After multiple run throughs (versions 7, 8, 9, and now 10.2), I can honestly say this is the best hack for Final Fantasy 4 (FF2US) that I have ever come across. The experience has been spectacular, from the spell integrations, additional bosses, many new items and lots of new gear, and a VERY active discord community - detailed below.

Spell integrations In version 10.2, this hack takes a page out of later Final Fantasy games by adding a spell effect to many different items, complete with animations - so when you attack, you have a chance to proc that items “special ability,” which looks simply awesome, and adds to the unique flavor of the hack.

Additional Bosses … are everywhere, with custom animations, graphics, abilities, and they scale in difficulty - giving you an end-game for the first time ever in a Final Fantasy game that has over a dozen additional boss battles to look forward to, some rather easy, but some hard as hell!

New Items, Gear, and Vendors … are everywhere. The sheer amount of new stuff makes me wonder how they fit it all in! From weapons and armor, to on-use items, to thrown stuff, to a complete overhaul of the vendors to give them an assortment of items that are actually useful - all of which fit into the theme of Ultima - seamlessly added, none of which detract from the story line. There is even the ability to switch out your final party at the end, with more changes coming each iteration.

The discord community 8-Bit Fan’s discord server has many knowledgeable people, who answer all questions - from the most mundane to the most technical, and he goes above and beyond to make sure everyone who comes in feels at home, with a welcome message and great communication. To me, this is the best part of this Hack - having a loyal steadfast group of followers who play through every version of the hack, and have discussions, suggestions, and ideas to add new features - I asked a question about a specific ability found in later FF games, how hard it would be to add, and this spawned a discussion that added several new items into the game, and gave old characters new abilities to make them more useful / fun to play. I’ve never seen a discord community so actively involved in the “think tank” of a hack.

Summary I would absolutely recommend this to any Final Fantasy fan, do yourself a favor and try it out, and come say hi to one of the best communities I’ve ever come across in my 35 years of gaming. Thanks for taking the time to make an excellent hack, guys!!

• Dave (aka NWCHAOS)