F 61E79A13 B41A 0E1E1938 DFBF 0AFF8A63 96AB |
| 50K Gil After Each Battle | 6D723159 BE0F 4B7F8C17 B6B3 0E1E1938 DFBF 28778C67 9603 |
| Save Anywhere | A45B75A7 F222 574BC8F1 40E8 |
| Bestiary Complete | A07AE44E 3E30 200A75EF B462 |
| View Complete Bestiary | 420073EC 80FF 0000011A 0002 |
| Infinite HP (In Battle) | 6D723159 BE0F 38144FF5 EB51 306E1D6D E560 0E1E1938 DFBF 5BD86585 CAE1 306E1D6D E560 |
| Infinite MP (In Battle) | 6D723159 BE0F B8F0E6F4 2A05 306E1D6D E560 0E1E1938 DFBF D368F484 08B4 306E1D6D E560 |
Cecil Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| 255 MP | 820069FC FFFF |
| 65K HP | 820069F8 FFFF 820069FA FFFF |
| Max Agility | A471DCB7 1204 |
| Max Attack | 8EE9CAB3 10AD |
| Max Evasion | 12EDDCDD 80E4 |
| Max Intellect | A470DCA7 3E04 |
| Max Magic Defense | D36C5BA0 0CEA |
| Max Magic Evasion | E5E65B2A 1C18 |
| Max Precision | C7EF5B3A 30B8 |
| Max Spirit | 9AE9CAB9 00AD |
| Max Stamina | B070DCAD 2E04 |
| Max Strength | B071DCBD 0204 |
| Max EXP | 9A790BD8 62F8 4F1FA437 D3E7 |
| Max HP | 5749DAA9 C0F8 5748DAB9 ECF8 |
| Max MP | B42575CC 0114 B42475DC 2D14 |
Kain Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| 65K HP | 82024CA0 FFFF |
| Max Agility | 8E2DE4B7 11A5 |
| Max Attack | ACA5E2B3 110D |
| Max Evasion | 30A1F4DD 8144 |
| Max Intellect | 8E2CE4A7 3DA5 |
| Max Magic Defense | F12073A0 0D4A |
| Max Magic Evasion | 8EBA634A 1FA9 |
| Max Precision | E5A3733A 3118 |
| Max Spirit | B8A5E2B9 010D |
| Max Stamina | 9A2CE4AD 2DA5 |
| Max Strength | 9A2DE4BD 01A5 |
| Max EXP | 71619AB8 E009 A4073557 5116 |
| Max HP | B8514BD1 6209 B8504BC1 4E09 |
| Max MP | 5B3DE4B4 A3E5 5B3CE4A4 8FE5 |
Rosa Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| All White Magic Spells | B404D851 2D1A 2C9A63F3 9A6B |
| Max Agility | 2C614DB7 9045 |
| Max Attack | 47F95BD3 92FC |
| Max Evasion | DBFD4DBD 02B5 |
| Max Intellect | 2C604DA7 BC45 |
| Max Magic Defense | 1A7CCAC0 8EBB |
| Max Magic Evasion | 2CF6CA4A 9E49 |
| Max Precision | 0EFFCA5A B2E9 |
| Max Spirit | 53F95BD9 82FC |
| Max Stamina | 38604DAD AC45 |
| Max Strength | 38614DBD 8045 |
| Max EXP | 532DB2B8 E1A9 864B1D57 50B6 |
| Max HP | 1A1DE2D1 E3E9 1A1CE2C1 CFE9 |
| Max MP | F9714DB4 2205 F9704DA4 0E05 |
Rydia Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| All Black Magic Spells | 381C0949 CF5A 2C9A63F3 9A6B |
| All Summon Spells | 9A58A048 0EAA 1A9363E9 A6CB F94088C8 6C19 |
| All White Magic Spells | D70CD831 2DAA 2C9A63F3 9A6B |
| Max Agility | 473D75D7 93F4 |
| Max Attack | 65B573D3 935C |
| Max Evasion | F9B165BD 0315 |
| Max Intellect | 473C75C7 BFF4 |
| Max Magic Defense | 3830E2C0 8F1B |
| Max Magic Evasion | 06AAF24A 9DE8 |
| Max Precision | 2CB3E25A B349 |
| Max Spirit | 71B573D9 835C |
| Max Stamina | 533C75CD AFF4 |
| Max Strength | 533D75DD 83F4 |
| Max EXP | FD710BB0 6248 2817A45F D357 |
| Max HP | 3041DAD1 E048 3040DAC1 CC48 |
| Max MP | D32D75B4 21A4 D32C75A4 0DA4 |
Edge Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| All Ninjutsu Magic Spells | AC77E0DB 321B 0E9363E3 B6CB |
| Max Agility | 2CA567A7 B145 |
| Max Attack | 473D71C3 B3FC |
| Max Evasion | DB3967AD 23B5 |
| Max Intellect | 2CA467B7 9D45 |
| Max Magic Defense | 1AB8E0D0 AFBB |
| Max Magic Evasion | 2C32E05A BF49 |
| Max Precision | 0E3BE04A 93E9 |
| Max Spirit | 533D71C9 A3FC |
| Max Stamina | 38A467BD 8D45 |
| Max Strength | 38A567AD A145 |
| Max EXP | D7E919A0 40E9 028FB64F F1F6 |
| Max HP | 1AD9C8C1 C2E9 1AD8C8D1 EEE9 |
| Max MP | F9B567A4 0305 F9B467B4 2F05 |
Final Fantasy 4 Advance Cheat FAQs
Does the 255-item duplication glitch work in Final Fantasy 4 Advance?
Unfortunately, the item duplication glitch from the SNES version of Final Fantasy 4 does not appear to work in the Game Boy Advance version.
What makes Final Fantasy 4 Advance different from other versions?
In addition to a more accurate translation and script, Final Fantasy IV Advance also contains some bonuses unique to the version. The most important of these are the two new dungeons players can unlock after beating the base game once. These new dungeons contain ultimate challenges in exchange for ultimate rewards.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.