| Final Fantasy II | |
|---|---|
 Cover art featuring main protagonistFirion | |
| Developer | Square |
| Publisher | Square |
| Director | Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Producer | Masafumi Miyamoto |
| Designers | |
| Programmer | Nasir Gebelli |
| Artist | Yoshitaka Amano |
| Writer | Kenji Terada |
| Composer | Nobuo Uematsu |
| Series | Final Fantasy |
| Engine | Unity (Pixel Remaster) |
| Platform | |
| Release | December 17, 1988[2]
|
| Genre | Role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Final Fantasy II[a] is a 1988role-playing video game developed and published bySquare for theFamily Computer as the second installment of theFinal Fantasy series. Like otherFinal Fantasy sequels, the game is set in its own world, and does not follow its predecessor's story. The game's story follows Firion, Maria, and Guy, three youths who join the resistance against the empire of Palamecia after their parents were killed during an invasion.Final Fantasy II introduced many elements that would later become staples of theFinal Fantasy franchise, includingchocobos and the recurring characterCid. It also eliminated the traditionalexperience point leveling system of the previous and later games in the series, instead introducing anactivity-based progression system where the characters' statistics increase according to how they are used or acquired; the progression system later became a staple of theSaGa series of role-playing games.
Upon its release,Final Fantasy II received highly positive reviews in Japan; retrospective reviews have noted the game as having a stronger story thanFinal Fantasy, but have described it as among the most divisive entries in the series due to its progression system. Although it was intended to have a North American release in 1990 asFinal Fantasy II: Dark Shadow Over Palaki, Square ultimately decided to releaseFinal Fantasy IV[b] instead.Final Fantasy II has receivedenhanced remakes on numerous consoles, including theWonderSwan Color, thePlayStation, theGame Boy Advance, and thePlayStation Portable, as well as mobile devices and personal computers; it was re-released in 2021 as part of theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remaster series. The game has sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide.
Final Fantasy II features gameplay similar to that of its predecessor,Final Fantasy. The player can freely roam anoverworld 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.[3] The player can alsosave their progress on the overworld. Weapons, armor, items, andmagic 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 inconversation withnon-player characters (NPCs), 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.[4] Characters and monsters are no longer separated into separate windows in the battle screen as they were in the firstFinal 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 thechocobo, the signatureFinal 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.[5]
On the overworld and within dungeons,random encounters with enemies can be fought to improve each character'sattributes.[6] Unlike the originalFinal Fantasy, players cannot upgrade their characters' classes. The game is also one of the few games in the series to not useexperience-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.[5][6] Attributes include hit points, magic points, magic power, stamina, strength, spirit, agility, intelligence, and evasion.Hit points (HP) andmagic points (MP) 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.[6] 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.[5]Final Fantasy II uses the sameturn-basedbattle system seen in the originalFinal 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 withbows and magical attacks.[3]
Final Fantasy II features four playable characters as well as several secondary characters who are only briefly controlled by the player. Primary characters include Firion (フリオニール,Furionīru; "Frioniel" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), a resident of the country of Fynn and the main protagonist; Maria (マリア), a soft-spoken archer and dedicated enemy of the Empire; Guy (ガイ,Gai; "Gus" in the remake for the PlayStation), a simple monk who communicates with animals; and Leon (レオンハルト,Reonharuto; "Leonhart" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), a conflicted dark knight who is missing for most of the game.[5][7] Five playable characters temporarily join the party to assist Firion, Maria, and Guy in their missions for the rebellion. These are Gordon (ゴードン,Gōdon), the prince of Kashuan and a member of the rebellion; Josef (ヨーゼフ,Yōzefu), a villager in the town of Salamand; Leila (レイラ,Reira; "Reila" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), a pirate; Minwu (ミンウ,Min'u; "Mindu" in the PlayStation remake and "Ming-Wu" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), who is aWhite Mage with the rebellion, and Ricard Highwind (リチャード・ハイウインド,Richādo Haiuindo; "Gareth" in the PlayStation remake, Edward in the English NES prototype and "Richard" in the Japanese release), who is the first dragoon to appear in the series. The main antagonist is the Emperor of Palamecia (パラメキア皇帝,Paramekia Kōtei).[5]
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 findmythril, 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 lastwyvern in a cavern, the party returns to Altair and finds the Hilda they rescued is alamia 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 acyclone 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. Still, 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. The party and Leon escape Palamecia Castle with the wyvern as the castle is replaced with the palace of Hell, Pandaemonium. 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.
