Boring world. Too much grinding. Lame story. This game is awful.
Barely scratched the surface on this one because the growth system actively makes me upset. No, thank you.
most disappointing twenty two hours and fifteen minutes ive spent on a videogame
esse jogo eh bom e nada muda minha opnião
Progression system is really cool but its pretty bad balanced, maybe i'll be playing this seriusly some day.
I tried the GBA version a number of years back and quickly dropped it when I found the progression system to be too obtuse. Now that I'm older and better able to wrap my head around why it's as odd as it is, I was able to work through it, but I still think it's a very dumb game. I understand the strengths of a system with such complete control over how your characters will grow, but implementation of a system with this much freedom needs to be tight, and Final Fantasy II is the exact opposite of that. The way in which you level up each individual stat based on singular battle performances is easily manipulated, but due to the game's overall poor difficulty scaling, making a team that can actually take on some of the game's challenges becomes a slog. I then, of course, made the mistake of spending about an hour grinding various stats, only to find out I had overpowered myself to such a high degree that I was finishing off bosses in two or three turns. The end result of my experience was one of utter befuddlement over the ideas presented in this game. I guess it makes sense when viewed from the lens of a 1988 video game where this sort of experimentation was commonplace. However, this was the 20th anniversary release. The game was given 20 years to marinate before they shat it out in an upgraded fashion, yet this unbalanced and poorly thought-out system was not addressed. Perhaps it was improved in some fashion when compared to it's roots, and I suppose there is some value in allowing this game's flaws to remain intact for a modern audience, but that doesn't really change the fact that this game could have been retooled and rebalanced to provide an experience that may actually feel engaging. The fact that Square-Enix decided to preserve this instead of Dragon Quest III, which required a fan translation and emulator to play the optimal version, is a bit frustrating, since the latter actually did have creative ideas which have stood the test of time. Final Fantasy II isn't the type of game which should be celebrated as it was, since what it was was a mess and a mistake. My computer actually froze in the final portion of the game, so I did not actually complete it, but since I lost about 2 hours of progress, that was enough to make me give up. Fuck Final Fantasy II, this game deserves all the flack it gets. 1/6
I hate this game absolutely just because of the leveling system.
This review contains spoilers
Great story but it suffered from a lot of the problems that FF1 had. Leveling system was a pain. Really wanted Firion to be cooler but he's kinda just there along with the rest of the cast. Minwu, Leila and Ricard were dope though. Soul of Rebirth was a cool addition and was a saving grace for this game for me personally. Not a bad game, just lacking in some areas. Still a good follow-up to FF1 all things considered.
For this I've only played the GBA and PSP versions, so I can't speak to the original. The growth system here developed into something much better in the SaGa games, but so much of it is ill-considered. Speed increases when you dodge attacks and HP increases more the more damage you take, but armor decreases damage taken and also decreases evasion, so wearing armor is usually counterproductive. This is incredibly silly, but also kind of funny to figure out and take advantage of. It feels like this system was only implemented because the idea of getting better at the things you do sounds intuitive, but it was never considered how this would actually work in-game. Each spell having to be leveled individually also makes more situational spells pretty cumbersome, and most spells are situational.
Most enemies are pretty ineffectual at dealing damage if you know how to take advantage of the system. But eventually they start spamming status effects, including AoE instant death that can be impossible to prevent, which is about where my patience runs out.
Most enemies are pretty ineffectual at dealing damage if you know how to take advantage of the system. But eventually they start spamming status effects, including AoE instant death that can be impossible to prevent, which is about where my patience runs out.
This review contains spoilers
By now, Final Fantasy 2 is infamous for being arguably the worst mainline entry in the series, but I was curious, is it really that bad? Yes, yes it is.
It didn't take me long to feel this way since after about 10 minutes of grinding in the overworld, I went about 6 steps south of Altair and ran into high level enemies that killed me. That's my first, of many, issues with Final Fantasy 2. If you don't go exactly where the game wants you to, you'll stumble on late-game enemies that kill you, and you won't be able to flee from them either since levelling up Agility in this game is non-sensical. I hate the levelling up system in this game (or lack thereof). The Nature vs Nurture system of Final Fantasy 2 makes sense in concept, the more you do something, the better you are at it, and this works for some stats like Strength being tied to how many times you use the Attack command or the potency of your Magic spells being determined by how often you cast them. But to use this system optimally you have to do some really non-sensical things. Firstly, to get the most HP upgrades, you're best off taking of all your armor so you take more damage. If you want to increase Agility, you need to increase Evasion, to increase Evasion, you're best off defending while the enemies absolutely wail on you. If you want to level up the Life spell so characters are revived with more than 1 HP, the best thing to do is constantly kill and revive your party members like its I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Granted, none of this is ever necessary since the game is pretty easy all things considered (to the point of being mindless), but it just goes to show how poorly implemented this system is. Also, this system just does not work for magic spells, by the time you get spells like Holy, Flare and Ultima you're never using them because they're Level 1 while your other spells like Fire are level 10 and above.
The way stats are raised isn't even my main issue with the game, it's the dungeons. It's like they're designed to be as frustrating as humanly possible. This is because these dungeons are completely loaded with dead ends, or they have a treasure chest with a Monster-in-the-box, FF2 is the first to introduce them, yey... There's also an absolutely ungodly amount of trap rooms where you're thrown into the middle of the room, and these rooms have such a sky high encounter rate that you'll often fight 2 battles in these areas. These dungeons also drag on for about 4-10 floors and it's exhausting and the constant encounters everytime you take 5 steps drove me nuts. The dungeons are designed to drag on as long as possible to drain you of your MP so when you fight the boss at the end, you're Fucked, because the bosses have an absurd amount of physical defence so magic is the only real way to damage them. FF1 dungeons were basic but you never felt like the designers were going out of their way to piss you off like they do here.
Another thing I don't get is the temporary party members that assist you throughout your adventure. Minwu and Josef are useful, but Leila, Ricard and Gordon suck, they have no magic, die in record speed and you never want to use them because having them perform actions decreases the chance of your other characters levelling up. Leon also joins way too late for him to be useful.
