The Definitive Hidden Gem - Lufia II Retrospective

Certified gamer exhaustively details an overlooked RPG from the Super Nintendo era. Nothing better than that.
Intro: 0:00
The Setup: 1:39
Gameplay Loop: 8:56
Optional Content: 21:35
Ancient Cave: 27:17
Bugs and Poor Translation: 34:09
Full Story Analysis: 38:32
Closing Remarks: 1:11:35

[@gabrielritchot3096]

Dude my entire life when discussing RPGs, i keep bringing this as my favorite of all time, and rarely if ever do i meet people who actually played this. Thank you, this is truly a gem of its era.

[@Gabumon93]

I second this

[@Don2one]

me too

[@YubelBuster]

Lufia II was just called Lufia in Germany when I got this game as a kid, it even came bundled with a guide book. To this day it is still one of my favorite games ever. The ending destroyed me as a kid. I put my SNES away after beating it, because I was so sad. But the next day I was playing again. The music is phenomenal and still gives me goosebumps.

[@SSingh-nc8hb]

Same country, same mentality. It's still one of my top 3 games... Marrying a woman and having your own child being kidnapped while being a child yourself impacts you in another way. The story was great, violent and simply just real. No sugar-coating needed. I am happy having played it. Oh, when Dakar died.. it hit me.. When I killed Gades the first time and receiving the Gades Sword, because it was rumored to be possible, I was so happy. No 100% walkthrough sites were available back then.

[@jacksonramsey5023]

I actually own a complete-in-box German copy of the game. However, I don't own a PAL SNES or a television that accepts 50hz signals, so I use my RETRODE to dump the ROM and play it in an emulator.

[@sillyfool7207]

Totally agree! Ending TOTALLY shattered me as a lil kid.. Some of the best music ever in aaaall gaming history ever!!

[@Juppes]

Recht haste. Hat mich damals auch sehr mitgenommen. Als kleines Kind bei meinem Bruder zugeschaut und irgendwann selber die Welt gerettet. War eine schöne unschuldige Zeit, wo die Tage noch unfassbar lang waren😊

[@prehistoricman864]

The Ending of the first game hits even harder.

[@maxw5240]

Thank you for making this. As a lifelong fan of this game, I feel you have succinctly captured everything that needed to be said about it. I laughed all 3 times the fire flower puzzle was brought up, you truly gave it the recognition it deserved.

[@hutchkey2397]

Thank you so much! I'm very happy with how the video turned out, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@dethaddr]

Ancient Cave is the greatest extra ever in any game, including an RPG. My friend and I used to take turns playing each level trying to get to the end on many, many days in my youth.

[@gexianhen]

earlier this year i realized that the ancient cave is basically a Roguelike inside a Rpg

[@dethaddr]

@@gexianhen True, but I'll tell you, up until fairly recently (mid-late 2010's) the AC was one of the absolute BEST roguelikes you could play that wasn't ASCII graphics (Mac's old Dungeon of Doom/Dungeon Revealed being the best for several decades). The bonus is that you get to keep any blue chest items you leave with in any run an use them not only in-game but also for any runs into the AC in that save file. Pretty sweet rewards, seeing how many were the most powerful items in the game!

[@Animebryan2]

@@gexianhen It wasn't just a "Roguelike", it's one of if not the very first instance of a randomly generated dungeon. It's what gives it so much replayability & was used as the main gimmick in the GBC sequel Lufia: The Legend Returns.

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@Animebryan2 the first randomly generated dungeons were done in the 70's if not 60's.

[@thewhyzer]

@@Animebryan2 MAYBE the first instance of a randomly generated dungeon in an SNES game, and I don't know if even that is true. Do you know where the name "Roguelike" even comes from?

[@dekarblades]

If you beat Gades when you're meant to lose you get Gades Blade which is a weapon you can take into the ancient cave.

[@peteranon8455]

OCTOSTRIKE!

[@AshAsmodeus]

The reverse is true too; you can find the Gades blade in the AC too.... Same with the Catfish Jewel that can drop from the very first boss in the game... it has an IP move that deals damage based upon how much HP the enemy has for a digit of you IP bar (I think you can perform the move some 20x on a full IP-bar)

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

normally done in new game+.... I remember doing it in 1996 and wondering how this would change everything...

[@aloisiosenra]

It is almost impossible not to cry at this ending. Brilliant video!

[@YoshMaster]

I still to this day cannot listen to the ending song without crying my eyes out 😮

[@DrGrief-sf3cj]

first time i play i was crying but that's what makes the complete Game so !!!!!!!

[@nibelungvalesti]

This man gets it.

[@nibelungvalesti]

If you think this hits the feels, you should try Terranigma.

[@DrGrief-sf3cj]

Yes Terranigma is also a amazing Game

[@MrCocktaiI]

Tia's arc is so heartbreaking. Unrequitted love is so rarely treated in games even up to this day, and yet Lufia II handles it so maturely.

[@hutchkey2397]

100% agree. I absolutely love her arc in this game, and I respect the game so much for everything regarding her character. I'm glad her and Maxim didn't somehow end up together, and I'm really glad they didn't just have her immediately fall in love with someone else. They let her character take a more realistic path through those feelings and it's amazing to see. Like you said, it's a rare theme explored in any games, let alone a game from this era!

[@Eener1000]

With how lighthearted the game tries to be on occasion, it also has a few heavier/real moments and handles them with subtle grace. A few parts in the game that would be at the end credits of a normal rpg are just part of life in this one.

[@JoePotato-es4hl]

Fatty

[@balbarith45]

I can't be mad at Maxim for this. He simply did not see Tia like that. Wouldn't be surprised if he saw her as a sister.

[@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay]

@@balbarith45 Man falls for and has to be saved by "muh strong wamen" - havent seen that recently. So refreshing. Post-modern garbage and typical cucking of the protagonist that shows up in Japanese games/anime.