TheDawn of Souls remake of the game for theGame Boy Advance includes an additional storyline after the game, which follows the four party members who died during the game's story.
Following his sacrifice to unseal the door guarding the Ultima Tome, Minwu awakens in a new area and sees someone resembling Gordon fight off Imperial soldiers. Minwu assists him, and the man soon explains he is Scott, Gordon's brother. Minwu informs him of the events up to his demise, and the two surmise they are in the Jade Passage since they both died. They find Josef and, subsequently, Ricard, eventually emerging in Machanon, a village in the mirror image of Poft where the citizens are dead victims of the Emperor's conquest, including Cid and Tobul, with the former asking the group to find out where they are and why they have been called here.
The four enter the teleporter at the north edge of town and enter what Minwu believes is Pandaemonium. Climbing to the highest floor, the party meets the Light Emperor, who explains that when Firion and his allies killed him, his soul was split, with the Emperor's "dark half" falling to Hell and acquiring more power, while his light half—the Emperor they now see—ascended to Heaven. He then explains they are in Arubboth, the palace of Heaven, and the cave they traveled through was Raqia. In this place, fallen angels are cast down to become demons, and he called them here to ask for forgiveness on behalf of his dark half and offers them eternal life with him in Arubboth if they forgive his sins.
Though the offer tempts the four, apparitions of their loved ones show them a vision of Firion and his allies battling the Dark Emperor in Pandaemonium. Realizing this Emperor is just as evil as the original, the four reject his offer and defeat the Light Emperor just as Firion and his allies vanquish the Dark Emperor. As the rebels in the world of the living celebrate their victory, the four specters watch them and wish them well before fading away into peaceful rest.
Production ofFinal Fantasy II began after the success of the originalFinal Fantasy,[8] with its developer and publisherSquare having increased the number of copies manufactured to fund a sequel.[9] According toAkitoshi Kawazu, after the first game's release there was a wish to do something different.[10] The game's staff expanded a little compared to the first game, but it was still a relatively small team of around ten people.[11] Series creatorHironobu Sakaguchi was director,[8] and Kawazu co-designed withHiromichi Tanaka andKoichi Ishii,[12][13][14] The producer wasMasafumi Miyamoto, founder and former president of Square.[15][16] ProgrammerNasir Gebelli returned from the first game.[17] Due to his work visa expiring, Gebelli needed to return toSacramento, California, so the team followed with the appropriate equipment so production could be finished with him.[18]
Yoshitaka Amano returned to create character, monster and promotional art;[19][20] as with the previous game, Amano created the monster design concepts using black and white ink drawings.[20]Kazuko Shibuya was in charge of designing all the sprite art, although multiple artists helped create the game's monster designs.[11] A notable addition was the Chocobo, designed by Ishii based on a chicken he had kept as a childhood pet. When he presented the Chocobo concept as a constant companion for the party, Sakaguchi rejected it and instead incorporated it as a mount.[14] Another creature designed by Ishii for the game, theMoogle, was ultimately left out due to there being no place in the story for them. Their sprite work was redesigned into a different enemy.[21][22] During production, there were arguments between staff members as the constant addition of monsters to the game prevented a master build being completed.[23]
Kenji Terada returned as scenario writer, and he recalled there being resistance within Square to making the game a numbered sequel due to not continuing the original's world and story. The team decided to carry over some elements from the first, such as crystals, while creating a new story so players could buy the game without issue.[24] Sakaguchi recalled creating the initial premise after watchingThe Empire Strikes Back (1980), carrying over the concept of a rebel faction facing an evil empire.[23] Terada wrote his script inspired by the request of a young staff member for a story that would bring tears to his eyes, so wrote it to focus on tangled human relationships.[24] One character created who would be a recurring figure was the engineer Cid, who was created to be an intelligent and wise figure "likeYoda from theStar Wars series".[25]
