Front Mission 4, also known in Japan as is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd. as the fourth main entry and sixth entry overall in the Front Mission series. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission 4 is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. The game takes place in the late 21st century where superstates compete for the world's resources, and two individuals are sent to investigate when five bases of one nation are attacked unprovoked by persons unknown. The game was developed to sound different musically than previous titles, with South American instruments like the pan flute were used to compose a more dynamic musical structure. The title was the top selling game of Christmas 2003 in Japan and sold over 160,000 copies. It received generally positive reviews, highlighting the high production values and customization of mechs for combat, but also cited the game's high level of difficulty and complexity. Gameplay Front Mission 4 borrows several of the gameplay mechanics found in Front Mission 2. The video game progresses in a linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up their wanzers during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. The player travels to locations on a world map. As the player progresses through the plot, new locations are revealed on the world map. Towns and cities act as intermission points where the player can organize and set up their units for the upcoming mission. Battle zones are where the missions take place, though they become inaccessible upon the completion of a mission. Like in Front Mission 2, Front Mission 4 alternates control between the game's two main characters. The missions in FM4 are traditional tactical RPG fare, ranging from destroying all enemy targets to protecting a certain allied target. There are a number of returning features from Front Mission 2 that are used for mission play, namely Action Points (AP) and Links. Action Points (AP) is a feature that dictates how much actions can be done with each unit. Actions such as moving and attacking require a certain amount of AP to use. At the end of a full turn, which is one Player Phase and Enemy Phase, a set amount of AP is replenished. A unit's AP amount and recharge value depends on how many AP-specific abilities