[@skins4thewin]

This game was just so absolutely ahead of it's time in every way. From the unexpected yet incredibly engaging & well written story beats, to the refined & varied RPG mechanics, it's a true masterpiece that is CRIMINALLY overlooked. It ABSOLUTELY belongs in the conversations of other all time great RPG's of the era such as Chrono Trigger, FF6, Etc. It is right up there and is every bit as good as those, aside for the bugs that is. That is the one & only main flaw I can think of.

[@justinnix1635]

Great job! One detail I was surprised you didn't mention: many old school RPGs had text boxs and sometimes little sounds play as each word apears for all the dialoge, however Lufia II goes above and beyond this by giving each character their own pitch of tone for the dialogue sound which mimics IRL human vocal ranges, ex. Tia has a high pitch, Selan's is a bit lower, and the men have the lowest ranges. It adds that much more life to the well-written characters :-) Im glad this convention is used more often in modern games, but i feel like Luffia II was one of the first and only games doing it back then. Great review! :-)

[@BlackStarEOP]

One of the most underrated RPGs ever made. Fond memories of playing this in the dutch version on our Super Nintendo way back.

[@jacksonramsey5023]

I wish I owned a Dutch copy of the game. It's notable for being the only "serious" SNES game to be fully localized into Dutch. One day, one day...

[@jacksonramsey5023]

I seriously don't intend to brag (that is not my intent at all), but I have one now...

[@matthagen67]

Lufia 2 is amazing. It's not Chrono Trigger or FF6, but it didn't have to be. Also, I was soooo disappointed when I got my hands on the NDS remake. The creators clearly didn't understand the charm and magic of the original. They made a completely different game that provided a completely different (and in every aspect - inferior) experience. It's sad actually... Lufia 2 is one of those games I wish to replay before I die. I last played it in 1999 but I have some really fond memories of it. Especially the dungeon puzzles and music.

[@Animebryan2]

Only 2 good things came from that abomination: The "Happy Ending" after beating NG+ and the soundtrack.

[@samuelrainville9219]

As a youngster I though that the dual Blade Buggy Room was a meta narrative choice to make us feel unsettling and disoriented when sharing the same place of this powerful blade...

[@hutchkey2397]

That's actually amazing. Maybe the localizers were secret masterminds all along.

[@brandonb5854]

I actually had this same thought as well when I was young. That the Dual Blade with all its power created a distorted area, showing you the power that the blade had. Same with the Ancient Cave boss floor, that this boss was so immense, and the fact it healed you and everything else, it somehow felt like the Master Slime was a magnificent terror to behold. Now some of the other translations in the game...ya those def provided funny moments as a kid

[@jackall-trades6149]

I know, right? I thought it was intentional, like not showing Dual Blade or Daos to the player to add tension.

[@sir_hammy]

I had the same experience! I totally thought it was on purpose to provide a challenge to get through the maze and be mysterious.

[@Mike_Takumi]

The actual reason is because when they were converting and translating it for the US, in order to free up space for the text (English requires more space than Japanese for text), they deleted some sprites that were unused. Unfortunately in doing that, they accidentally removed ones that make up the Dual Blade room and the Jelly room. So when it tries to load those rooms, it ends up referencing "gibberish" random other sprites and other memory that it tries to render.

[@bellyOfaTiger]

What I love about Lufia 2 that I rarely see in other RPGs is the ability to individually pick which enemies get hit by spells. Typically, it's either one enemy gets hit or all enemies get hit. Surprised it's not more common, it adds depth to strategy.

[@Dmhlucky]

So glad there is an actual following for this game. Growing up we had a friend who had Lufia 1, which we would play whenever we had a sleepover, so when Lufia 2 was released, we asked our parents to get it for us for Christmas. I remember playing it Christmas morning with my brother, we had played some other RPGs, like Final Fantasy 1 and 6 (3 Terra/Locke etc) but this one stood out to me the most. Possibly because it was a little easier for a kid to play through, but regardless, similar to you, we didn't notice some thing on our first playthrough attempt, and there wasn't the internet to look stuff up on back then. So we got as far as the cave with the colored blocks and got completely stuck there, on i believe the 2nd room. Where you need to turn in place. We started a new game as we were at a loss of how to progress only to go through the tutorial dungeon and get reintroduced to the turn in place button, and in our haste, accidentally saved Over the other game, needing to start over. But regardless i remember countless hours, staying up until 11 PM on school nights attempting the Ancient cave, collecting the iris treasures and Blue box items, game genie was a thing, but had minimal useful codes for this game at that time, so there was no speedup, just solid 3-4 hours runs in that place. The Casino was great, the side content was great, the story was amazing and the Music fantastic. Personally i really enjoyed the magic system, both the way it worked and the animations, but that's partially because we started with Lufia 1, which Needed an overhaul. To this day, if people get talking about SNES games, i always bring this game up, its just left that mark on me. Sure FF6 or chrono trigger are more polished games. But even with its glitches this is one of my favorite games ever. Also, i thought i had read years ago, something about the dual blade room being a thing. It was intended to be jumbled that way. Tho as with everything it could be speculation. But i like the idea that the power of the dual blade was too great for you at that time, so it distorted reality. All in all, thanks for the comprehensive review of the game.

[@GB-sh9st]

This video is an achievement. I hope this video gets the credit it deserves too one day.

[@hutchkey2397]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@McCarthy_Was_Right]

It wont

[@Freakshow0198]

The Sinistral battle music is one of my favourites of all time! ToxicEternity did a fantastic metal cover of it too. Damn I love this game.

[@TsukiStuffs]

i personally think the regular boss theme is even better, but this entire game has my favorite soundtrack out of any video game ever so

[@Animebryan2]

This version is better: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHvKi2ObiM9kp9k

[@seththemage6029]

TE's cover is goated.

[@jonathanreiter2852]

SSH covered it too! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3bdfoJ3qNx8j68

[@mattsumner9157]

Check on KZbin. There is a guy who does dueling/harmonized guitars. And does a few lufia songs. He is amazing!!!