Using the experience gained from the first installment, which focused more on fitting story ideas into their new gameplay system and game world, the developers fully crafted the story ofFinal Fantasy II first. The gameplay was then built around the narrative.[26] Sakaguchi remembered that the combat system was Kawazu's original idea.[23] The usage-based growth mechanic was originally created to tie into the story-driven style being used, with players naturally evolving into certain classes rather than having it chosen at the outset.[12] He also expressed his frustration with the abstract nature of experience point systems, wanting something unpredictable for players.[27] The goal for a game that was different from the original, with Kawazu later feeling they had become so invested in that goal that they strayed too far and corrected back to a traditional model forfollow game.[10] He also remembered being the only one who understood it among the staff.[12]
Themusic forFinal Fantasy II was originally composed byNobuo Uematsu, who worked on the original game. As with the firstFinal Fantasy, Uematsu had a limited number of sound channels to work with on the Famicom, and also had to work round space limitations with the amount of songs he could include. He remembered the restriction to three-note cords on the Famicom sparked his creativity when composing the score.[28] A notable theme created for the game was for when the characters rode a Chocobo, which would be carried forward with different musical styles in later entries.[29]
The music was later arranged byTsuyoshi Sekito for the WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance remakes. Although the two soundtracks were composed separately, the soundtrack toII has only been released as a combined album with the soundtrack toFinal Fantasy I. They were first released asAll Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II in 1989, which was then republished in 1994.[30] An arranged album of music from the two soundtracks titledSymphonic Suite Final Fantasy was also released in 1989, whileFinal Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack, a combined soundtrack album for the PlayStation versions of the games, was released in 2002 and re-released in 2004.[31][32] The music ofFinal Fantasy II has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as20020220 music from Final Fantasy, a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the games.[33] Additionally, several songs from the game were performed as part of a medley by theRoyal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for theDistant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy concert tour,[34] while a different medley of songs from the game were performed by theNew Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in theTour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series.[35]
Final Fantasy II was released on December 17, 1988,[36] noted as being close to the same date as the original game the previous year.[5] The original version was ported in Japan onto a number of systems including onto Nintendo'sVirtual Console platform forWii (June 16, 2009) and theWii U (December 11, 2013).[36] In April 1989, the game was novelized by Terada under the titleFinal Fantasy II: Muma no Meikyū (lit. "The Labyrinth of Nightmares"). It was published in Japan exclusively byKadokawa Shoten.[37]
Following the successful North American release of the originalFinal Fantasy by Nintendo in 1990, Square's North American subsidiary began work on an English languagelocalization ofFinal Fantasy II, to be calledFinal Fantasy II: Dark Shadow Over Palakia. Assigned to the project was Kaoru Moriyama, whose later work included script translations forFinal Fantasy IV andSecret of Mana (known asSeiken Densetsu 2 in Japan). Although abeta version was produced, and the game was advertised in several Square Soft trade publications, the long development time, the age of the original Japanese game and the arrival of theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System, the NES's successorconsole, led Square Soft to cancel work on theFinal Fantasy II localization in favor of the recently releasedFinal Fantasy IV (which, to avoid confusing North American players, was retitledFinal Fantasy II).[5][38]