The reason they're temporary is because most of them die. FF2s story is surprisingly depressing and it's the high point of the game for me. Right from the start you see the Empire wreaking havoc and that continues for the entire game as NPCs you once interacted with get killed by the Dreadnought and towns get completely destroyed to the point where you can't go to them anymore. It does wonders in establishing the Empire as a threat and some moments are genuinely gut-wrenching like when you inform Nelly about Josef's death. There's too many deaths for them all to hit hard though and the characters are all very basic, but the story is a huge step up from FF1 regardless. I also like Emperor Mattheus as a villain, you feel his presence for the entire game and him going to hell and overcoming Satan is hilariously badass, he's my favourite villain out of the ones from FF1-5. The music (atleast on the PSP) is pretty solid, with highlights for me being Magician's Tower and the Rebel Army Theme.
The PSP version also does a lot of things to improve on the original FF2. Grinding spells doesn't take forever, you don't have a limited inventory, spells aren't insanely expensive and improving one stat won't lower a different one in this version.
But even with the improvements, it doesn't salvage what I think is a pretty terrible game overall. I can appreciate FF2 for introducing a lot of series staples like being the first game to have Cid, Chocobos, the Ultima Spell, Phoenix Downs, enemies like Flans, Malboros, Behemoths, Bombs etc. Most importantly though, I admire the fact it set the precedent for other games to follow by having a standalone story that doesn't tie into the previous game. But appreciating and enjoying something are two different things, and I got almost no enjoyment from playing this.
It didn't take me long to feel this way since after about 10 minutes of grinding in the overworld, I went about 6 steps south of Altair and ran into high level enemies that killed me. That's my first, of many, issues with Final Fantasy 2. If you don't go exactly where the game wants you to, you'll stumble on late-game enemies that kill you, and you won't be able to flee from them either since levelling up Agility in this game is non-sensical. I hate the levelling up system in this game (or lack thereof). The Nature vs Nurture system of Final Fantasy 2 makes sense in concept, the more you do something, the better you are at it, and this works for some stats like Strength being tied to how many times you use the Attack command or the potency of your Magic spells being determined by how often you cast them. But to use this system optimally you have to do some really non-sensical things. Firstly, to get the most HP upgrades, you're best off taking of all your armor so you take more damage. If you want to increase Agility, you need to increase Evasion, to increase Evasion, you're best off defending while the enemies absolutely wail on you. If you want to level up the Life spell so characters are revived with more than 1 HP, the best thing to do is constantly kill and revive your party members like its I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Granted, none of this is ever necessary since the game is pretty easy all things considered (to the point of being mindless), but it just goes to show how poorly implemented this system is. Also, this system just does not work for magic spells, by the time you get spells like Holy, Flare and Ultima you're never using them because they're Level 1 while your other spells like Fire are level 10 and above.
The way stats are raised isn't even my main issue with the game, it's the dungeons. It's like they're designed to be as frustrating as humanly possible. This is because these dungeons are completely loaded with dead ends, or they have a treasure chest with a Monster-in-the-box, FF2 is the first to introduce them, yey... There's also an absolutely ungodly amount of trap rooms where you're thrown into the middle of the room, and these rooms have such a sky high encounter rate that you'll often fight 2 battles in these areas. These dungeons also drag on for about 4-10 floors and it's exhausting and the constant encounters everytime you take 5 steps drove me nuts. The dungeons are designed to drag on as long as possible to drain you of your MP so when you fight the boss at the end, you're Fucked, because the bosses have an absurd amount of physical defence so magic is the only real way to damage them. FF1 dungeons were basic but you never felt like the designers were going out of their way to piss you off like they do here.
Another thing I don't get is the temporary party members that assist you throughout your adventure. Minwu and Josef are useful, but Leila, Ricard and Gordon suck, they have no magic, die in record speed and you never want to use them because having them perform actions decreases the chance of your other characters levelling up. Leon also joins way too late for him to be useful.
The reason they're temporary is because most of them die. FF2s story is surprisingly depressing and it's the high point of the game for me. Right from the start you see the Empire wreaking havoc and that continues for the entire game as NPCs you once interacted with get killed by the Dreadnought and towns get completely destroyed to the point where you can't go to them anymore. It does wonders in establishing the Empire as a threat and some moments are genuinely gut-wrenching like when you inform Nelly about Josef's death. There's too many deaths for them all to hit hard though and the characters are all very basic, but the story is a huge step up from FF1 regardless. I also like Emperor Mattheus as a villain, you feel his presence for the entire game and him going to hell and overcoming Satan is hilariously badass, he's my favourite villain out of the ones from FF1-5. The music (atleast on the PSP) is pretty solid, with highlights for me being Magician's Tower and the Rebel Army Theme.
The PSP version also does a lot of things to improve on the original FF2. Grinding spells doesn't take forever, you don't have a limited inventory, spells aren't insanely expensive and improving one stat won't lower a different one in this version.
But even with the improvements, it doesn't salvage what I think is a pretty terrible game overall. I can appreciate FF2 for introducing a lot of series staples like being the first game to have Cid, Chocobos, the Ultima Spell, Phoenix Downs, enemies like Flans, Malboros, Behemoths, Bombs etc. Most importantly though, I admire the fact it set the precedent for other games to follow by having a standalone story that doesn't tie into the previous game. But appreciating and enjoying something are two different things, and I got almost no enjoyment from playing this.
(with respect and admiration) this is utterly fucking moronic.
Guy speak Beaver
Estou aqui para o meu segundo jogo da franquia Final Fantasy, e novamente volto aqui com mais um jogo talvez... decepcionante? Não quero ser bastante enrolado na introdução desta review, mas já digo que não odiei FF2, mas por outro lado, eu gostei de jogar, apesar dos terríveis problemas desse jogo. Enfim, vamos para a review:
Jogabilidade[3.5/5]: Já digo que está categoria aborda apenas a questão de jogabilidade, mas de certa forma terei que utilizar de argumentos posteriores para afirmar essa minha nota em jogabilidade. Primeiramente, uma jogabilidade bastante desperdiçada... Esse jogo me deixou frustado em diversos pontos, até por que, a liberdade em que ele te coloca para poder montar os personagens da forma como vc quiser, ao mesmo tempo em que essa liberdade é reprimida por uma forte opressão do nivelamente de todo o jogo. É chato e repetitivo treinar os personagens durante a aventura, tive que parar para grindar diversas vezes durante o jogo, e isso é revoltante, porque esse jogo consegue te incitar a treinar todos os personagens, que inclusive, outra coisa torna a jogabilidade como um empecilho durante a jornada, que é o quarto personagem da party. O jogo reveza isso durante toda a jornada, e MEU DEUS! Por qual motivo o personagem tem que vir tanto desnivelado? De qualquer forma, ainda assim gostei da diferença entre o primeiro jogo e o segundo em tentar algo diferente do básico, que é explorado no primeiro jogo da franquia.