[@RaifSeverence]

As much as i loved the ancient cave in 2, i liked it more in 3, with its option to extend it to 200 floors after defeating the master slime on 100. Edit: kinda surprised you didnt mention the after credits scene. Like with the character intros if you leave the title screen up without pressing anything, if you leave the "fin" (or whatever is displayed at the end of the staff credits roll) you get a scene that sets up Lufia 1

[@matthagen67]

This game DESERVES both a Pixel Remaster and a 3D remake (just like Final Fantasy III and IV on NDS).

[@CoolCoolYams]

Yes, with bestiary and other modern additions!

[@PistolPattt]

This is one of the few games I could never bring myself to play again because of the ending.

[@Eener1000]

this game deserves so much more love. Lots of newer/indie devs are looking at old Final Fantasy games, but Lufia 2 is a game that should be the example for how to make it fun and diverse. So many minigames(could spends hours just at the casino and not to forget the ancient cave!), Great way to implement enemies on the map screens with unique movement patterns, an interesting item and equipment selection with effects, a monster trainer game, good puzzles and so, so many secrets. I love this game.

[@onthespoke2]

When I was young I borrowed this game for a few months, but I got stuck on a seemingly-impossible puzzle and eventually had to give up and shelve it since looking things up online wasn't really a thing yet. A few years later, I got my hands on another copy, planning to hit the problem puzzle and then look it up online, but I couldn't remember where I had gotten stuck. So I just kept playing and kept playing until I eventually reached the end of the game without getting stuck. To this day I still don't know what puzzle I got stuck on the first time.

[@anthonylombardo1261]

The game got released before the internet was totally public, so really if you got the game when it launched, all you had to do was wait a few years. Giving the cryptic nature of 90s console RPGs you probably missed talking to an NPC near the starting town that didn’t seem obvious to a child.

[@bobjoemac1]

Took me weeks (probably only a couple hours since I was a kid with limited time between school/friends/other stuff) to get past the 3rd red/yellow block puzzle in the temple right after you get Selen and fight the two clowns.

[@fourstarman1]

wonder if it was the "hardest trick in the world" puzzle. Its a completely optional puzzle that is found behind some hidden walls. You can completel the dungeon, and hence the game, without ever stumbling upon it. You come to the puzzle room with tiles on the floor in a given space. a large tile in the back has treasure chests on it. You have to move all the tiles in a certain order to eventually bring the prize tile front and center. It is certainly difficult. I think the most direct way online shows like 18 steps, with each step requiring maybe 4 or 5 tile movements.

[@RoyvanG]

00:00:10 "...captivated thousands of gamers all across the world." Except Europe 😢. All three of the games you mentioned didn't release in Europe until later. Super Mario RPG didn't officially release here until the Wii Virtual console. Chrono Trigger first European release was on the Nintendo DS. RPG fans in Europe were starving. Lufia 2 (released as just Lufia, becasue we never got the original game) was one of the games that did release here.

[@drTollieworst]

Lufia 2 did release in the Netherlands. It even had a Dutch translation. If i remember correctly it was just called Lufia.

[@somerandomguy9891]

I have it as "Lufia" here in Spain. Btw, I realized while watching this video that the damn capsule monsters had a 5th form.

[@ilikegiraffes2]

this is the only game that has ever made me cry. i was an absolute puddle. what an amazing story.

[@Bigmcc83]

This is arguably my favorite rpg of all time. Despite all the bugs in the American version. It was also the first game to bring me to tears at the end. Thanks for making this video and reminding me about this game. I really hope this game gets a switch remaster.

[@genesisSOC]

It's definitely a fantastic game. I remember experiencing the ending as a kid and it always makes me tear up even today. It's a shame Lufia 1 just isn't as good, I can never bring my self to finish it despite wanting to know what happens after Lufia 2.

[@hutchkey2397]

I feel exactly the same way. I'm tempted to try it again haha but every time I try to play it, I just can't push through.

[@Humanhornis]

It’s alright but definitely dated. I’d actually suggest just looking up a rundown video as the battle system is pretty rough

[@ZaerdinGaming]

Lufia 1 is pretty good. It's not nearly as in depth as Lufia 2, but I found it enjoyable enough.

[@Jay6x]

I feel like one of the ones who has suffered through Lufia I. I felt a connection to the game at such a young age that I had some kind of obligation to finish it. Lufia II, however, is one of my favorite JRPGs of all time.

[@YoshMaster]

I personally adore the first game. It’s pretty oldschool and the beginning few hours can be quite difficult without a bit of grinding and usage of power gourds (the boss that lets you get a ship is incredibly hard compared to what came before) but the rest of the game after that is amazing! I especially love the 3 towers that lets you warp to the elf city. Having 3 dungeons linked together was really cool. Also the banter and the relationship between the hero and Lufia is astonishing and Aguro is also super fun to follow. It’s the quality of the dialogues that makes the characters so great. I woukd suggest playing it in an emulator to fast forward if you find it a bit slow (walking in dungeons and sometimes the battles and the animations are a bit too oldschool, also the random encounter rate is pretty rough to modern gamer). To be honest I love both game just as much but they are definitely different kinds of jrpgs in a generational kind of way. Very oldschool almost nes type of jrpg for 1 and very “modern” and revolutionary (when it came out) for 2.

[@bya_fox]

When I was a kid I owned Final Fantasy 3 on the SNES. My sisters friend wanted to borrow it but I was weary lending it out since it took 2 months of my allowance to get it. I also didn't trust him. He relented and let me borrow lufia 2. I was skeptical but agreed. I turned it on shortly after he left. Watched the intro and just watching the intro hearing the music and story I was hooked. What followed was an 18 hour gaming session. There was so much to love about the game. Each character had so much to them and anytime a part member left I felt that same sense of loss missing their contributions to my party. I loved the capsule monsters and frequently went out of my way to feed them as much as I could. I beat it 3 times in the 2 weeks he borrowed ff3. He came back and said he wanted lufia 2 back. I demanded ff3 back. He said he "lost it" and demanded his game again. I refused and when he tried to take it I made threats. He backed down after being warned off by my sister. I laughed at him and went back to playing the game. All these years later and it's one of my favorite games still. Really funny that if this didn't happen I may have never played it. Beyond that I loved all the side content, exploring the depths with the submarine, the dragon eggs, evolving all the capsule monsters, the new game+, the dungeon island that resets you to level 1 and has you battle your way down and the option to make your own party for that dungeon once you beat it, and the x 4 mode after you beat the game. The was so much to love about it. I also got a new copy of ff6 2 months later after saving my allowance again lol.

