Final Fantasy II
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- This article is about Final Fantasy II, the Famicom title. For information on the SNES title, see Final Fantasy IV.
| Final Fantasy II | |
| Missing image Ff2logo.jpg Game logo for WonderSwan, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance remakes | |
| Developer(s) | Square Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Square Co., Ltd. (Japan) |
| Release date(s) | December 17, 1988 (Japan) |
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | Not applicable |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Entertainment System, WonderSwan Color |
Final Fantasy II is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Square Co., Ltd. in 1988. Originally released for the Nintendo Family Computer in Japan, there was some initial talk that either Nintendo of America or Square Soft (Square's North American subsidiary) might localize the title for American audiences as had been done with its predecessor in 1990. Such a project was announced and an early prototype cartridge was produced in 1991, but the game was ultimately cancelled in favor of the more recent Final Fantasy IV. The game was never released outside of Asia in its original form. Enhanced remakes of the game were later issued for the Bandai WonderSwan Color ("WSC"), the PlayStation (as part of the Final Fantasy Origins collection) and the Game Boy Advance (GBA) (as part of the Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls collection), and the latter two titles were finally released in English language form in both North America and Europe.
The game is notable for being one of the first story-intensive RPGs released for a console system, and for being the first game in the series to feature many elements that would later become staples of the franchise, including Chocobos and a character by the name of Cid. It was also unique for eliminating the traditional experience-based advancement system, instead favoring a system wherein the statistics of playable characters increased according either to how much they were required, or how much they used. In other words, a character who frequently cast magic spells would have their proficiency at casting increase faster than a character who specialized in physical attacks. Although abandoned by subsequent installments in the series, a similar system was adopted by the SaGa series, also produced by Square. Final Fantasy II also introduced the theme of rebellion, which was also adapted in Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X.
Because of the popularity of the series in America during the 1990s, Final Fantasy II was one of the first games to undergo fan translation, in this case by NeoDemiforce.
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Release dates
- December 17, 1988 — Family Computer (Japan)
- February 27, 1994 — Family Computer (as part of Final Fantasy I & II) (Japan)
- May 3, 2001 — WonderSwan Color (Japan)
- October 31, 2002 — PlayStation (separately and as part of Final Fantasy I+II Premium Package) (Japan)
- March 14, 2003 — PlayStation (as part of Final Fantasy Origins) (Europe)
- April 8, 2003 — PlayStation (as part of Final Fantasy Origins) (North America)
- July 29, 2004 — Game Boy Advance (as part of Final Fantasy I & II Advance) (Japan)
- November 29, 2004 — Game Boy Advance (as part of Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls) (North America)
- December 3, 2004 — Game Boy Advance (as part of Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls) (Europe)
Story
The story concerns the adventures of four youngsters from the village of Fynn, Frioniel (renamed Firion in the English translation due to length restrictions), Maria, Guy and Lionheart (Leon), whose parents are killed during an invasion by the army of the emperor of Palamecia, who has summoned forth monsters in his quest to dominate the world.
Fleeing the emperor's monsters, the four are attacked and left for dead. Frioniel, Maria and Guy are rescued by Princess Hilda of Fynn, who has established a rebel base in the nearby town of Altair. Eager to prove their value to the resistance movement, the three remaining youths undertake a variety of missions against Palamecia and join forces with a variety of allies not only to defeat the Emperor, but to locate Maria's brother Lionheart, as well. Eventually, the quest is finished by the four reuniting and walking into the very pits of Hell itself to save the world.
Screenshots
| Missing image Ff2_01.png Famicom battle | Missing image
Ff2wsc_1.jpg WonderSwan Color battle | Missing image FF2PS1Battle.png Sony PlayStation battle |
| Famicom battle | WonderSwan Color battle | Sony PlayStation battle |
Missing image
Ff2psx_1.jpg Sony PlayStation cutscene | Missing image
Ff2gba_1.jpg Game Boy Advance cutscene | |
| Sony PlayStation cutscene | Game Boy Advance cutscene |
Packaging artwork
| Missing image Ff2cover.jpg Cover to the original Japanese Famicom release | Missing image FF1&2_Famicom_boxart.jpg Cover to Final Fantasy I-II Famicom | Missing image FF2_WSC_boxart.jpg Cover to the Japanese WonderSwan Color remake |
| Final Fantasy II Nintendo Family Computer Japan, 1988 | Final Fantasy I.II Nintendo Family Computer Japan, 1994 | Final Fantasy II Bandai WonderSwan Color Japan, 2001 |
| Missing image FF2PS_Japan_boxart.jpg Cover to Japanese PlayStation remake | Missing image FFPremium_boxart.jpg Cover to Premium Package (PlayStation) | Missing image FFOrigins_PAL_boxart.jpg Cover to FF Origins (PlayStation PAL version) |
| Final Fantasy II Sony PlayStation Japan, 2002 | Final Fantasy Premium Package Sony PlayStation Japan, 2002 | Final Fantasy Origins Sony PlayStation Europe, 2003 |
| Missing image Ffobox.jpg Cover to FF Origins (PlayStation NA version) | Missing image FF1&2Advance_Japan_boxart.jpg Cover to FF1&2 Advance (GBA Japan) | Missing image FF1and2-DawnOfSouls-Boxart.jpg Cover to Dawn of Souls (GBA) |
| Final Fantasy Origins Sony PlayStation North America, 2003 | Final Fantasy I & II Advance Nintendo Game Boy Advance Japan, 2004 | Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls Nintendo Game Boy Advance North America/Europe, 2004 |
External Links
- LostLevels.org Spotlight: Final Fantasy II (http://www.lostlevels.org/200312/200312-ffan2.shtml) – an article concerning the fate of the unreleased North American localization for the Nintendo Entertainment System
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