Dificuldade[4/5]: Difícil, muitas vezes te obrigando a fazer bastante grinding, porém de certa forma não chega a ser igual o jogo anterior. Que me deu um susto com o boss final sendo absurdamente apelão. Nesse jogo, os bosses são mais fáceis do que as próprias bestas das dungeons. Talvez eu esteja sendo bem gentil nessa nota, já que comparado com o último jogo que era absurdamente fácil, nesse o jogo é bem nivelado até o fim, não chegando a ser injusto em nenhum aspecto, mas ao mesmo tempo ele é injusto em te obrigar a grindar intensivamente para se adequar.
Direção de arte[4.5/5]: É um remaster, bem bonito, arte com belos traços, curtscenes fofinhas, entre outros aspectos. Foram fieis a obra original e pegou um estilo de arte bem básicão em pixel art. Porém, não é feio, acho o designe de cada personagem muito bem trabalhado e com personalidade. Além de claro, o designe dos monstros e bosses que são muito bons. Porém, os cenários ainda são meio simplezinho. Nada inovador.
História[4/5]: MUITO MELHOR QUE O PRIMEIRO JOGO. O primeiro jogo nem tentou fazer uma história, já esse final fantasy 2, tentou bastante e supriu minhas expectativas. Me senti um pouco imerso na história, apesar de ainda ser meio toscona, ela tenta se levar a sério de forma até que bem feita. Porém, tenho que ressaltar aqui que eu não me senti muito apegado a nenhum personagem específico, até por que o sentimento é que eles não tem tanta presença de gameplay. De todo o meu tempo de gameplay eles conversam muito pouco, então acho que isso pesa bastante. Além de claro, o quarto personagem da party nunca ter tempo de ter um bom desenvolvimento.
Trilha sonora[4/5]: Algumas soundtracks desse jogo são muito boas, ouviria por horas fácil, mas ai que ta o problema, é repetida diversas vezes durante todo o jogo e meio que fica por isso mesmo. É um remaster muito fiel nesse ponto talvez? Eu não sei, nunca vi o jogo original. A maioria das dungeons tem a mesma música, salvo algumas excessões de duas dungeons específicas que tem soundtracks bem daoras, porém isso não se repete no jogo, e ele basicamente tem trilhas sonoras que são replicadas em quase todo o jogo até o final.
Gameplay[1/5]: 20 horas grindando excessivamente, esse é o final fantasy 2. Eu sinceramente, acho as dungeons desse jogo menso extressantes do que o do jogo anterior, eu até me divertir na última dungeon, algo que eu não esperava, até por que o primeiro jogo da franquia é bem pessímo nesse ponto(A dungeon final é extressante demais). Enfim, o meu ponto aqui é: Se não fosse o fato de ter que ficar nivelando os personagens toda hora e treinando cada status, magia entre outros pontos seria bem mais divertido. Porém, esse jogo tem que se utilizar dessa dificuldade artificial para extender seu tempo de jogo absurdamente. E ainda é dito que nesse remaster o jogo é mais nivelado para a gameplay atual(se isso for verdade tenho dó de quem jogou o original). No fim, vale a pena ter todo o tempo investido? Talvez sim se você gostar de espancar os bosses desse jogo.
Conclusão[3.5/5]: Acredito que final fantasy 2 tentou dar um grande passo na epóca errada, ou talvez esse jogo foi importante para que os jogos posteriores fossem aperfeiçoados. Sinceramente, esse jogo quase poderia se tornar algo marcante para mim, porém infelizmente ele me deu mais raiva do que felicidade de fato. A história não é ruim, mas de certa forma ela é ainda um pouco tosca. E essa luta interna minha em querer amar esse jogo, mesmo eu nem sendo muito chegado a franquia final fantasy, me instiga a entender de onde vem esse sentimento e por que esse jogo me pareceu ser bom. Eu não consigo entender de fato, esses sentimentos misturados e intensos que tenho com esse jogo. E sim, gostei do jogo no fim apesar da nota baixa(no meu coração esse jogo é um 4.5, porém tenho que ser verdadeiro com a nota aqui). Gostei do jogo, mas sinceramente, dúvido que você leitor vai gostar. Enfim, recomendo caso não se importe em passar muito tempo farmando, talvez você também consiga enxergar a parte bela desse jogo, da mesma forma como eu exerguei.
Jogabilidade[3.5/5]: Já digo que está categoria aborda apenas a questão de jogabilidade, mas de certa forma terei que utilizar de argumentos posteriores para afirmar essa minha nota em jogabilidade. Primeiramente, uma jogabilidade bastante desperdiçada... Esse jogo me deixou frustado em diversos pontos, até por que, a liberdade em que ele te coloca para poder montar os personagens da forma como vc quiser, ao mesmo tempo em que essa liberdade é reprimida por uma forte opressão do nivelamente de todo o jogo. É chato e repetitivo treinar os personagens durante a aventura, tive que parar para grindar diversas vezes durante o jogo, e isso é revoltante, porque esse jogo consegue te incitar a treinar todos os personagens, que inclusive, outra coisa torna a jogabilidade como um empecilho durante a jornada, que é o quarto personagem da party. O jogo reveza isso durante toda a jornada, e MEU DEUS! Por qual motivo o personagem tem que vir tanto desnivelado? De qualquer forma, ainda assim gostei da diferença entre o primeiro jogo e o segundo em tentar algo diferente do básico, que é explorado no primeiro jogo da franquia.
Dificuldade[4/5]: Difícil, muitas vezes te obrigando a fazer bastante grinding, porém de certa forma não chega a ser igual o jogo anterior. Que me deu um susto com o boss final sendo absurdamente apelão. Nesse jogo, os bosses são mais fáceis do que as próprias bestas das dungeons. Talvez eu esteja sendo bem gentil nessa nota, já que comparado com o último jogo que era absurdamente fácil, nesse o jogo é bem nivelado até o fim, não chegando a ser injusto em nenhum aspecto, mas ao mesmo tempo ele é injusto em te obrigar a grindar intensivamente para se adequar.
