Play Hikari no 4 Senshi - Final Fantasy Gaiden (JP) Online

Game Overview

Hikari no 4 Senshi—or Final Fantasy Gaiden if you're not playing the Japanese version—is one of those DS RPGs that slipped under the radar for a lot of people. You start with four warriors (surprise, right?) each tied to a different elemental crystal, and the combat’s got this neat twist where positioning actually matters—like, standing in a line makes your attacks combo. The pixel art’s gorgeous, especially for the DS, and the soundtrack’s got that classic Final Fantasy feel without just reusing old tunes.

At first, I thought it’d be another generic turn-based grind, but the job system keeps things interesting. Switching between classes mid-battle sounds chaotic, but it works—samurai cleave through groups, while black mages nuke from the back. And yeah, the story’s got the usual "save the world" stuff, but there’s a weird charm to how over-the-top some of the twists get. If you’ve got a soft spot for retro-style RPGs with a tactical edge, this one’s worth digging up.