Final Fantasy IV Advance is one of those classic RPGs that still holds up—especially if you missed it back in the SNES days. Right off the bat, you're thrown into this rebellion drama with Cecil, a dark knight who starts questioning his orders, and the story just doesn’t let up from there. The characters actually feel like they matter, which was kinda rare for RPGs back then.

The battle system’s the real star, though. It’s the first game with the ATB (Active Time Battle) system, so fights feel way more dynamic than just waiting for turns. Monsters don’t wait around for you to pick "Attack" over and over—you gotta think fast. The GBA version adds some extra dungeons and tweaks, which is nice if you’ve played the original and want something fresh.

It’s not perfect—some of the difficulty spikes are brutal—but the music, the pacing, and that classic Final Fantasy charm make it worth sticking with. You’ll probably get attached to at least one party member before the credits roll.