[@samuellopez8406]

Thank you for this video!! I played this on emulator as a kid and finished it very very later, but the video was a great reminder of great memories. I strongly recommend you to play the enix snes games Soul Blazer, Illusion of Time and Terranigma, becouse i know you will like them as well(i played this as a child too and they have a great story, as well as not so many glitches). You deserve our support

[@hutchkey2397]

Thank you so much! I will add those to my list. I have heard about them, but I have never gotten around to actually playing them! Can't wait to give them a shot!

[@RomaraAhallow]

Solid recommends all around.@@hutchkey2397

[@AshAsmodeus]

@@hutchkey2397 If you have time I would definitely add Secret of Evermoore to this list as well... it's a mix of Secret of Mana and Chronotrigger with some very unique mechanics.

[@YoshMaster]

My favourite game of all-time! The game that makes me cry like a baby who got kicked in the nuts!! Both Tia leaving and the ending breaks me every single times!! 😭 I still to this day cannot listen to the ending song without crying my eyes out!!!

[@bobjoemac1]

Absolute masterpiece of a game. I consider this just as good as Terranigma, FF4-6, Chrono Trigger, Dragon quest 5. The music, characters, dungeons, puzzles, ancient dungeon, new modes to play acter you finish it. Happy to see it get love on youtube.

[@CrossKnights]

Truly great video, loved your storyline analysis. I never realized that Guy was so "emotionally intelligent" saving maximum from a awkward situation and instantly understanding Tia's feelings. He's in a healthy relationship, yet none of this stops him from being a badass sword fighter? I can't even think of one other video game character that exemplifies those qualities. I will also always be sad that Lufia III was canceled. It was going to be for the PlayStation and Arek was the reason that I was excited for the story to continue. I believe his inclusion is because they intended this to be a multi-generational narrative as it has already been established that the Sinestrials keep on coming back and a new generational hero is always born every hundred years or so. The ending of lufia II was the beginning of the first game and I'm glad I played the first after beating II even though it was...not great. No Puzzles, mediocre combat and a very interesting start but the entire middle of the game is forgettable until the end. But that beginning and end definitely has a part of the story that I played the whole game just to see. The first game is the only way that you'll know why the game is called lufia even though no character named that appears in Lufia II (unless you see the secret cutscene from the first game at the very end if you wait long enough) I wanted to know what Arek was doing with all of this. Is he evil? Neutral? And observer? A shepherd of humanity who was trying to test them (this is personally my theory) I guess I'll never know. My favorite line in the game is actually uttered by a random child in the last Village "There are super beings and evil beings, right? So, if there are bad super beings, why are there no good evil ones?" I feel like this is posing a question about the role that the sinestrials play and the fact that they actually do have free will. And this is proven by Erim's actions. She is a good, evil being and because she made that choice she changed the direction of humanity. There is absolutely more that could be explored there because how does Arek feel about what she did? Was it part of the plan? Great video again! I hope more people find out about this game!

[@hutchkey2397]

Wow, thank you for the comment! I genuinely had no idea that a Lufia III was ever on the table. That's heartbreaking news. I would love the series to make a comeback, especially if they would design something with a similar feel to Lufia II. Unfortunately, I don't think it's popular enough. I'm hopeful that this video encourages more people to try the game. As for Arek, I agree. If the story around Arek would pay off in a third installment, then that would genuinely be epic. I feel like I need to go play Lufia 1 and push through the bad parts to enjoy the story. I know a lot about it, but I just couldn't push through back in the day. Might have to give it another go. Thanks for the kind comment! I'm glad that people are enjoying the video.

[@Jikkuryuu]

It has been a while since I read someone's LP of it, but I believe the gameboy Lufia game uses Arek as the final boss. But more as a "Space Flea" than a game-long antagonist? It definitely stars a descendant of Maxim.

[@k00patr0upa3]

This game does stand amongst the SNES greats. No doubt. Even with that unacceptable dual blade scene. And how they tug at the heartstrings with Tia and Jerrod at the end 😢

[@PetiteKero]

The constant references at the grass burning puzzle on Dragon Mountain made me giggle every time. :D 7:43 I looove how you (maybe not even intentionally) called Iris "GREEN haired". The intonation was like "Yeah, NOT the BLUE haired one". :D 12:10 Money was pretty much abundant. I only run low on money every time in early game when buying food for capsule monsters. 18:40 Did you know you can hold the L button instead of repeatedly pressing the A button to breeze through battles even faster? 25:20 Didn't know you can beat the Egg Dragon that quick ... 30:38 THAT BUSH hides a healing field. =D It looks different compared to other bushes. You kinda develop an eye for these when you find the first one. Haven't even finished the whole video yet but I can savely say you deserve EVERY view, like and comment. Lufia 2 is my favourite RPG on the SNES. ❤

[@PotluckB]

I missed this one myself (though of the appropriate age at the time, I didn't really start playing videogames until the Playstation era) but my best friend in high school LOVED Lufia 2. Even if it isn't one of 'my' games, it's still very nostalgic to see it here again.

[@seedmole]

Yes! Out of all the games I played during my emulation phase in college, Lufia 2 was the SNES game that had the largest gap between what I expected and what I experienced. It's up there with the third Star Ocean game as some of my favorite JRPGs that don't seem to get mentioned much.

[@exmello]

Amazing video! Though I'm surprised you didn't mention (SPOILERS) . . . . The whole ending sequence of the game is the prologue to Lufia 1. I didn't play through too much of Lufia 1 as it doesn't hold up as well as Lufia 2, but that little detail makes it pretty special to me.

[@traviswayne556]

You grasped 10-12 and even 30+ years old me when I play this game. Every moment. Especially the last legs of the game. From the GOAT coming back to the soundtrack segments. Well done.

