(This is the English translation of my Spanish review of this game)

I understand why most people say this is the worst Final Fantasy. Released in 1988, I feel like people might not have expected such a different sequel. I strongly believe that it was actually just a game somewhat ahead of its time

Note: rereading this I think I might be a bit too biased since I've only played the Pixel Remaster version. The original one was way more flawed than this

Final Fantasy II is a game that takes many risks. It changes the classic crystals narrative for something much more "M Rated." The game is a bit more serious and not really lighthearted, and more akin to Game of Thrones than Legend of Zelda (I was already expecting a "You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?")

Everyone dies haha. Character you meet, character that bites the dust. It makes a lot of sense because the plot deals with the fall of a kingdom but its context is much more grounded. Most of the events have to do with the establishment of a ruthless empire and how the members of the resistance fight against it. Very Star Wars.

I see that what most people hated about this entry is that the leveling and the combat system seem quite rigid. There are no character levels per se, but what levels up are the specific types of weapons and spells you use. Moreover, there’s a level cap depending on where you are in the world, so the classic RPG grind to cheese the game is achieved differently. You have to be very intentional with everything, and I think that its greatest weakness is actually its greatest advantage. I understand the fighting system is just actually the baby form of the job system that gets introduced in Final Fantasy III, but I feel that the current state of it on this game gave me the freedom to create my party however I wanted. Everyone can use any spell and any weapon; it’s just a matter of training each one to be relevant in monster encounters. I ended the game with a double-wielding swordsman/poison spell user, an archer/healer, a double-wielding axeman/aggro spell user, and a spear dragoon person (unofficial names haha).

I like that as the games start to iterate, the characters increasingly take the center stage. This time, instead of using 4 generic heroes of light, there are 3 main characters with a bit of personality. Firion, the main protagonist, is even kinda revered as one of the coolest characters in the pixel era.

Although the game has pretty average dungeons and a downgrade in the bestiary (compared to the first), I always appreciate and celebrate when games take chances and try to do weird and different things. The payoff is usually very cool.

Anyway, I'd like to give this game 4 duel-wielding, spell-casting, world-trotting, airship-flying, boat-rowing, Pandemonium-defeating heroes out of 5 🧝‍♂️🧝‍♂️🧝‍♂️🧝‍♂️