Final Fantasy vs. Dog

Intro

"Final Fantasy vs. Dog" is a very short game developed by LordBlueRouge and hedge1 that can be beaten in under four minutes. As such this feels more like an entry in a one or two hour contest. At least in terms of playtime. Though if we look past the short playtime this game comprised of a single battle between a doge and some characters from "Final Fantasy IV" is meant to be a tech demo showcasing a new system in the official version of RPG Maker 2003.



A feature that didn't get used that much if my experiences are anything to go by. And I'm guessing this system hasn't been used that much since it takes way more time and effort to properly implement this sort of system than it's work.
Jeez, the longest game I've played to use this system to my knowledge is "Steamed Hams, but it's RPGMAKER2003!" and even that game clocked in at under 15 minutes. So while I can appreciate the implementation of a novel system. I also imagine it takes a lot more effort to get this system running than it's worth to most developers. Though, I suppose it doesn't help that there aren't that many people making games with RPG Maker 2003 now a days to my knowledge either.

Story

You play as Cecil and Kain and try to take down an unstoppable doge. Seriously this thing hits so hard and fast you'll think your characters are getting hit by a train. I'd tell them to suplex the dog and be done with it, but I suppose we'd need Sabin for that.


This is gif is based on footage taken from youtuber MoogleBoss.

So your only hope to survive is to try and stay alive just long enough with some help from potions to inflict enough damage to advance to the battle's final cut scene where Rydia shows up and tells the dog to bleep off and uses a powerful summon to scare it away.

Gameplay

Though getting to that point in the story can be rough since you'll sometimes see the dog perform it's limit break twice in a row. And then follow this up with regular attacks that finish you off since the dog tends to get three to four attacks for every turn Cecil gets. And it's even worse for Kain since he's noticeably slower. So inflicting enough damage with your special skills to win is highly challenging which is kind of annoying since a non-serious project like this really shouldn't be as difficult as "Final Fantasy vs. Dog" is.

Graphics

Graphically we have footage taken from a meme video that has been looped in order to ensure the dog keeps dancing as well as sprites lifted from "Final Fantasy IV". Outside of that there isn't that much to talk about here.

Sound

Sound wise this game is a tad weird in my opinion since the soundtrack isn't pulled from "Final Fantasy IV". Instead the game makes use of background music from "Final Fantasy VI" and "Final Fantasy VII". Admittedly a lot of tracks like the fanfare are updated for new releases. So this still sounds like a Final Fantasy game, but considering the characters used it does seem music from "Final Fantasy IV" would have been the most appropriate.

Conclusion

On the plus side this does showcase a novel system that can allow for a merger between videos and combat. On the other hand this game is way harder than it needs to be and makes for an unenjoyable experience. Especially if the dog's AI starts going crazy and starts spamming it's limit break a couple of times in a row. I suppose one could argue the ending you get for losing is funny since it tries to call up a good Final Fantasy fan game, but it seems weird to ask for one of those when they do exist.