Although a prototype cartridge of the English NESFinal Fantasy II was produced, the project was, by Moriyama's own admission, still far from complete: "We had so very limited memory capacity we could use for each game, and it was never really "translating" but chopping up the information and cramming them back in... [Additionally] our boss had no understanding in putting in extra work for the English version at that time". Afan translation of the original game was created using an original translation as the existence of the prototype cartridge was not common knowledge at the time.[38][38] The first international release of its original version came as part of theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, initially releasing on Windows and mobile platforms on July 28, 2021.[39][40]
Final Fantasy II was ported to theWonderSwan Color as part of a deal withBandai to bring the first threeFinal Fantasy titles to the console;[41] Square was one of the major supporters for the WonderSwan platform during its tenure.[42] The port was released on May 3, 2001.[36] Its visuals were updated for the platform, and it was included as a bundle with a special themed edition of the console.[43] A PlayStation version released as a standalone by Square in Japan on October 31, 2002.[36] It was bundled together with the original game and released asFinal Fantasy Origins on March 14, 2003 in Europe byInfogrames,[44] and on April 8 by the newly-formedSquare Enix.[45][46] The PlayStation version was the first time the game releases in English and came with reworked graphics, a new CGI opening cutscene, a monster database, and art gallery.[47] The port was re-released as part of theFinal Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box package in December 2012.[48] Both the WonderSwan Color and PlayStation ports were handled by Kan Navi.[49][50]
Final Fantasy II was again released in a new format in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance as part ofFinal Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls. The primary change for this version was the addition of a bonus storyline entitledSoul of Rebirth accessible to the player after completing the game.[51] In 2005 and 2006, Square Enix released a version ofFinal Fantasy II for three Japanesemobile phone networks.[52][53][54] To celebrate theFinal Fantasy series' 20th anniversary, the game was released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable in 2007.[55] The remake features improved graphics, the cutscenes and soundtrack fromFinal Fantasy Origins, and the bonus quest and dungeons fromFinal Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls. It additionally includes four new dungeons in which more character-specific equipment can be found, alongside powerful enemies and two new bosses.[56] On February 25, 2010, Square Enix released a port of the PSP version modified with touchscreen controls for the iOS platform.[57]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | PSP: 65%[58] |
| Metacritic | PSP: 63/100[60] iOS: 73/100[61] Pixel Remaster: 77/100[62] |
| OpenCritic | Pixel Remaster: 81%[59] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Famitsu | Famicom: 9/10, 9/10, 9/10, 8/10[63] WonderSwan: 8/10, 7/10, 8/10, 7/10[64] PS: 27/40[65] |
| GameSpot | PSP: 6/10[66] |
| GameSpy | PSP:   [67] |
| IGN | PSP: 6.1/10[68] iOS: 6.8/10[69] |
| Nintendo World Report | Pixel Remaster: 6.5/10[70] |
| Push Square | Pixel Remaster: 6/10[72] |
| RPGFan | Pixel Remaster: 72/100[71] |
| TouchArcade | iOS:[73] Pixel Remaster: [74] |
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Famicom Tsūshin (1989) | Best Scenario[75] |
According to Square, the original Famicom release sold 800,000 copies.[76] As of March 2003, the game, including all re-releases at the time, had shipped 1.28 million copies worldwide, with 1.08 million of those copies being shipped in Japan and 200,000 abroad.[77] As of September 2007 the PlayStation Portable version had shipped 90,000 copies in Japan and 70,000 in North America.[78]
Upon release,Famicom Tsūshin (nowFamitsu) gave the original Famicom version a score of 35 out of 40, based on a panel of four reviewers giving it ratings of 9, 9, 9 and 8 out of 10. This made it one of their three highest-rated games of 1988, along withDragon Quest III (which scored 38/40) andSuper Mario Bros. 3 (which scored 35/40). It was also one of the magazine's five highest-rated games up until 1988, along withDragon Quest II (which scored 38/40) andZelda II: The Adventure of Link (which scored 36/40).[79] The 1989 "All Soft Catalog" issue ofFamicom Tsūshin includedFinal Fantasy II in its list of thebest games of all time, giving it the Best Scenarioaward.[75] Retrospectively,G4 described the stat-building system as an "Innovation", noting that "computer RPGs took the "level" system wholesale fromtabletop role-playing games and made it a genre staple, butFF2 eliminated levels altogether", but that what "sounds novel at first wound up being a huge mess".[80]
