New for me
And then, the original Final Fantasy II finally showed up on the Playstation in a multi-game remake called Final Fantasy Origins, but by that point, I wasn't invested in the Playstation platform and let the game slide by for a while. However, having recently gone back and played Final Fantasy, starting with the Dawn of Souls version, but skipping along to the PSP remake, I kind of wanted to go back and check out the game that I missed so long ago and picked up a copy of the PSP version.
The PSP version (also available on iOS) is essentially the same as the Dawn of Souls version, but with cleaner, prettier graphics and another dungeon with more loot and enemies. Being on a UMD, the game does suffer from a little lag due to loading times compared to the fast-as-can-be Game Boy Advance cartridge, but I found it bearable and the higher resolution graphics were quite pretty, considering the age and format of the game. Not having played the original Famicom edition (available on Wii's virtual console, for those interested), I don't really have a point of reference to compare the remake to as the GBA and PSP versions are similar in terms of gameplay, so I'll just stick to that experience.
Final Fantasy II is actually a substantial upgrade from the original Final Fantasy in terms of story and gameplay. On the story front, the game actually features characters with personalities, however limited they might be, three of which are with you throughout the game and the fourth is a guest character that is determined by the story and will swap in and out as the game goes. The story itself is event driven and linear, although the game is still open world, so you're able to explore (if you can survive that is) and features a story about an evil empire that's trying to take over the world a small coalition of forces trying to fight back. It's very simple stuff compared to modern day RPG storylines and even quaint, but in the world of old school, early Japanese RPGs, it's exceptionally deep, especially compared to its rival series, Dragon Quest, at the time. It's not quite enough to be compelling, but it at least has one interesting twist and establishes some themes that get revisited in future titles in the series.
In terms of gameplay, Final Fantasy II respects the turn based style of the original, but guts the class and level-based system of the first and replaces it with a system that is focused on skills and stats, which increase as they are used. So, if you get hit, you have a chance of your HP and stamina going up, casting a lot of the spell "Cure" will cause it to level up, and swinging an axe will make the character's axe level go up. It's an interesting change of pace, but one that results in a bit of time being spent fighting simply to improve your characters' stats and doing some rather illogical things to achieve that, like having your characters fight each other instead of their enemies. Furthermore, it still encourages grinding and lends a bit towards making every character a super-character, strong in both magic and fighting in order to reduce weaknesses in your team and that reduces the distinction between your characters as well as guest characters, kind of making things bland from a gameplay perspective.
In terms of art, FFII isn't much of a stretch from the original in terms of style of complexity, and with the remakes, this is especially true since they were kind of built together. The PSP edition's graphics are crisp, clear and well defined, benefiting from the newer display technology, but still based on icons and so nothing that's going to take anyone's breath away. Musically, FFII continues the series' high standards for music and it's a mix of the foreign and the familiar, certainly sounding like a Final Fantasy should without overly re-treading the same music, but it's still a nice point in this version of the game.
Final Fantasy II does feel kind of unique as far as the series and even early JRPGs go, simply because of its character system, but that's not necessarily a good thing, since the system, while interesting in intention, ultimately doesn't significantly change overall gameplay. The game is also notable with the scope and execution of its story, in context, but isn't exceptionally compelling as its characters don't really have particularly interesting stories nor are they developed. Some of the guest characters are interesting, but don't get enough face time to be anything more than a tiny spark. At least the remake provides some solid graphics and sound that helps pretty up the aging game underneath. Final Fantasy II is a noticeable step up from the original and might be ahead of the pack for its era, but all the remake polish in the world don't stop the game from feeling a bit quaint and dated throwback. One that I enjoyed simply because I like these old-school style games, but I think that's the only class of gamer that will still want to go back and play this, remake or no. 7/10.
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