Direção de arte[4.5/5]: É um remaster, bem bonito, arte com belos traços, curtscenes fofinhas, entre outros aspectos. Foram fieis a obra original e pegou um estilo de arte bem básicão em pixel art. Porém, não é feio, acho o designe de cada personagem muito bem trabalhado e com personalidade. Além de claro, o designe dos monstros e bosses que são muito bons. Porém, os cenários ainda são meio simplezinho. Nada inovador.
História[4/5]: MUITO MELHOR QUE O PRIMEIRO JOGO. O primeiro jogo nem tentou fazer uma história, já esse final fantasy 2, tentou bastante e supriu minhas expectativas. Me senti um pouco imerso na história, apesar de ainda ser meio toscona, ela tenta se levar a sério de forma até que bem feita. Porém, tenho que ressaltar aqui que eu não me senti muito apegado a nenhum personagem específico, até por que o sentimento é que eles não tem tanta presença de gameplay. De todo o meu tempo de gameplay eles conversam muito pouco, então acho que isso pesa bastante. Além de claro, o quarto personagem da party nunca ter tempo de ter um bom desenvolvimento.
Trilha sonora[4/5]: Algumas soundtracks desse jogo são muito boas, ouviria por horas fácil, mas ai que ta o problema, é repetida diversas vezes durante todo o jogo e meio que fica por isso mesmo. É um remaster muito fiel nesse ponto talvez? Eu não sei, nunca vi o jogo original. A maioria das dungeons tem a mesma música, salvo algumas excessões de duas dungeons específicas que tem soundtracks bem daoras, porém isso não se repete no jogo, e ele basicamente tem trilhas sonoras que são replicadas em quase todo o jogo até o final.
Gameplay[1/5]: 20 horas grindando excessivamente, esse é o final fantasy 2. Eu sinceramente, acho as dungeons desse jogo menso extressantes do que o do jogo anterior, eu até me divertir na última dungeon, algo que eu não esperava, até por que o primeiro jogo da franquia é bem pessímo nesse ponto(A dungeon final é extressante demais). Enfim, o meu ponto aqui é: Se não fosse o fato de ter que ficar nivelando os personagens toda hora e treinando cada status, magia entre outros pontos seria bem mais divertido. Porém, esse jogo tem que se utilizar dessa dificuldade artificial para extender seu tempo de jogo absurdamente. E ainda é dito que nesse remaster o jogo é mais nivelado para a gameplay atual(se isso for verdade tenho dó de quem jogou o original). No fim, vale a pena ter todo o tempo investido? Talvez sim se você gostar de espancar os bosses desse jogo.
Conclusão[3.5/5]: Acredito que final fantasy 2 tentou dar um grande passo na epóca errada, ou talvez esse jogo foi importante para que os jogos posteriores fossem aperfeiçoados. Sinceramente, esse jogo quase poderia se tornar algo marcante para mim, porém infelizmente ele me deu mais raiva do que felicidade de fato. A história não é ruim, mas de certa forma ela é ainda um pouco tosca. E essa luta interna minha em querer amar esse jogo, mesmo eu nem sendo muito chegado a franquia final fantasy, me instiga a entender de onde vem esse sentimento e por que esse jogo me pareceu ser bom. Eu não consigo entender de fato, esses sentimentos misturados e intensos que tenho com esse jogo. E sim, gostei do jogo no fim apesar da nota baixa(no meu coração esse jogo é um 4.5, porém tenho que ser verdadeiro com a nota aqui). Gostei do jogo, mas sinceramente, dúvido que você leitor vai gostar. Enfim, recomendo caso não se importe em passar muito tempo farmando, talvez você também consiga enxergar a parte bela desse jogo, da mesma forma como eu exerguei.
While there are aspects that drew me in, such as the overall more somber atmosphere and the soundtrack, this is a generally flawed game. It isn't completely unplayable, but excluding the more patient and die-hard RPG fans, I think most people will have a hard time finding the motivation to finish this one.
I don't think I will go back and play this one, the story was ok, but the gameplay was terrible. There are no levels and you end up attacking your own people in combat to get skill ups.
Yep. It's still bad.
this is the first pleb filter ever made
The level system is quite unique amongst RPGs. The more you use a certain command the stronger it gets so you level up stats individually based on your own play style. It does take some luck sometimes but I enjoyed how unique it was. This version of the game fixes a few problems the original version had gameplay wise but it is still a noticably older game in some aspects.
The story isn't insane but is definitely one of the better NES game stories. There's some nice NPCs although the main party could've been fleshed out more. This version of the game did give them some more personality but I wish they did a bit more.
This version of the game comes with the Souls of Rebirth extra storyline which is about all the major characters who died in the main story fighting the main villain in the underworld which is a insanely cool concept. They reused a lot of assets and it's fairly short so I think it could've been handled a bit better but it's definitely a nice addition.
If you're going to play a version of Final Fantasy 2 I definitely recommend this version.
The story isn't insane but is definitely one of the better NES game stories. There's some nice NPCs although the main party could've been fleshed out more. This version of the game did give them some more personality but I wish they did a bit more.
This version of the game comes with the Souls of Rebirth extra storyline which is about all the major characters who died in the main story fighting the main villain in the underworld which is a insanely cool concept. They reused a lot of assets and it's fairly short so I think it could've been handled a bit better but it's definitely a nice addition.
If you're going to play a version of Final Fantasy 2 I definitely recommend this version.
Like many others i also wasn't a fan of the leveling system (especially the way to gain MP is retarded). The story is fine for it's time, a lot of stories in that era were about an evil empire and rebels in some shape or form (maybe the star wars influence from around that time). The characters are bland personality wise but it's the start of some of the epic designs final fantasy will get known for. Minwu's design is amazing, and this is the first time we see a dragoon and a dark knight (and chocobo's!). I give it credits for that, but gameplay wise it felt more archaic than even the first game. Still glad i did a complete playthrough, it wasn't as bad as it's reputation suggested (but still bad). The Arcane Labyrinth that got added in this version i didn't really grasp, even with a reference guide. You can get ultimate weapons but you have to do confusing stuff with the name learning mechanic. The playthrough was long enough as it is, so i skipped it.
This is the ultimate version to play FFII, but i wish they changed the leveling system to what it was in the other games. I understand why they didn't and it would be blasphemy for an anniversary edition, but the game would be better for it.
This is the ultimate version to play FFII, but i wish they changed the leveling system to what it was in the other games. I understand why they didn't and it would be blasphemy for an anniversary edition, but the game would be better for it.
