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Final Fantasy II: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Final Fantasy II
In the winter of 1988, a small team of ten developers at Square in Tokyo made a radical decision to abandon the very concept of levels, the cornerstone of every role-playing game that had come before. They were creating Final Fantasy II, a game that would force players to grow stronger not by killing monsters and gaining experience points, but by suffering through the very battles they fought. The story begins with a young man named Firion, a peasant who is left for dead after a brutal attack by the Palamecian Empire. Unlike the previous game, there is no chosen one prophecy or ancient hero; there is only a ragtag group of rebels, including a childhood friend named Maria and a wolf-raised warrior named Guy, who must learn to fight by getting hurt. This narrative approach was directly inspired by the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, which series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi watched to craft a tale of a rebellion facing an evil empire. The team wanted to create a game that felt different from the original, and they succeeded in making a story that drew tears from young staff members, focusing on tangled human relationships rather than simple heroics. The result was a game that introduced the iconic Chocobo, a bird-like mount designed by Koichi Ishii based on a chicken he kept as a child, and the recurring engineer Cid, who was modeled after Yoda from Star Wars to be an intelligent and wise figure. The game was released on the 17th of December 1988, and while it sold 800,000 copies in Japan, it would become one of the most divisive entries in the series due to its unique and often punishing progression system.
The Pain Of Progression
The core mechanic of Final Fantasy II was a system of growth based on usage, a concept that would later be called the proficiency system. In this world, a character who frequently used a sword would become stronger with that specific weapon, while a character who took heavy damage would increase their maximum hit points. This meant that to make a character stronger, players often had to let them get beaten up repeatedly, a mechanic that felt counterintuitive to the genre. The system included attributes such as hit points, magic points, magic power, stamina, strength, spirit, agility, intelligence, and evasion, all of which increased based on how they were used or acquired. A character who used a lot of magic points during battle might increase their maximum magic points, while one who took heavy damage might earn an increase in maximum hit points. 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. The game also introduced 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. This system was created by Akitoshi Kawazu, who later felt the team went too far in making the game different from the original. 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 for later titles. He also remembered being the only one who understood it among the staff. The system was so unique that it was re-used in the SaGa series, beginning with 1989's Makai Toushi Sa・Ga (The Final Fantasy Legend) for the Game Boy.
Final Fantasy II was released on the 17th of December 1988. The game was originally released exclusively to Japan before being ported to various platforms in later years.
Who created the story for Final Fantasy II?
Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi crafted the story for Final Fantasy II. The narrative was directly inspired by the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back and focused on a ragtag group of rebels rather than a chosen hero.
What is the main character in Final Fantasy II?
The main character in Final Fantasy II is a young man named Firion. He is a peasant who is left for dead after a brutal attack by the Palamecian Empire and leads a group of rebels including Maria, Guy, and Leon.
How does character progression work in Final Fantasy II?
Character progression in Final Fantasy II uses a system of growth based on usage known as the proficiency system. Characters become stronger by using specific weapons or taking damage, which increases their maximum hit points and other attributes.
Who composed the music for Final Fantasy II?
Nobuo Uematsu composed the music for Final Fantasy II. He worked within the strict limitations of the Famicom hardware and created notable themes such as the Chocobo ride music.
When was Final Fantasy II first released internationally?
The first international release of the original version of Final Fantasy II came as part of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series on the 28th of July 2021. The PlayStation version was the first time the game released in English.
The narrative of Final Fantasy II is driven by a series of betrayals and tragic losses that set it apart from the more straightforward hero's journey of the first game. The story follows the four main characters: Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon, who is Maria's brother and a temporary ally of the Empire. The inciting incident is an attack by the Empire that destroys Fynn Castle and the surrounding town, leaving the characters to be rescued by Princess Hilda, who has established a rebel base in the town of Altair. Hilda denies their request to join the rebel army because they are too young and inexperienced, forcing them to 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, and she allows the group to join the rebellion. The story takes a dark turn when the party discovers that the Hilda they rescued is a lamia in disguise, and they must slay the imposter to rescue the real Hilda. The plot thickens when Leon, who had been captured by the Empire, takes the throne and plans to destroy the rebels with the Imperial army. The party enters the castle of Palamecia and confronts Leon, and the Emperor reappears 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, and Palamecia Castle transforms into Pandaemonium, the capital of Hell. Leon agrees to help the group seal the Emperor away, and 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.