[@mrproper3630]

I bought this game in a store sale. They were getting rid of "old" video games. It was the time of the Playstation 1, and the PS2 was near, so the SNES was way past its prime. It caught my eye, and because the price was reduced, I decided to give it a go. It ended up being one of my favourite SNES games, and being the last cartridge I bought for that system, the best way to end its cycle for me. Let´s hope that because of these videos more people can experience this amazing game!

[@amiante2000]

To this day I still think it's the best rpg on SNES. It has everything

[@Tinil0]

Just finished the video and...still cried. Dammit. The relationships and characters in this game are just too good. I also had to laugh at your mention of FFX which just so happens to be another of my favorite games along with this one, and I could probably talk equally long about both. It's interesting thinking about not just the similarities in how they portrayed romance, but in how their endings were both incredibly bittersweet, involving the protagonist sacrificing themselves. I guess I am a sucker for that storybeat, because it kills me every time. Something about Selan hiding her wound and trying to be happy they won, Maxim sensing something was wrong, him uring his allies to leave knowing it would strand him but he doesn't care because Selan is there, and then him giving all his energy to stop the one petty ass dick movie by an overinflated ego and save their son. And then just their spirits flying off together...man... You said it well, none of the flaws of this game can outweigh what they did with the character relationships. I keep thinking "plot", since that is a standard element, but like you mention the plot is incredibly generic ultimately. It only even exists to give you reason to keep going, and you really just go to the next dungeon because the dungeons are fun, not because you care a lot about the plot. But the characters and their relationships and growth and companionship...A lot of RPGs have a party where you may only have a few characters that truly feel close and it's just a weird traveling circus of blue-haired misfits and anthropomorphic animals for everyone else. But this game really made you love the characters and their relationships with each other. You legitimately feel them care for each other and THAT is what makes the ending hit so hard to even make middle aged people cry. Anyway, sorry for the spam. You have a new subscriber at least.

[@YoshMaster]

To me Lufia 1&2 has the same secret as Grandia 1&2 and the Lunar series… amazing characters with stunningly great dialogues and relationships. When you fall in love with the characters and how they talk to each others, the actual story isn’t as important anymore because the “day to day” becomes awesome!

[@Tinil0]

@@YoshMaster You may be shocked by this but I have never played any of the Grandia series, and only one of the Lunar series. Sounds like I have some great games I can go back to and enjoy! Although on that note, Star Ocean 2 remake just dropped for switch so I probably want to play that first, I loved that game as well.

[@Grimfarrow]

Thank you for the great video! Really well done, and does a great job to tug the heartstrings some 27 years after i played it. Lufia II is still one of my favorite games of all time.

[@Klikoderat]

Fantastic game, one of the best of it's time. And when it comes to characters and story it is one of the best of all time. Lufia 2 and Terranigma, both SNES RPG's, are very unknown games. But both have things to offer modern games rarely even get to touch. Thank you for this video, mister youtube man.

[@zalden2565]

8:40 I think you nailed something there. So many modern video game stories (particularly rpgs) focus on the general plot more than the characters, where I believe that characters are the bridge between reality and the plot, and you can have a fantastic game, no matter how good the story is or isn’t, if you have fantastically written characters whose arcs you can relate with

[@Vereid]

Lufia 2 remains one of my favourite games ever. Played it through a lot and regularly played Gift Mode with my cousin at the same time, we would often see who of us got better items and got further down into the ancient cave. I kinda wish the game had a modern remaster with the original battle system and such. Or maybe even in the style of Squares HD2D games. The puzzles in this game were so tricky to me as a child, the one I had the most trouble with was the grass puzzle on the dragon mountain because I never thought to use bombs lol. Was stuck on that for weeks when I was like 10. >_< The only other 2 RPGs I personally put in the same category of Lufia 2 are Paper Mario TTYD and Tales of the Abyss. FF6 through to 10 very close behind.

[@BloodIn2Paint]

😮I loved this game growing up. When the Sinistrals theme started rocking, I got chills and wonderful flash back. Thanks!

[@FinalHarps]

YES LUFIA 2. JRPG but with PUZZLES. I wish there was more games like this.

[@ChrisStapper]

Thank you for this video, to me Lufia 2 has been up there with the greats since I played it on the SNES. Commenting as this video deserves so much more attention!

[@dnocturn84]

Just one tip: don't play the flawed North American version of it. If you want a bug-free and glitch-free version of it, just play the European English release of it (the UK-version). It is also in English for you American folks, but all bugs major bugs have been fixed (e.g. the Egg dragon expoild exists in this version). So you can see the final floor of the Ancient Cave and the Dual Blade sword shrine correctly.

[@AntheaFera]

Lufia II is my favorite game of all time. Literally no game could ever top the emotions I feel when I play this absolute masterpiece. It's so sad that this game never got the credit it deserves. Literally every ost in this game is peak and I find myself comparing the music of new games with the osts of this beautiful game, which makes me sad, because I always feel like in most of the newer games there is no love compared to lufia (or secret of mana, mystic quest etc.). I am glad I never witnessed those texture bugs since I played the europe/pal version of lufia. (never got to the end of the ancient cave tho, but that's still on my bucket list.) Sometimes I thought lufia is just one of my favorite games since it contains so much nostalgia, since I first played it as a kid (like around 6-7 years old). My grandpa introduced me into gaming back then, I always went to my grandma's and his garden and just watched him playing daoc (dark age of camelot an old mmo) for hours! He was the one who gave me his snes with tons of games like mystic quest, secret of mana, zelda alttp, terranigma, illusion of time and finally lufia 2 rise of the sinistrals. I loved all of those games but my all time favorite was and is lufia 2. Playing this game always hit me with a big nostalgia bomb but after this beautiful video I finally know that this is not just nostalgia, lufia is and ever will be a timeless masterpiece for me. Thank you.

[@McMarc_1993]

I consider this my absolute favorite game from my childhood and the SNES era overall. A real gem, indeed, the music, characters, atmosphere - just a really pleasant experience. Enjoyed watching this video :]

[@hutchkey2397]

Thank you so much! Always takes me back when I play it.

