Thanks to the GOG.com Dreamlist and their Preservation Program, GOG.com stealth released Breath of Fire IV this morning for PC. 25 years after the original Japanese release of the game on PlayStation, it would eventually make its way to PC in 2003 for JP and EU regions. Alas, NA hasn’t received a release until today. Let’s check it out.
The release comes paired with a video that goes over a lot of the fixes, a little bit about the story of Breath of Fire IV, and the history of the game. This release comes as a surprise because most of the games on GoG that have been preserved are primarily western PC releases with a few exceptions. Breath of Fire IV received over 23,000 votes on the Dreamlist, meaning it didn’t even crack the first page of the most voted games. I still consider it a win in my book though as any game that gets a DRM-free executable release is a big step in actual game preservation. And who could be upset with a few fixes that make the game more accessible?
Breath of Fire IV Dreamlist Release Improvements
Along with the DRM-free PC release comes a couple of fixes and improvements. GOG.com typically gives a little modernization treatment to their releases, often adding extra localizations as well. While Breath of Fire IV will just be releases in English and Japanese, there’s no telling what additions or improvements will be made in the future.
- Full compatibility with Windows 10 and Windows 11
- Both 2 localizations of the game included (English and Japanese)
- Improved DirectX game renderer
- New rendering options (Windowed Mode, Vertical Synchronization Control, Gamma Correction, Integer Scaling, Anti-Aliasing, and more)
- Improved audio engine (restored missing environmental sounds and audio configuration)
- Improved keyboard and mouse support
- Improved Warehouse and Crane minigames
- Improved F9 exit screen
- Issue-free battle and combo system (all crashes have been fixed)
- Issue-free cutscene scripting
- Issue-free task switching
- Full support for modern controllers (Sony DualSense, Sony DualShock4, Microsoft Xbox Series, Microsoft Xbox One, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Logitech F series and many more) with optimal button binding, vibration, hotplugging and wireless mode
Specifically in the video they say that the nVidia Shield and Google Stadia controllers work with the game. Like many turn-of-the-millennium PC releases, Breath of Fire IV really struggles to run on modern platforms without the improvements GOG.com made. The video also makes it clear that you’re able to play Breath of Fire IV without having played the previous entries. However, if you want to experience the whole series up to Breath of Fire IV, you could do so without emulation, though that’s the far easier path and one I’d recommend. It’s always fun to see where these games live now though.
Breath of Fire I & II are both available via Nintendo Switch Online. However, both games received community made retranslation patches. Breath of Fire I & II received retranslation patches for the ROMs that improved on the translations as well as made slight changes to the game to make them easier or less grindy. Regardless of how you choose to play them, you have options.
Breath of Fire III is actually available via PSN if you have a PSP or PS Vita. If you have a PSP you may need to download it onto a PS3 or your PC first before transferring it over to the PSP. A version is available on the PSN store and hopefully, gets brought into the modern era to play on modern consoles eventually. Along with the PSN release, you’re also able to purchase Breath of Fire IV if you have a PS3, PSP, or PS Vita.
Alas, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is locked on the PlayStation 2 and would require emulation or a PS2 physical copy to play.
Hilariously, if you’re just looking for the Soundtracks, all five games have their soundtracks available for purchase on Steam.
GOG.com Dreamlist & the Preservation Program
Alright, so what’s Dreamlist and how does it work? There’s a page on GOG.com specifically for the Dreamlist where you can go and vote as long as you have a GOG.com account. The list itself has over 5500 pages of games listed on it and you can throw your vote at any game you’d like to see added to their releases. A lot of the list is hilarious long shots, like Super Mario 64 and Pokemon HeartGold. But considering we’re in a golden age of remasters/releases/remakes of older games, some of the list seems incredibly grounded. For example, some games with really high vote counts are games like Black & White 2, which already saw a PC release, or No One Lives Forever 2, a game that desperately needs a modern release.
Here’s what it states on the pages of games that have been preserved by GOG.com:
We make games live forever! Since 2008 we enhance good old games ourselves, to guarantee convenience and compatibility with modern systems. Even if the original developers of the game do not support it anymore.
- This game will work on current and future most popular Windows PC configurations. DRM-free.
- This is the best version of this game you can buy on any PC platform.
- We are the only platform to provide tech support for the games we sell. If some issues with the game appear, our Tech Support will help you solve them.
It’s quite a boast. And I wish they’d expand these releases for MacOS and Linux. Still, I can’t say its not a somewhat noble attempt at preserving some games lost to the way of time.
Breath of Fire IV joins Dino Crisis 1 & 2, Resident Evil 1, 2, & 3, and Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete as games that have been preserved by the GOG.com preservation program. While GOG.com has been doing this for years, it’s smart to market it as a preservation effort rather than simply let their work for speak for itself. Preservation has been a hot topic in the past 10 years as other companies try to capitalize off of it like Limited Run Games, a company that uses scarcity and the false-promise of preservation to drive sales. At the very least, by comparison, GOG.com is doing a far better job of actually preserving video games than someone like Limited Run Games.
In the video, GOG.com also boasts that with Breath of Fire IV comes the release of Ultimate Underworld 1+2 and Ultima 9, which means the full set of Ultima games can be purchased on GOG.com.
Breath of Fire IV can be purchased for just $9.99 on GOG.com right now with all the fixes and improvements listed above.