This review contains spoilers
didnt care for any character in the story im glad they almost all died
bu oyunda gerçekten bir hikaye ve hikaye anlatımı var çok iyi değil ortalama bir hikayeye sahip oynanış mantığı ilk oyun gibi item stoklaman gerekiyor sürekli son dungeondan önce de iyi bi grind da istiyor ben hile ile grind sorununu çözdüm size önerim de o yönde bir de blood sword efsane bi kılıç kesinlikle kullanın.
Masterpiece. Best game ever made.
The biggest criticism of FFII is definitely the leveling up system. However, once you know how it works, it becomes quite fun to exploit it and then it's up to you to define the difficulty that you want to set.
What really pisses me off are the dungeons with tons of dead ends and room traps with monsters and no treasure chests. That's a jerk move that appears throughout the entire game. Why?!!
I guess it gets more hate than it deserves.
What really pisses me off are the dungeons with tons of dead ends and room traps with monsters and no treasure chests. That's a jerk move that appears throughout the entire game. Why?!!
I guess it gets more hate than it deserves.
Took a few hours to get on its wavelength, but once I did I had a surprisingly decent time. I don't think I would call its leveling system good--too much of its rules are pointlessly arcane and counterintuitive--but it is interesting, and maybe sometimes I prefer interesting to good. And the near-constant barrage of stats going up in battle is real satisfying in that Skinner box way. From what I hear this is a system that's carried over and refined in the SaGa series, so maybe it's time for me to finally give that a try.
Also dug how ambitious it is in the way it tells its story--basic plot's a naked, halfassed Star Wars ripoff, but I was impressed by the way the world state changes as you progress through the game, something I don't think other NES RPGs were doing at the time. Also liked the rotating cast (even if nobody has much of a personality to speak of), and the game's surprising willingness to kill people off. It's easy to see why this is nobody's favorite Final Fantasy, but, I dunno. There's something here.
Also dug how ambitious it is in the way it tells its story--basic plot's a naked, halfassed Star Wars ripoff, but I was impressed by the way the world state changes as you progress through the game, something I don't think other NES RPGs were doing at the time. Also liked the rotating cast (even if nobody has much of a personality to speak of), and the game's surprising willingness to kill people off. It's easy to see why this is nobody's favorite Final Fantasy, but, I dunno. There's something here.
Final Fantasy II.
Um RPG que parece fazer força pra impedir o jogador de se sentir evoluindo enquanto joga.
Pelo menos, é como me senti mesmo após planejar quase todos os aspectos da minha jornada antes mesmo de começa-la e, ao chegar à última dungeon do game, descobrir que eu deveria treinar mais um peso morto (o quinto, pra ser exato) para ser viável em combate enquanto o time que construí durante esse tempo ainda tomava surra das mecânicas de jogo.
Assim como seu antecessor, a premissa para a história de Final Fantasy II se baseia em uma profecia antiga que lança nossos heróis escolhidos em direção ao perigo para que eles conquistem a paz. Aqui, em vez de monstros caricatos e desalmados, temos um imperador autoritário expansionista. Apesar de supostamente nos tornarmos membros de uma resistência, absolutamente nenhum conflito é visto durante todo o jogo (mesmo que o rei moribundo nos diga, logo no início do jogo, que levou uma ferida mortal). Fazendo parecer que a líder da resistência — a princesa regente — está lutando contra a própria sombra durante todo o maldito jogo.
Grande parte da história se resume a atravessar o mapa em fetch quests para receber a próxima palavra-chave e descobrir onde nossa "jornada" nos levará.
Com isso dito, a primeira peça de gameplay se apresenta: as palavras-chave. Obtidas durante as conversas, servem unicamente ao propósito de repeti-las a algum NPC e, se elas forem relevantes, eles nos darão alguma informação sobre o que devemos fazer em seguida.
Por que elas existem, eu não sei. Nem tampouco por que parece que elas são introduzidas em diálogos únicos que, via de regra, não podem ser repetidos e poderiam manter um jogador travado em algum ponto sem saber o que fazer.
E, considerando que a história parece ser pouco mais que um acessório para justificar o grinding de gameplay, não me surpreenderia ouvir de outros jogadores que eles frequentemente não sabiam o que fazer alguns minutos depois de receberem instruções.
Final Fantasy II tem como diferencial o fato de que aqui, a progressão dos personagens se dá, em teoria, pela aptidão deles com as armas e feitiços usados. De modo que, resumidamente, quanto mais se realiza uma ação, mais proficiente nos tornamos nela e, juntamente, nossos atributos se ajustam e fortalecem (ou reduzem, no caso dos jogos com a fórmula de crescimento antiga).
Acontece que, apenas armas e feitiços seguem uma fórmula matemática que, inevitavelmente vai resultar em crescimento ou estagnação (estagnação esta que em teoria deveria impedir o jogador de se tornar excessivamente forte ao derrotar inimigos fracos).
Os demais atributos, entretanto, são aumentados dentro de condições que, salvo exceções, tendem a ser inconstantes ou mesmo contrassenso.
Por exemplo:
Enquanto a resistência e a quantidade de HP aumentam quase naturalmente quanto mais nos envolvemos em combate (e sofremos dano), a tendência é que nossa capacidade de causar dano se torne suficiente para derrotar pequenos grupos de inimigos sem receber nenhum golpe.
O resultado disso é que nossos atributos tendem a estagnar rapidamente e, quando enfrentamos inimigos ligeiramente mais fortes ou em maior número, o deficit em nossos atributos se torna um problema. Nesse exemplo específico, a solução mais simples, embora estranha, é fazer os nossos personagens agredirem uns aos outros em combate, a fim de forçar o crescimento.
Outro exemplo estranho é que, para tornar os personagens mais ágeis, é necessário utilizar o mínimo de equipamentos e armadura (ou nenhuma, de preferência) e garantir que a evasão esteja alta, pois, aparentemente ela contribui na chance aleatória de que a agilidade seja aumentada no fim do combate. Isto é, desde que nossos personagens sejam alvos de golpes e nossos inimigos errem.
Naturalmente, o personagem mais lento da equipe é o primeiro a se ferrar com essa lógica torta.
Eventualmente, o jogador se verá forçado a fazer coisas que quebram a imersão no jogo a fim de fazer seus personagens crescerem, mesmo que à força, alcançando um novo estado de quase equilíbrio com a dificuldade do jogo, apenas para ver esse equilíbrio sendo rapidamente perturbado quando a história precisa progredir.
