AN: It’s time to go backward and revisit the game in this franchise that has given me the most hassle. Final Fantasy has been difficult to get running, let alone getting it (in)completed. You can read about that saga here if you want. Needless to say, I know the opening of Final Fantasy II by heart. With that said, let’s get to this review, shall we?
We go back in time to 1988. Fresh off the success of a project vested with all their hope, Squaresoft kept the hype train going. And so Japan got Final Fantasy II. In the west, it wouldn’t see an official release until 2003. At that time it was bundled with Final Fantasy on the Playstation as Final Fantasy Origins. Some may remember that I played the Origins version of Final Fantasy. The Final Fantasy II port on that disc was less than stellar. This means the version we are playing was actually released the next year. Bundled again with Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls on the Gameboy Advance. Before either of these, I actually played (and beat) a fan translation on the NES!
A long-lived peace…is at an end. The emperor of Palamecia has called forth monsters from the underworld… and has begun his campaign for world conquest. A rebel army arose in the Kingdom of Fynn to thwart the emperor’s plan. But the rebels’ castle fell to an all-out assault by the empire. Left with little choice, the rebels withdrew to the remote town of Altair. Four youths from Fynn also found themselves fleeing the imperial forces. They had lost their parents at the hands of the empire. But their escape wasn’t over…
Final Fantasy II, like many sequels that go beyond two parts, is the black sheep of the franchise. This is because instead of building on what came before, they refreshed the theorem. They did something new. This was a normal trend for the time and it can be seen in a lot of different franchises. Castlevania II was an adventure game instead of a level-based platformer. Zelda II became a side-scrolling platformer. Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) adding lifting and tossing instead of running and stomping. Here too Final Fantasy II also switched it up.
Gone are classes restricting equipment and magic. Instead, all characters can equip anything. Weapons have a skill that levels up as you use them. Magic is taught by consuming special tomes to teach it. Much like weapons, spells level up as you use them. In fact, leveling up is not even a factor in this game. Your stats will also increase as they are utilized: take damage to increase defenses and HP. Deal damage to increase strength. Use magic to increase Intelligence. As you can see, there is a whole use it to improve it, mechanic, with everything. Sounds neat in practice but there are some flaws we’ll get to later.
Expectations
Having beaten this before, I expected to be able to again. I remember the process being slow and annoying. I did allow myself to have hope that with a newer version it would be less excruciating. One thing I was curious was about was the plot of the game. The translation I played was very early, very flawed, and very poor. Adding to the fact that in my younger years I rarely took the time to appreciate the plot of games I played. This made for a very muddled story. This time, I hoped it would make more sense.
Objectives
The original Final Fantasy had a single side-quest—the search for the rat tail. Final Fantasy II somehow downgraded that with zero. There is nothing beyond the base game to explore. This was a disappointment, to be honest. No legendary weapons. While you do collect a so-called ultimate spell during the plot, it is quite lackluster. The Advance version did not add any side-quests to the game, but it does include a new chapter: Soul of Rebirth. Taking place after the game, you embark on a parallel journey to the main plot. Unfortunately, going into detail on this second chapter would involve too many spoilers. Also, I didn’t end up playing it so I can only speculate on the details.
Review
Final Fantasy II gets a bad rep, and I genuinely feel it doesn’t deserve that. It is by no means the worst in the franchise like so many people claim. That honor currently belongs to Final Fantasy IV. The new mechanics are novel and need fine-tuning. If they refined it and built on it, it could be a well-done system. And they did! This game was the prototype of the SaGa franchise! (Known in the west as Final Fantasy Legends on the Gameboy and many more games beyond).
The plot of the game is quite a positive point. Instead of heroes chosen by fate to save the world, we are simply soldiers in a war. Struggling to save our homeland from an oppressive imperial regime. The enemies are less over the top and simply imperial officers. The battles seem more gritty and more dangerous with lower, more believable stakes. I’ve heard the comparisons to Star Wars in its plot, and while valid, it works for this game.
The biggest flaws come from its most unique feature: the core mechanics. While the use it to improve it concept makes sense in theory, it is executed awkwardly. Leveling up stats can be quite esoteric and counter-intuitive. One fine example is healing. Healing in combat reduces how fast your HP will grow, but does improve your spell, magic stat. Yet, if you heal outside of combat, you receive no benefit for using that spell or the stat growths. This is all meant to be discovered by the player with zero guidance. Also, changing weapons after a certain point in the game becomes counterintuitive. As the enemies grow more powerful, switching to a new weapon will lead to a drastic drop in power. Fewer hits, less damage, and less accuracy. This makes the ability to equip anything into something of an illusion.
When it comes to magic, the cost of a spell is equal to its level. So increasing the level of a spell too quickly can lead it to be overpowered and overpriced. This applies in particular to healing spells early on costing more than they need to. Or more than you can afford to spend. Yet another counter-intuitive way to handle growth.
Final Thoughts
Final Fantasy II is a seed. It needs to be watered and grown into a flourishing game in its own right. The potential is there. Sadly that won’t happen for some time. Having played games in the SaGa franchise, I am grateful this game exists. And I know it will get better. Despite its flaws, it is a pivotal example of thinking outside the box. Especially in a way rarely seen these days. I may try to play the Soul of Rebirth, but that will be later. Final (Fantasy) Score: Three Corpses out of Four (If you know, you know.)