Famitsu magazine scored the WonderSwan version of the game a 30 out of 40,[81] andGameSpot noted theDawn of Souls' mostly outdated graphics but praised its length and bonus content.[82]IGN noted the great improvement in the translation of the story overFinal Fantasy I and the addition of laterFinal Fantasy features, such as being able to save anywhere in the overworld map without a tent or cabin.[83] TheDawn of Souls release was named the IGN Game Boy "Game of the Month" for March 2004, and the package was rated 76th inNintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.[84][85] The dialogue system was thought to be time-consuming and stilted, but was still a milestone for interactivity. The story was considered to be much more involved and deep than the firstFinal Fantasy, as it involved romance and the death of characters. The game's plot was thought by some reviewers to mirror elements ofStar Wars: A New Hope in its use of an orphan joining a rebellion against an empire that was building a massive ship, with a captive princess inside.[5]GameSpy praised the addition of the ability to save the game at any time, calling the feature crucial for a game on ahandheld game console, and in contrast toGameSpot, praised the graphics, saying that while they were primitive, they were "well-suited" to the Game Boy Advance.[86] The game's leveling system was re-used in theSaGa series.[87]
The PSP version was met with generally average reviews. GameSpot described the "more intriguing" story and "key words" system as "notable" in "the evolution of the series and genre" but called the level up system "chaotic" and noted that unlike previous versions, this was shipped without a version ofFinal Fantasy I.[66] IGN described the "dialogue and story" as "much more interesting than" its predecessor and the "proficiency system not unlike what's found inThe Elder Scrolls" as a "semi-innovation" for its time, but also complained about the gameplay.[68] Both sources praised the graphics, however.[66][68] GameSpy, while echoing similar complaints about the "quirky and sometimes confusing" leveling system and praises for the graphics, also applauded the supposed decrease in difficulty of the game, which in the reviewers' opinion eliminated the necessity to abuse the leveling system in order to progress in the game as the player had to do in the original game.[67]
The Pixel Remaster ofFinal Fantasy II received mostly positive reviews. It received a score of 77/100 on Metacritic,[62] and onOpenCritic, 81% of critics recommended the game.[59] Jenni Lada ofSiliconera gave the release a 7 out of 10, and felt it had aged the best out of the first threeFinal Fantasy games, citing it as "an entry that dared to be different" while praising its leveling system and story.[88] Conversely, Chris Shive ofHardcore Gamer described it as "one of the weaker titles in the franchise" and felt it "[suffered] from a bit of middle child syndrome", but praised the story as being "vastly expanded on from the first game".[89] Audra Bowling ofRPGFan gave the release a score of 72 out of 100. She described the game as "divisive" and "the eccentric cousin" of theFinal Fantasy series, and bemoaned the dungeons as "extremely poor" and "nightmarish affairs", but praised the story as being "strong for the era".[71] Robert Ramsay ofPush Square gave the fame a score of six out of ten, describing it as the "best version of a divisive Final Fantasy".[72]
Nintendo World Report writer Donald Theriault gave the game a score of 6.5 out of 10, and praised the release for including quality-of-life features that "make the game something I could finish without cursing the whole way".[70] Shaun Musgrave ofTouchArcade gave the game 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it a "lovely remake of a game that people tend to either love or hate". He praised the game's story, but felt the Game Boy Advance version was superior due to the exclusion of theDawn of Souls story from the Pixel Remaster.[74]
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