Não é difícil imaginar que sustentar a parte mais significativa de gameplay em uma progressão tão tortuosa e inconsistente provavelmente vai gerar mais frustração e tédio do que diversão.
Adicionalmente, considerando que Final Fantasy II parece funcionar com uma nova abordagem dos encontros aleatórios que os dá uma frequência quase fixa, é altamente provável que os jogadores vão se ver iniciando uma luta com inimigos que vão atacar primeiro e provavelmente deixar o jogador em uma situação desfavorável antes mesmo de escolher uma ação.
Não posso esquecer de dizer que, de todas as escolhas do jogo, talvez a mais gritantemente estúpida seja a de fazer o quarto membro do grupo ser rotativo e, para piorar, terminar fora da equipe (seja temporariamente ou permanentemente) levando todos os itens equipados e jogando fora todo o tempo investido neles.
Ainda pior é notar que o jogo tenta supercompensar o crescimento errático de personagem ao tornar esses "convidados" mais fortes que o resto da equipe, porém fazendo isso porcamente, ao introduzir os personagens com cerca 500 de HP (e nenhum feitiço, salvo uma única exceção) em uma área onde um único inimigo pode causar cerca de 300 a 400 pontos de dano com um único golpe básico.
O resultado é termos um quarto membro que tende a servir como um mero saco de pancadas até que a narrativa decida se livrar deles.
Eu gostaria de trazer alguns elogios à parte audiovisual do jogo, mas, considerando que nem mesmo a soundtrack conseguiu me fazer tolerar os combates a cada 5 passos (+/-) e que ver as lentas animações de feitiços se repetirem à exaustão cansou bem rápido, isso seria desonesto.
Apenas uma vez em 20 anos eu consegui chegar até o fim de FF II e ver os créditos.
Aqui estou, alguns anos depois e desistindo de jogar, sem ter tido a chance de me divertir, mesmo que o objetivo final esteja à minha frente.
Cá entre nós, nenhum jogo me parece valer todo esse estresse apenas para ver os créditos.
Se você tiver algum interesse em jogar Final Fantasy II, tente a versão de GBA ou o Pixel Remaster, talvez, assim como eu, você dê a sorte de chegar até o fim.
Um RPG que parece fazer força pra impedir o jogador de se sentir evoluindo enquanto joga.
Pelo menos, é como me senti mesmo após planejar quase todos os aspectos da minha jornada antes mesmo de começa-la e, ao chegar à última dungeon do game, descobrir que eu deveria treinar mais um peso morto (o quinto, pra ser exato) para ser viável em combate enquanto o time que construí durante esse tempo ainda tomava surra das mecânicas de jogo.
Assim como seu antecessor, a premissa para a história de Final Fantasy II se baseia em uma profecia antiga que lança nossos heróis escolhidos em direção ao perigo para que eles conquistem a paz. Aqui, em vez de monstros caricatos e desalmados, temos um imperador autoritário expansionista. Apesar de supostamente nos tornarmos membros de uma resistência, absolutamente nenhum conflito é visto durante todo o jogo (mesmo que o rei moribundo nos diga, logo no início do jogo, que levou uma ferida mortal). Fazendo parecer que a líder da resistência — a princesa regente — está lutando contra a própria sombra durante todo o maldito jogo.
Grande parte da história se resume a atravessar o mapa em fetch quests para receber a próxima palavra-chave e descobrir onde nossa "jornada" nos levará.
Com isso dito, a primeira peça de gameplay se apresenta: as palavras-chave. Obtidas durante as conversas, servem unicamente ao propósito de repeti-las a algum NPC e, se elas forem relevantes, eles nos darão alguma informação sobre o que devemos fazer em seguida.
Por que elas existem, eu não sei. Nem tampouco por que parece que elas são introduzidas em diálogos únicos que, via de regra, não podem ser repetidos e poderiam manter um jogador travado em algum ponto sem saber o que fazer.
E, considerando que a história parece ser pouco mais que um acessório para justificar o grinding de gameplay, não me surpreenderia ouvir de outros jogadores que eles frequentemente não sabiam o que fazer alguns minutos depois de receberem instruções.
Final Fantasy II tem como diferencial o fato de que aqui, a progressão dos personagens se dá, em teoria, pela aptidão deles com as armas e feitiços usados. De modo que, resumidamente, quanto mais se realiza uma ação, mais proficiente nos tornamos nela e, juntamente, nossos atributos se ajustam e fortalecem (ou reduzem, no caso dos jogos com a fórmula de crescimento antiga).
Acontece que, apenas armas e feitiços seguem uma fórmula matemática que, inevitavelmente vai resultar em crescimento ou estagnação (estagnação esta que em teoria deveria impedir o jogador de se tornar excessivamente forte ao derrotar inimigos fracos).
Os demais atributos, entretanto, são aumentados dentro de condições que, salvo exceções, tendem a ser inconstantes ou mesmo contrassenso.
Por exemplo:
Enquanto a resistência e a quantidade de HP aumentam quase naturalmente quanto mais nos envolvemos em combate (e sofremos dano), a tendência é que nossa capacidade de causar dano se torne suficiente para derrotar pequenos grupos de inimigos sem receber nenhum golpe.
O resultado disso é que nossos atributos tendem a estagnar rapidamente e, quando enfrentamos inimigos ligeiramente mais fortes ou em maior número, o deficit em nossos atributos se torna um problema. Nesse exemplo específico, a solução mais simples, embora estranha, é fazer os nossos personagens agredirem uns aos outros em combate, a fim de forçar o crescimento.
Outro exemplo estranho é que, para tornar os personagens mais ágeis, é necessário utilizar o mínimo de equipamentos e armadura (ou nenhuma, de preferência) e garantir que a evasão esteja alta, pois, aparentemente ela contribui na chance aleatória de que a agilidade seja aumentada no fim do combate. Isto é, desde que nossos personagens sejam alvos de golpes e nossos inimigos errem.
Naturalmente, o personagem mais lento da equipe é o primeiro a se ferrar com essa lógica torta.
Eventualmente, o jogador se verá forçado a fazer coisas que quebram a imersão no jogo a fim de fazer seus personagens crescerem, mesmo que à força, alcançando um novo estado de quase equilíbrio com a dificuldade do jogo, apenas para ver esse equilíbrio sendo rapidamente perturbado quando a história precisa progredir.
