FINAL FANTASY II

[h2]A buffed rock with some real shine, but not quite a diamond[/h2] I have always overlooked Final Fantasy II so its pixel remaster was a great time to finally sit down and play it all the way through. Having just come off of FF1's pixel remaster, there are some pretty noticeable differences between the two entries, though the soundtrack still carries a lot of the same DNA as the original, and honestly, that's completely fine by me. This entry also introduced a surprising number of characters and enemies I never realized got their start here, like the Behemoth and the Iron Giant, and it was fun discovering those roots. The magic system is a clear step up over the original, swapping out the fixed number of leveled spells for an MP based system that feels more natural to manage. That said, I still prefer how later entries handle things, since FF2 forces you to always use the most expensive version of a spell, and that spell only levels up the more you use it. In practice, that means your favorite spells end up being your most costly ones by default, which feels a little backwards compared to what came later. Keywords and key items also get their own colored text, which makes it much easier to pick out what actually matters and adds a bit of variety to the dialogue. That same clarity carries over to directions as well, which feel a little easier to follow at times, though not dramatically so. The tradeoff on the keyword side is that it introduces an awkward keyword collecting system that I doubt anyone would call their favorite part of the game. A couple of things landed more in the middle for me. Some status effects clear automatically once you exit battle, while others persist, and it's not always clear which fall into which category. Poison and venom are a good example of this, since one resolves after combat while the other doesn't, despite feeling like they should behave the same way. On top of that, Esuna and Basuna both exist as separate cures for these kinds of ailments, which feels like unnecessary bloat when one unified fix would have done the job just fine. On the downside, while the weapon leveling system feels pretty satisfying in the early stages, it turns into a genuine slog once you push past rank 8. There's also a noticeable amount of small, square, mostly empty rooms tucked behind doors that exist just to pad out transitions. It feels like a byproduct of the era, reusing assets to stretch the world out rather than filling it with meaningful content. That said, there are some genuinely cool areas scattered throughout that break away from the usual cave, castle, or dungeon formula. Overall, the pixel remaster deserves a lot of credit for making Final Fantasy II a genuinely enjoyable experience, quirks and all.

Сюжет и персонажи стали лучше, чем в первой части, но вот механика магии и оружий, как по мне, хуже. Вот эта прокачка стала прям лишней, и хорошо что ее убрали в будущем.

Masterpiece

Before playing Final Fantasy II, it was the only entry in the franchise (except Final Fantasy XI) I knew almost nothing about, aside from what I’d seen in the Dissidia games. The story was honestly quite good: the looming threat of the Palamecian Empire, led by the cunning Emperor, creates a dark, oppressive atmosphere that drives the entire narrative. Unlike Final Fantasy I's more straightforward story, this one is filled with political intrigue, emotional depth, and its fair share of deaths and tragedies, making every victory feel hard-earned. However, the leveling system was a bit frustrating. While the concept isn’t bad, the execution falls short. Not having a static fourth team member until the end of the story was destabilizing at first, but you get used to it. Some enemies inflict status effects on 100% of their hits (even 0 dmg attacks), and mobs like Coeurls can kill you on hit, even with death-protecting equipment. The final dungeon, Pandaemonium, was harsh but still fun. Its design was breathtaking, and the music was absolutely gorgeous. Overall, a flawed but rewarding adventure.

Nonostante la Pixel Remastered renda il gioco molto più semplice dell' originale, rimane uno schifo il sistema di livellamento...O almeno l'idea è buona ma la realizzazione è uscita una MERDA. Bellissima la storia, la mappa e i personaggi...Come il primo però, non sempre è chiaro dove si debba andare per proseguire nella storia, si vede che è un gioco datato perchè gli sviluppatori si aspettavano che un giocatore si mettesse a parlare con tutti gli NPC. E poi va beh hanno voluto cambiare troppo da un capitolo all'altro creando probabilmente a mani bassissime il peggior FF di sempre. Ah quasi dimenticavo, ci sono un sacco di cose missabili e delle quali nessuno ti dirà nulla se non sei tu a girare tantissimo per la mappa.

magnifique

老遊戲 小時候買不起

gut

The Dark Souls II of Final Fantasy in the way that there's 50 new design ideas in this one but almost all of them being atrociously bad and never seen again after.