[@ZaerdinGaming]

One thing that you didn't touch on but I wish you did is that Lufia 2 is a prequel to Lufia. Tia also becomes Dekar's girlfriend, but that might be in the DS remake.

[@greatpadinski]

I don't know how KZbin knew to recommend this to me lol, but Lufia 2 is my favorite game of all time and still holds up great to this day. Fantastic video, really enjoyed it and hope to see you do more like this!

[@QMulative]

This comment has spoilers for Lufia 2, 3, and DS. It was really nice to play a JRPG series like Lufia back then, where there was such an emphasis on the characters and even a little bit of an emphasis on romance. I don't think I've played any other JRPG where the romance takes the centre stage for like, a YEAR of the characters' journeys. I feel like that has been ruined during the playstation years of JRPGs, with developers interpreting 'romance' to mean "stuff the game full of anime-cutscenes showing panty-shots, breast-gags, and sauna-peeping scenes", along with making their lead characters younger and younger. Ah, Infuriation Points, the original revenge-mechanic that Squaresoft(RIP) did a crappy knockoff of when they called their version "Limit Breaks". Arek was definitely a slow-burn villain. He played a more prominent role in the Game Boy Colour sequel "Lufia: The Legend Returns", whereas he would have seemed like a "Natsume/Neverland needed a 5th sinistral so they made one up on the spot" situation otherwise. "You'll never run out of money or be under-leveled unless you run from every battle." Heh heh... too often I've met RPG players who WILL run from every battle, no matter how easy or enjoyable the battle system is, and not realize 'til too late they have no money for potions and equips, and are half the level they need to be the fight the next boss. Now it only seems like some kind of twisted revenge that Square-Enix acquired the rights to Lufia, and in their rewrite of Lufia 2 titled, "Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals" they DID have Tia end up with Dekar. I get the impression that a lot of their old games are remade in such a way it's specifically to stop their fanbase from asking them to remake/sequel the games they have the rights to. ie: to remake the game so badly that anyone who plays it doesn't want more of it.

[@MarschelArts]

Ah Lufia. Alongside Terranigma and Secret of Evermore, this game has a special place in my heart. Beautiful artstyle, OST.. And while the Story is formulaic, there's nothing wrong with a well executed formular. Sad to see that the US version was so bugged :/

[@Lexyvil]

Freakin Love Lufia 2. My only complaint? The awesome music in that last final dungeon (where there're no monsters right before the Sinistral) always get interrupted by opening chests. They should've have implemented a system like FF6 where the music would always resume where it last gets cut off. .... Okay, another complaint is how easy the endgame is. The game being slightly harder would've been nice.

[@Mzaleyao]

Goddamn it! I haven't played this in 15 years and now you just talking over that ending makes my manly tears go drip drop. Damn you, well written game with a perfect ending!! 💪😭

[@hutchkey2397]

The ending of this game is so ridiculously good. Can't say enough about that!

[@Lukus2009]

One of the GOATs. Soon time for another playthrough - nicely done

[@MolaMolaSunnyfish]

A great video to cover a legendary game. I loved this game as a kid and played it so much that the save battery died in the cartridge. This game is one of the best made. It is SUCH a bloody shame the DS remake was pure awful garbage. I was so freaking hyped for it and so let-down. I mean, I 100%'d it, but it was just bad. At least Arek was mentioned again in it? Part of me fears that the remake being so awful is what killed a true Lufia 4. I hope not and hope we will get a great Lufia 4 someday. One can dream. Edit: I say I 100%d it, but I don't remember if its Ancient Cave had Iris Treasures. If it did, then I did not, in fact, 100% it lol. I did get the secret ending for beating the story twice.

[@AstrobioMike]

Thank you for putting your time and effort into this, @Hutchkey! I absolutely loved this game. I played the first Lufia quite a bit before this one came out, so Maxim was already cool in my head. And starting off the first game as them going to fight the sinistrals made it so great when you got to the end of this game and found yourself in that scenario again. Prequel aside, Lufia 2 did so much right. The capsule monsters, the tools, the puzzles (I laughed every time you flashed the fire/plant/step puzzle 😂), the music, and the ancient cave! So much gloriousness. I would literally play in the ancient cave until falling asleep holding the L button through battles on the lower floors. Remember the rush of finding a blue chest?!? I really like that you emphasized Tia’s arc as much as you did, I always appreciated that too. And I liked how it was Dekar who was there to talk to her as she left; for some reason he seemed like the least likely and it showed another side of him. Now that I’ve found and watched your video, I’ll be going to sleep to it for a while ❤️

[@hutchkey2397]

Thank you so much for the kind comment. I'm really glad you liked the video. As for the Ancient Cave... YES. Finding a blue chest still gets me so excited on replays haha it's incredible. The game has had its hooks in me for a long time, and I really wanted to share that love. It's a game that I'm afraid will be lost to time as it doesn't have a huge following. So glad to see this video is being enjoyed by so many other Lufia fans.

[@EtherealOmni]

Beautifully written. Seeing such a good video with 13k views and 200 subs...sucks to see, I certainly hope your channel takes off cause this was a great video to listen to!

[@TrueEriel]

This is still my favourite RPG of all time. One of the few games that really takes you on a journey. You really had the feeling to grow up alongside the characters. The music is also just perfect. The battle themes are bangers and the music in the emotional moments is heart-wrenching. Here in Germany it was even more of a surprise, because we didn't get Lufia 1. Lufia 2 was just called "Lufia" here.

[@ZenKrio]

Which is weird, because the reason the game is called "Lufia" is because of the character in Lufia one named Lufia. Did you play Lufia 1?

[@vinigmoura]

I tried many times but never could finish ANY Final Fantasy game, specially on the SNES, it takes itself SO seriously. Lufia on the other hand is so simple but fun, great characters and characterization, great pace, amazing soundtrack. The ending is just so.... HMMMM!!!