Não é difícil imaginar que sustentar a parte mais significativa de gameplay em uma progressão tão tortuosa e inconsistente provavelmente vai gerar mais frustração e tédio do que diversão.
Adicionalmente, considerando que Final Fantasy II parece funcionar com uma nova abordagem dos encontros aleatórios que os dá uma frequência quase fixa, é altamente provável que os jogadores vão se ver iniciando uma luta com inimigos que vão atacar primeiro e provavelmente deixar o jogador em uma situação desfavorável antes mesmo de escolher uma ação.
Não posso esquecer de dizer que, de todas as escolhas do jogo, talvez a mais gritantemente estúpida seja a de fazer o quarto membro do grupo ser rotativo e, para piorar, terminar fora da equipe (seja temporariamente ou permanentemente) levando todos os itens equipados e jogando fora todo o tempo investido neles.
Ainda pior é notar que o jogo tenta supercompensar o crescimento errático de personagem ao tornar esses "convidados" mais fortes que o resto da equipe, porém fazendo isso porcamente, ao introduzir os personagens com cerca 500 de HP (e nenhum feitiço, salvo uma única exceção) em uma área onde um único inimigo pode causar cerca de 300 a 400 pontos de dano com um único golpe básico.
O resultado é termos um quarto membro que tende a servir como um mero saco de pancadas até que a narrativa decida se livrar deles.
Eu gostaria de trazer alguns elogios à parte audiovisual do jogo, mas, considerando que nem mesmo a soundtrack conseguiu me fazer tolerar os combates a cada 5 passos (+/-) e que ver as lentas animações de feitiços se repetirem à exaustão cansou bem rápido, isso seria desonesto.
Apenas uma vez em 20 anos eu consegui chegar até o fim de FF II e ver os créditos.
Aqui estou, alguns anos depois e desistindo de jogar, sem ter tido a chance de me divertir, mesmo que o objetivo final esteja à minha frente.
Cá entre nós, nenhum jogo me parece valer todo esse estresse apenas para ver os créditos.
Se você tiver algum interesse em jogar Final Fantasy II, tente a versão de GBA ou o Pixel Remaster, talvez, assim como eu, você dê a sorte de chegar até o fim.
Was really hoping this would be some kind of misunderstood gem, or otherwise something with soul from how terrible its systems are. My hopes were dashed on both fronts: it really isn't a good game - not a bad one either, mind you, but not with many notable positive qualities - and its systems were actually pretty alright but not too impressive.
I think the most I can say about the game's odd skill leveling mechanics would be that they work mostly as intended but don't favor magic much at all. With how widespread the magic system is and with how late into the game you find some of the spells you really want to use, there comes no point where you realistically get the chance to use them for training unless you run all the way back to early areas for very weak enemy encounters. This is extra unfortunate because it means the story-relevant Ultima as well as the powerful Flare are gimped quite a lot even if you do begin training them the moment you acquire them. You have to commit so hard to just a tiny handful of spells out of the huge slew you can have on a given character that much of the magic in the game feels like a complete waste.
With everything else, though, I think the system works quite well. It seemed like past the halfway point each new party member would be waaaaaaay too weak following their introduction - particularly the last one - but it's at least not particularly difficult to train if you want to spend time on it. That seems to be more or less what was intended in order to try getting the player more attached to each party member, which I guess is a neat enough concept. There's not really enough characterization or uniqueness to any one character to warrant such care, though. One downside of the skill system is that if you swap weapons and magic around every character can feel very bland and similar even with their base stat differences, making them simple clay you can mold into whatever as opposed to being actual meaningful characters with unique traits.
I know it's been beaten to death but the weird Star Wars ripoff concept they were going for with the story felt almost like a joke at times. Beyond those parallels the repetitive "get new party member, new party member dies for the cause" cycle the game goes through feels tedious for how long the game winds up being. There's so much random busywork that amounts to almost nothing of value (see the worthless Mythril quest in the earlygame, for example) that it makes the game feel bloated.
Compared to the more snappy world tour that was the first Final Fantasy, this seems like a misstep in what I can only assume was an attempt to ensure the sequel "took a step up" from its predecessor, and not in an experimental or interesting way. For a story with similar themes of sacrifice in rebellion against a great evil within an adjacent franchise, check out Mana 1 ("Final Fantasy Adventure"), which I find does it much more eloquently and poignantly with a shorter runtime. It's much more janky but it's got heart.
Final Fantasy II never feels bad to play, at least, but the lack of depth in the combat and the lack of reasons to care about the narrative or world don't help with its low staying power. I found myself bored by lategame, though not enough to quit. It was just fine enough to think "yeah, I suppose I'll keep going," and by the time I was finally starting to fall asleep I was at the home stretch. I suppose that counts as good enough pacing. It's a shame I don't really have any major good things to say about it. I suppose it added some series mainstays (can't thank it enough for introducing Chocobo), so that's something. As much as I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, this game wound up feeling very much skippable once I completed it. It's not satisfying, its mechanics are not as rewarding as they seem they would be conceptually, and it's got nothing in it to keep the player coming back or caring. It's just... meh.
I think the most I can say about the game's odd skill leveling mechanics would be that they work mostly as intended but don't favor magic much at all. With how widespread the magic system is and with how late into the game you find some of the spells you really want to use, there comes no point where you realistically get the chance to use them for training unless you run all the way back to early areas for very weak enemy encounters. This is extra unfortunate because it means the story-relevant Ultima as well as the powerful Flare are gimped quite a lot even if you do begin training them the moment you acquire them. You have to commit so hard to just a tiny handful of spells out of the huge slew you can have on a given character that much of the magic in the game feels like a complete waste.
With everything else, though, I think the system works quite well. It seemed like past the halfway point each new party member would be waaaaaaay too weak following their introduction - particularly the last one - but it's at least not particularly difficult to train if you want to spend time on it. That seems to be more or less what was intended in order to try getting the player more attached to each party member, which I guess is a neat enough concept. There's not really enough characterization or uniqueness to any one character to warrant such care, though. One downside of the skill system is that if you swap weapons and magic around every character can feel very bland and similar even with their base stat differences, making them simple clay you can mold into whatever as opposed to being actual meaningful characters with unique traits.