The Sound Of Rebellion
The music for Final Fantasy II was originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu, who worked on the original game, and he had to work within the strict limitations of the Famicom hardware. As with the first Final 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. 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. The music was later arranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito for the WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance remakes. Although the two soundtracks were composed separately, the soundtrack to II has only been released as a combined album with the soundtrack to Final Fantasy I. They were first released as All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II in 1989, which was then republished in 1994. An arranged album of music from the two soundtracks titled Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy was also released in 1989, while Final 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. The music of Final Fantasy II has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 music from Final Fantasy, a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the games. Additionally, several songs from the game were performed as part of a medley by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for the Distant Worlds , Music from Final Fantasy concert tour, while a different medley of songs from the game were performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. The music was a crucial part of the game's atmosphere, helping to convey the emotional weight of the story and the tension of the battles.
The Lost Localization
Final Fantasy II was originally released exclusively to Japan, and its journey to international audiences was fraught with cancellation and confusion. Following the successful North American release of the original Final Fantasy by Nintendo in 1990, Square's North American subsidiary began work on an English localization, to be called Final Fantasy II: Dark Shadow Over Palakia. Assigned to the project was Kaoru Moriyama, whose later work included script translations for Final Fantasy IV and Secret of Mana (known as Seiken Densetsu 2 in Japan). Although a beta 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 the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the NES's successor console, led Square Soft to cancel work on the Final Fantasy II localization in favor of the recently released Final Fantasy IV (which, to avoid confusing North American players, was retitled Final Fantasy II). Although a prototype cartridge of the English NES Final 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. A fan 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. The first international release of its original version came as part of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, initially releasing on Windows and mobile platforms on the 28th of July 2021. The game was ported to and remade for WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, and mobile phones, with the PlayStation version being the first time the game releases in English and came with reworked graphics, a new CGI opening cutscene, a monster database, and art gallery. The port was re-released as part of the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box package in December 2012. Both the WonderSwan Color and PlayStation ports were handled by Kan Navi.
The Legacy Of Division
Upon its release, Final Fantasy II received highly positive reviews in Japan, with Famicom Tsūshin giving 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 with Dragon Quest III and Super Mario Bros. 3. It was also one of the magazine's five highest-rated games up until 1988, along with Dragon Quest II and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The 1989 All Soft Catalog issue of Famicom Tsūshin included Final Fantasy II in its list of the best games of all time, giving it the Best Scenario award. Retrospectively, G4 described the stat-building system as an Innovation, noting that computer RPGs took the level system wholesale from tabletop role-playing games and made it a genre staple, but FF2 eliminated levels altogether, but that what sounds novel at first wound up being a huge mess. As of 2003, the game sold over one million copies worldwide, with 1.08 million of those copies being shipped in Japan and 200,000 abroad. As of September 2007 the PlayStation Portable version had shipped 90,000 copies in Japan and 70,000 in North America. The game's plot was thought by some reviewers to mirror elements of Star 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. 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 first Final Fantasy, as it involved romance and the death of characters. The game's leveling system was re-used in the SaGa series. The PSP version was met with generally average reviews, with GameSpot describing 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 of Final Fantasy I. IGN described the dialogue and story as much more interesting than its predecessor and the proficiency system not unlike what's found in The Elder Scrolls as a semi-innovation for its time, but also complained about the gameplay. Both sources praised the graphics, however. 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. The Pixel Remaster of Final Fantasy II received mostly positive reviews, with a score of 77/100 on Metacritic, and on OpenCritic, 81% of critics recommended the game. Jenni Lada of Siliconera gave the release a 7 out of 10, and felt it had aged the best out of the first three Final Fantasy games, citing it as an entry that dared to be different while praising its leveling system and story. Conversely, Chris Shive of Hardcore 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. Audra Bowling of RPGFan gave the release a score of 72 out of 100. She described the game as divisive and the eccentric cousin of the Final Fantasy series, and bemoaned the dungeons as extremely poor and nightmarish affairs, but praised the story as being strong for the era. Robert Ramsay of Push Square gave the fame a score of six out of ten, describing it as the best version of a divisive Final Fantasy. 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. Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade 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 the Dawn of Souls story from the Pixel Remaster.