Final Fantasy II
is a 1988 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. It was ported to and remade for WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, and mobile phones. Originally exclusive to Japan, later versions were released internationally, including the 2021 Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster version. The story follows the warrior Firion and his allies as they join a rebellion against the expanding Palamecian Empire. The gameplay is similar to the original game with an overworld and dungeon exploration, but its combat design is changed to a usage-based growth system where characters' statistics increase according to how they are used or acquired.
The game began development after the success of Final Fantasy, with the team using a new setting to make the game accessible to players. Returning staff included series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi as director, designer Akitoshi Kawazu, programmer Nasir Gebelli, artist Yoshitaka Amano, writer Kenji Terada, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The team wanted to create a game that was different from the first Final Fantasy, including creating a narrative that drew inspiration from The Empire Strikes Back, and redesigning the combat system. The stat growth system was created by Kawazu, and he later felt the team went too far in making the game different from the original.
Upon its release, Final Fantasy II received highly positive reviews in Japan; retrospective reviews have noted the game as having a stronger story than Final Fantasy, but have described it as among the most divisive entries in the series due to its progression system. As of 2003, the game sold over one million copies worldwide. Final Fantasy II saw the introduction of multiple series staples including chocobos and the recurring character Cid. Due to negative feedback, the next title Final Fantasy III reverted to the original combat system. Kawazu would continue using his system in the SaGa series, beginning with 1989's Makai Toushi Sa・Ga for the Game Boy.
Gameplay
Final Fantasy II features gameplay similar to that of its predecessor, Final Fantasy. The player can freely roam an overworld containing several towns and dungeons. A menu-based system allows the player to outfit each character with equipment and up to two—often disposable—items for battle. Magic spells are assigned to the character from the item menu, and certain spells, such as "Cure" can be used outside of battle. The player can also save their progress on the overworld. Weapons, armor, items, and magic spells can be purchased at shops, and townspeople provide useful information for the player's progression through the game. One new feature is the "Word Memory" system: when in conversation with non-player characters, the player can "ask" about and "memorize" special keywords or phrases, which can later be repeated to other NPCs to gain more information or unlock new actions. Similarly, there exist a handful of special items that can be shown to NPCs during conversation or used on certain objects, which have the same effect. Characters and monsters are no longer separated into separate windows in the battle screen as they were in the first Final Fantasy, and players can see their current and total hit points below the battle. Players can also fight with less than four characters in their party, which was not possible in the first game. Final Fantasy II introduced the chocobo, the signature Final Fantasy mascot, which lets characters ride to a location at great speed without being attacked by enemies. The recurring character Cid was also introduced, and a character of the same name has appeared in every main-series game since.On the overworld and within dungeons, random encounters with enemies can be fought to improve each character's attributes. Unlike the original Final Fantasy, players cannot upgrade their characters' classes. The game is also one of the few games in the series to not use experience-based levels. Instead, each character participating in battle develops depending on what actions they take. For instance, characters who frequently use a particular type of weapon will become more adept at wielding a weapon of that type, and will also increase in physical strength and accuracy. Attributes include hit points, magic points, magic power, stamina, strength, spirit, agility, intelligence, and evasion. Hit points and magic points increase with their use; a character who takes a heavy amount of damage in a battle might earn an increase in maximum HP, while a character who uses a lot of MP during battle might increase their maximum MP. This experience system had several unintended consequences that allowed characters to gain much more experience than intended, such as players having their characters attack each other and repeatedly cast spells, thus causing their HP and abilities to grow extensively. Final Fantasy II uses the same turn-based battle system seen in the original Final Fantasy, with battle parties consisting of up to four characters at a time. The game introduces a "back row" in battle, within which characters or enemies are immune to most physical attacks, but can be harmed with bows and magical attacks.