I know it's been beaten to death but the weird Star Wars ripoff concept they were going for with the story felt almost like a joke at times. Beyond those parallels the repetitive "get new party member, new party member dies for the cause" cycle the game goes through feels tedious for how long the game winds up being. There's so much random busywork that amounts to almost nothing of value (see the worthless Mythril quest in the earlygame, for example) that it makes the game feel bloated.
Compared to the more snappy world tour that was the first Final Fantasy, this seems like a misstep in what I can only assume was an attempt to ensure the sequel "took a step up" from its predecessor, and not in an experimental or interesting way. For a story with similar themes of sacrifice in rebellion against a great evil within an adjacent franchise, check out Mana 1 ("Final Fantasy Adventure"), which I find does it much more eloquently and poignantly with a shorter runtime. It's much more janky but it's got heart.
Final Fantasy II never feels bad to play, at least, but the lack of depth in the combat and the lack of reasons to care about the narrative or world don't help with its low staying power. I found myself bored by lategame, though not enough to quit. It was just fine enough to think "yeah, I suppose I'll keep going," and by the time I was finally starting to fall asleep I was at the home stretch. I suppose that counts as good enough pacing. It's a shame I don't really have any major good things to say about it. I suppose it added some series mainstays (can't thank it enough for introducing Chocobo), so that's something. As much as I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, this game wound up feeling very much skippable once I completed it. It's not satisfying, its mechanics are not as rewarding as they seem they would be conceptually, and it's got nothing in it to keep the player coming back or caring. It's just... meh.
i have conducted a bit of research before deciding to write something on this game. i have read quite a few reviews from other players. i have tried to see if there were aspects of the game that slipped from my grasp, or perspectives that shed a different light on it. to my surprise, the game was always homogeneously reviewed. the topics of discussion were always roughly the same and could be summed up in a few points: a boring and frustrating dungeon design; a derivative approach to its story; an uninspired mechanic in the form of keywords to extract plot-relevant information; a shooting for the stars approach to gameplay mechanics; a complete obfuscation of said mechanics which the player can’t ever come to understand without some sort of guide. some would bring up how the game always ranked poorly, and likely at the bottom of the lists, in every site’s final fantasy series game ranking. most would mention how they came to know the game as ‘the bad one’ of the franchise but felt like they could find some good in there and gave it a good try to possibly rediscover an hidden gem. but in hindsight all this homogeneity may not be as surprising as one may think. it is just a testament to the fact that the game truly is as dry as it may look and sound and i don’t think i can add anything of value to any of the points mentioned before. the mere statement and restatement of them, across the years and among several rereleases, makes it clear that there is not much else to catch on to.
but the value of bad videogames is in recognizing how fundamental they can be for making good games in the future. i have to respect final fantasy 2, because the game’s experimentation was foundational for finding out the correct mix of gameplay mechanics to adopt for later titles. the game’s openness to build customization (regardless of the fact that it has many elements that contrast this very feature) has without a doubt led to the rationalization that this level of flexibility is a little too excessive, but the sentiment isn’t wrong, and this led to the creation of the job class system of final fantasy 3 and 5; similarly the various fourth slot members can be clearly seen as a tough learning experience for the far more solid party rotations of final fantasy 4 and 6, where the first has a much more solid progression curve built around having Cecil as the party’s “pivot” while others rotate around him, and the latter is able to create scenarios by separating the party at times and divide the narrative into different parts. i must admit that i am not familiar with akitoshi kawazu’s work with the saga series prior to this playthrough, but i expect it to also have been tangentially influenced by the development of final fantasy 2 as well. moreover, i believe that the somber tone of this game allowed square to position itself into a different part of the role playing market with respect to its big competitor dragon quest, besides pure game mechanics, eventually bringing games likes final fantasy 4 and 6 in a few years. given all this, i am thankful for having played this game, as it gave me a sort of historical framework to better understand the progression of a game series i appreciate. so thank you, final fantasy 2, and farewell!
but the value of bad videogames is in recognizing how fundamental they can be for making good games in the future. i have to respect final fantasy 2, because the game’s experimentation was foundational for finding out the correct mix of gameplay mechanics to adopt for later titles. the game’s openness to build customization (regardless of the fact that it has many elements that contrast this very feature) has without a doubt led to the rationalization that this level of flexibility is a little too excessive, but the sentiment isn’t wrong, and this led to the creation of the job class system of final fantasy 3 and 5; similarly the various fourth slot members can be clearly seen as a tough learning experience for the far more solid party rotations of final fantasy 4 and 6, where the first has a much more solid progression curve built around having Cecil as the party’s “pivot” while others rotate around him, and the latter is able to create scenarios by separating the party at times and divide the narrative into different parts. i must admit that i am not familiar with akitoshi kawazu’s work with the saga series prior to this playthrough, but i expect it to also have been tangentially influenced by the development of final fantasy 2 as well. moreover, i believe that the somber tone of this game allowed square to position itself into a different part of the role playing market with respect to its big competitor dragon quest, besides pure game mechanics, eventually bringing games likes final fantasy 4 and 6 in a few years. given all this, i am thankful for having played this game, as it gave me a sort of historical framework to better understand the progression of a game series i appreciate. so thank you, final fantasy 2, and farewell!
Review in progress:
Has aged like milk.
Has aged like milk.
I find this game very interesting, on hand it's easily among the worst Final Fantasy Games, on the other the game tries a lot of ambitious things for being the second game in the franchise like the unique leveling system, and the constant rotation of party members... these two thing are for the worse btw, buffs can miss because how spells work, and the rotation means by the end of the game your main trio has vastly out scaled your final member, your most recent one of which having just caught up before he's removed for Soul of Rebirth. I must say as a port, this game is among the finest, adding a lot of QoL and improving the visuals magnificently, but that's not enough for me to ever recommend it. SoR is cool, but it's hardly worth beating this game for. The plots bare bones, but I assume it was interesting for its time. The grind to power level can be unbearable at times, but not necessary, however if you don't grind the game become a lot more tedious. I think this game is a treasure for it's historic value to the series, but I think this game is also a great example of what not to do in a RPG. Would never recommend it, but I'd say it's worth playing if you're trying to experience the franchise highs and lows. Also Emperor is based wish he had more screen time because I'd love to see more of his goofy evil ass.
FFII is a nesting doll of interesting but completely invisible systems attached to some incredible early jrpg gimmicks, all held together by the sudden, startling presence of an actual story with a bad guy who rocks. The world is in peril and The Emperor hates you.