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After the unexpected huge commercial and critical sucess of Final Fantasy, Square's financial problems instantly disappeared(Yes, the sales were that good) and the developers started working on the sequel immediately. It came out about a year later and even though it was another huge sucess there was controversy(Man, what is it with NES sequels and controversy?) for one main reason: It dropped the exp based development system and replaced it with a new system that to this day still ticks people off. The fact that the remakes didn't make any substantial changes to it didn't help either. Is it as bad as some people say or are they exaggerating? Let's find out:
The Story:
This is the main reason to play the game. Taking inspiration from the original Star Wars movie, Final Fantasy II is a huge step up in story when compared to the first one. It tells the story of 3 warriors wanting to join the rebels lead by Princess Hilda in their fight against the Empire that invaded her kingdom. In the process they also are looking for their friend Leon who recently misteriously disappeared during a battle they recently lost agains the imperial troops.
It may not look like it but the plot is actually fairly envolving and mature, especially for its time. There are a lot of characters each of them with genuine personalities and motivations, there are character deaths and a dialog mechanic that really makes this world feel real. It's hard to describe the plot anymore without going into spoiler territory which i won't do. I loved the story and the way it was told.
8/10
The Gameplay:
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first game except for 2 major changes and some minor ones. First the good: like i said above this game has a "Word Memory" dialog mechanic. During conversations a lot of times you will be able to learn a certain word or phrase that you can then say to everyone else. Sometimes you'll find a person in need of a certain piece of information and if you have it with you, you'll be able to give it to them. This mechanic is key to interacting with NPCs in this game. There is also a similar way to show items to people or use them in certain objects to achieve certain goals. It's a great mechanic that really helps in making this world feel real and the characters envolving and i wish it were kept in later games.
Now the bad: Like i said before the exp based level up system was replaced by something different. Each character stat increases in value each time it is used. For example, if you get hurt your max HP increases,if you attack your Attack stat increases etc. If you prioritise physical stats your magical stats will increase slower and the opposite also applies, which means you will have to choose between making a character physical or magical. This also happens with equipment and spells, the more you use a certain weapon/spell the better your character becomes at using weapons/spells of the same type. Even though this makes the character development realistic it also makes it very slow and tedious. The NES JRPGs are incredibly harder than modern ones and require a lot of grinding. Combine that with this system and you get a very tedious experience that takes too long. Also this system is broken: If you cancel an already assigned command the game still keeps record of it and levels up the correspondent stat. Because of this, careful and pacient players can level up their characters significantly in just one battle.
There are also some minor changes like the fact that now you can have other party members besides the main characters,the addition of chocobos(Yes they made their first appearance in this game): birds that can help you cross the world map without random encounters, new vehicles and the introduction of the "front row(attack priority) and back row(defense priority)" mechanic.
6/10
The Music:
For this game Uematsu gave us a soundtrack that's twice as extensive as the first one. It helps a lot during the emotional scenes and the catchy tunes help making the tedious grinding more bearable. It set the standard for the series when it comes to music. Overall it's a fantastic soundtrack by one of the best composers in the industry.
9/10
The Graphics:
The graphics were also improved from the first game. The environments and sprites are much more varied, the monster design is also more creative and the animations also recieved an upgrade. They're still not as good as the graphics in Final Fantasy III but the game still looks great for its time.
9/10
As the game ended i was glad i played it because of the great story and the fantastic music, but the level up system seriously damaged the gameplay experience diminishing my appreciation for it. It's a good game with one serious flaw that can ruin the entire experience depending on the player.
Final Grade: 8/10
Fortunately Square listened to the fans and brought back the traditional level up system for the next game. Join me next time when i bring to you the best NES JRPG: Final Fantasy III. See you next time.