[@ShadowG72]

FACTS! Next to Tales of Destiny II/Tales of Eternia on the PS1, Lufia II is the greatest RPG I have ever played! It has more playability that any other game of its kind, and I still replay it to this day in Oct 2023! I think I played Lufia back in high school on the actual NES, and later in high school (2002), I actually traded a friend of mine my copy of Chrono Trigger for his copy of Tales of Eternia, which was my introduction to Namco's legendary "Tales of..." series

[@trex70]

When i discoverd the SNS Emulator (never had the Console) i tryed some games but wasnt so intrigued. Then i started Lufia 2...and fast i was caught inside the story and the wonderfull characters. Easy Top 10 of my Liftime best ever Games list (53 Years old now,start gaming with a Sinclair Spectrum 48k in 1983). Th-X for sharing.

[@uUuWolf16uUu]

Based. Lufia 2 is one of the best SNES RPGs and one of the hidden gems. Another insanely good SNES RPG: Secret of Evermore. Arguably, SoE is better than Secret of Mana in many ways.

[@kich8672]

Lufia 2 will always be my favorite SNES RPG, it's uncontested the best one made. The story, the characters, the world, the systems, the secrets, the puzzles, none do it better. The ancient cave. How many RPG's have a Dragonball (egg) system, a casino system, a pokemon system, and a rogue-lite built into their game just as optional side content??

[@Ghalion666]

Everyone praises the sinistral boss music but I always preferred the regular boss music, and to this day, I never found anyone who agrees with me *runs away crying*. Seriously though, I wonder how many people prefer it, and how many people talk about it just because people prefer to agree. As for the story... I never played rpg games for their story back in the day. So many people say that the whole POINT of them is for their story, but if you played old console rpgs, you knew that wasn't true because their story was not that deep, take Final fantasy 1 for example. Lufia 2's story is... about average I'd say for its time, but it does have its moments. It matters enough for me to still care about who the eff Arek is (I'm not even sure that's his name lol). There was a 'remake' on the ds or the 3ds or something, I forget which. And maddeningly, it has a high review score (users too), and I can't fathom why. I was HOPING it would flesh out some of these unanswered questions, but it actually has LESS content than lufia 2, and basically ends with Gades My biggest gripe with lufia 2 was though it is just too darn easy. Maybe I remember wrong, but I thought the 'supposed to lose' fight with Gades was easy, and the 'easy' fight with him and the 3 men was hella hard, and after that, it's never hard again, much much too easy. The ancient cave on the other hand, to me, is a bar that was set that nobody eve rlooks to. I think every time a JRPG has a killer battle system that isn't fully taken advantage of (cough trails of cold steel cough), it would benefit from an ancient cave-like thing. But nobody ever does it. argh. The fact that roguelikes and roguelites are relatively common now only mystifies me even further. whyyyyyy!!!!111oneoneoneEleven!

[@CaosProphet]

Finally a Contenteator with the same love for Lufia 2 as I have. For me even nearly 30 years later Lufia holds a place in my heart that modern games just cant reach. The Depht of the story, the Battle system, the music, OMG the music. I've played it easyly over 20+ time incl all of the Iris treasures in the ancient cave, and I will continue to play it forevermore. I had the luck of owning the EU / german localisation of the game with waaaaay less bugs and glitches (BUT they refered to Artea as "she" so for the longest time I thought he was a female). Despite all that, Lufia 2 - Rise of the Sinistrals 11/10

[@tageru1541]

One of THE best SNES games out there. The music is amazing, like Terranigma's music. I also use their music for custom background music for certain games and even made a (if not my first) music pack of Terranigma for the game Terraria. Fits very well if it comes down to atmospherical music :D

[@Bonkrefeen]

Great video man. I agree with everything you said, and I always cry at the end of Lufia 2, too :( lol. One of the best RPGs of all time. I probably spent 100+ hours in the Ancient Cave one Summer as a kid.

[@superduder]

I love how much love Lufia II has been receiving lately. Its my favorite SNES RPG. (It even beats the almighty Chrono Trigger)

[@miguelaraluce6350]

I played this game when I was teen, and I love the music and the ancient cave, I do the run like 5 or 6 times and found some nice swords, I remember the sword that any time I use it, cast the sky split spell, and I remember crying in the end. The other RPG that make me cry at the end was Terranigma, I cry like a week.

[@VainCooper]

As someone who grew up with SNES and Lufia 2 this Video was extremely nice to watch. I hope you will someday make a Video about Terranigma which was not released in NA which makes it a hidden Gem aswell. Anyways keep up the good work and thanks for this great Retrospective

[@Jay6x]

And not one mention of the DS "remake". This was truly how the game was meant to be experienced.

[@4qp]

It has taken years but I feel like Lufia 2 is finally starting to get some attention online. This is awesome!

[@johnmarcus8864]

Pretty sure it's gone undrer the radar because of peoples having a tough time with some of the puzzles.. Not everyone are clever monkehs! (And not everyone would be able to complete La-Mulana for example)

[@RathZa]

This must have taken some time. Thank you for your breakdown of one of my favourite games to this day. I'd like to give you some constructive critizism. But first I have to tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed your video. It is easy to listen to with your voice and the choice only to use music from the game. The music can get a bit repetitive in the beginning. Later on I didn't notice it anymore, when you switched it up more frequently. There were some nice and funny edits. The only ones I didn't like were the ones that reminded me of "loud = funny", but that's my personal preference. I dreaded the plant puzzle, too. I have found your setup a little bit iffy. You've showed some quirks the game has, that could be negative or bland. At this point a viewer does not know any real strong points, just that you came back to it again and again. I would have suggested to shortly explain why you came back to it and then a viewer knows that there will come a turnaround but want to know how and when. I liked that you've gone in depth with the Love Triangle (it never really has been, but oh well, poor Tia), expecially coming around at the end with the last scene of Tia. That was nicely done. What I found missing is to explore the theme of Loss that is found everywhere in this game. At every point you meet or play or fight against someone that is losing something, losst something or is in fear of losing something. This makes the game extremely relatable. You do have loss of love (Tia) Fear of losing a loved one (Guy) Loss of a loved one (Artea) Fear of losing ones identity (multiple, but Selan in the beginning when she's stubborn, Iris/Erim as she does conflicting things with what she thought she should be) And the sinistrals fear their loss of authority and standing. It is not only status they have, but at every point you see different people reacting and acting differently to it. Tia is complacent, Guy is hopeful active, Artea is revengeful, the sinistrals go mad. In the smaller side storys you saw the fear of losing their environment with the elves and Lexis' old pals when they came together to prevent it in the end. Or how the flower girl worked herself close to death in fear of losing her last family. You even see some that are close to uneffected by that like in Dekar. He is a constant in the story you cannot help but lean onto, even the charakters whenever he is around. Yes, that went longer than I wanted it to, but anyways, if you plan to do more Videos, you probably left a very good first impression on your viewers.