Plot
Setting and characters
Final Fantasy II is set in a fantasy world divided between multiple nations, including the Palamecian Empire and the kingdom of Fynn. During the game's events, the Palamecian Empire has begun a ruthless expansion, conquering or destroying its neighbours including the kingdom of Kashuan and the dragoon homeland of Deist. A rebellion is formed to fight against the Empire's expansion, headquartered at Fynn Castle. The game's inciting incident is an attack by the Empire that destroys Fynn Castle and the surrounding town.Final Fantasy II features four playable characters as well as several secondary characters who are only briefly controlled by the player. The four main characters are Firion, a young man skilled in fighting; his childhood friend Maria; Guy, a man formally raised by wolves before becoming friends with Firion and Guy; and Leon, Maria's brother and temporary ally of the Empire. Other notable characters are Hilda, leader of the rebel army; Minwu, a mage serving Hilda's family; Gordon, heir to the throne of Kashuan; Josef, a villager in the town of Salamand; Leila, a pirate who joins the rebellion later; and Ricard Highwind, last of the dragoons. The main antagonist is the Emperor of Palamecia, a powerful mage who seeks to conquer the world and summons monsters from Hell to achieve this.
Story
Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon are attacked by Palamecian Black Knight soldiers and left for dead. Firion, Maria, and Guy are rescued by Princess Hilda, who has established a rebel base in the town of Altair after her kingdom of Fynn was invaded by the Emperor. Hilda denies their request to join the rebel army because they are too young and inexperienced. The three set off for Fynn in search of Leon; there, they find a dying Prince Scott of Kashuan, Hilda's fiancé, who informs them that a former nobleman of Kashuan, Borghen, betrayed the rebellion and became a general in the Imperial army. The party returns to Altair to notify Hilda. She allows the group to join the rebellion and asks them to journey north to find mythril, a metal that could be used to create powerful weapons. The party makes its way north to the occupied village of Salamand, where they save the villagers forced to work in the nearby mines, kill Borghen, and retrieve the Mythril.For their next mission, the party is sent to the city of Bafsk to prevent the construction of a large airship known as the Dreadnought; however, it takes off just as they arrive. After retrieving the Sunfire, a weapon that can blow up the Dreadnought, they watch helplessly as an airship with Hilda on board is captured by the Dreadnought. When the Dreadnought lands to stock up on supplies, the party rescues Hilda and throws the Sunfire into the airship's engine. Before escaping the explosion, the party encounters a dark knight Maria recognizes as Leon.
On his deathbed, the king of Fynn tasks the party to seek the help of the seemingly extinct dragoons of Deist. There, the party finds only a mother with her son, learning that all but one of the dragoons are dead, partly as a result of imperial poison. After placing an egg of the last wyvern in a cavern, the party returns to Altair and finds the Hilda they rescued is a lamia in disguise. The party slays the imposter and rescues the real Hilda before successfully reclaiming Fynn from the imperial forces. They then travel west, searching for a powerful magic item, joining forces with the last surviving dragoon. The party returns to Fynn and sees that many towns have been destroyed by a cyclone summoned by the Emperor. The party calls upon the newly born last wyvern to take them to a castle inside the cyclone, where they confront and kill the Emperor. Everyone celebrates the Empire's defeat until a mortally wounded Fynn soldier arrives and reveals that Leon has taken the throne and plans to destroy the rebels with the Imperial army.
The party enters the castle of Palamecia and confronts Leon. The Emperor reappears in the throne room in a new demonic form, revealing he has become the ruler of Hell and returned to destroy the entire world. Ricard sacrifices himself to allow the party to escape with Leon and the wyvern. Palamecia Castle transforms into Pandaemonium, the capital of Hell. Leon agrees to help the group seal the Emperor away. The party travels to the Jade Passage, an underground passage to the underworld, and finds the portal to Pandaemonium, where they finally defeat the Emperor. Afterward, Leon chooses to leave in response to the trouble he caused, though Firion assures him that he will be welcomed back if and when he returns.
In the Dawn of Souls, an extra story follows the spirits of Minwu, Josef, Scott and Ricard as they arrive in Arubboth, the palace of Heaven and twin to Pandaemonium where the group encounter the spirits of those the Empire killed. They eventually reach the top of Arubboth and find the Emperor's "light side" which split from his dark counterpart in Pandaemonium when Firion killed him. He offers them eternal life in return for their forgiveness, but visions of their loved ones convince them that the Light Emperor is just as evil as the Emperor of Hell. The party defeat the Light Emperor, and their spirits visit the living world one last time to watch the celebrations before fading away.