[@rakushasu1262]

I'm a huge fan of SNES RPGs, and Lufia is up there as my favorite. While part of the story's rather clichéd (chose one etc.), I liked the character dynamics, but also the entire Tia arc. It's not something you see often in games such as this. Normally, the hero would eventually fall in love with her and everyone would be happy ever after. The creators deciding to cut her out the way they did was quite mature, and her part in the ending is still as heartbreaking now as it was 25 years ago. As for the battles, yeah, gotta agree things are rather easy. I remember grinding for an hour once early on, and it made me breeze through large chunks of the game. One of the best parts of the game is without a doubt the music. The normal boss theme, the sinastrials theme, the final dungeon theme and my favorite the savior theme. And man, the ending is also fantastically well done. Even watching this review I couldn't help but tear up. Great game, and definitely deserves more love!

[@tehmanticore]

A great vid. I found all your comments insightful and accurate. Besides the Ancient Cave, the capsule monsters and the Tia arc, I always found the inclusion of the main hero getting married and having a child as pretty groundbreaking for the time, too. I remember also getting on the World of Warcraft forums back in the day and suggesting they make a dungeon like the Ancient Cave. This format would be such a great inclusion for MMOs so that players could fight together as low levels again but also experience their own characters anew by the randomness of loot and unlocked spells.

[@Ashtarte3D]

It always bums me out that this game never got the credit it deserved. The first Lufia game was pretty bog standard so the sequel was always going to start on the back foot, but goddam it was so good. Not only was the story great, but the more puzzle focused dungeon mechanics compared to the standard JRPG battle slog of dungeons was a breath of fresh air. Plus I think the Ancient Cave was my first introduction to roguelike mechanics that made me fall in love with them. Oh, and the reason why sometimes the capsule monsters call desired items gross is they actually want the cursed versions, lol.

[@Lovuschka]

Winning against Gades the first time makes him drop a great weapon though.

[@Kainvainslay]

Not gonna lie, Im commenting preemptively. But I 100% agree with you, this game is the shit, and I'm super glad to see someone talk about it. I'll binge the full video after I get some sleep.

[@calripplebear1293]

Secret of mana was another great hidden gem. Lufia 2 had a really cool minigame where you could fight in a dungeon and--as long as you didn't die--you could keep all the stuff you got. At least, I think that was Lufia 2. It was a beautiful game.

[@muso248]

11:30 I... never bought potions. I didnt know this at all XD Im replaying while watching this video and holy wow did i never check this?

[@myfaves2974]

Lufia and Lufia 2 are the best love story on games , its impossible not to cry at the ending 🥲🥲🥲

[@Ayyavazi13]

I still remember beating Gades in the unwinnable fight. I did it at lvl 26 with janky mechanics, and it still took forever to grind to that, let alone the stable lvl 40 recommendation. Still love the game and this video made me feel justified and a ton of nostalgia. Thanks!

[@pedrobernardo5887]

Lufia 2 was the first game that made me cry. I hold it above CT for my SNES GOAT list

[@kwith]

Now known as FF6? It was always FF6, America just didn't get the ones in between so it was numbered wrong lol.

[@ScottGuertin]

I think what may have happened with the NA localization is that it may have started earlier in the development cycle; and the Japanese base version continued getting bug fixes that were never migrated over to the version being localized for NA. So most likely this was caused by untenable deadlines needed to be met.

[@dylanevers]

I don't know what the point of Arek was. The party never meets him, and he's never mentioned in any other game...

[@Luminator_maior]

I love how you put a name pronounciation trigger warning in front of a name which you then proceed to pronounce absolutely correctly to my ears - something i cannot say in a lot of other cases. ;) In all seriousness though: Great vid, dude! I really enjoyed seeing one of my all time favorites getting the love it truly deserves.

[@CamuLufia]

Lufia 2 will always be in my Top 3 SNES Games ever

[@trevoryoungblood1226]

One of the best RPGs I have ever played

[@TsukiStuffs]

one of my favorite video games of all time, second only to EarthBound.

[@dewokkel]

This game was translated into the Dutch language and it came with a walkthrough book. Still own it, because it’s literally the best game ever made. Great video, thank you!

[@Loreweavver]

This was my one of the first games I remember playing but I had actually played the first one. I will always remember how the first game started with high level heros as a tutorial zone but then a thing happens and you get your main character and the game goes on I remember then playing the sequel and it being my first introduction to a prequel so I knew what would happen to them at the end. It was all very surreal as a kid.

[@belldrop7365]

Ah the lufia games. These series was on the same shelf beside games like lunar stories for a long time for me. Because while it's your typical jrpg plot, complete with the 4 demon lord generals for bosses, the most memorable is definitely the love story.

[@an3582]

This was the first game to ever make me cry like a baby, and i played the First Lufia so I knew how things would turn out.

[@Folsomdsf2]

'they didn't make her stick around and fall in love with dekar or something' Curse of the sinistrals.. yikes.

[@bathrobedavemedusa]

Thank you for making this video. I grew up with 3 games on SNES - Link to the Past, FF II (4) and this one. This was my favorite by far. It's one of the most beautiful stories ever told and the fact that everything was NOT okay at the end of a truly catastrophic moment in the history of this world was just so heartbreaking. Just watching your commentary over the end of this video made me get emotional. Damn this game is beautiful and so underappreciated. I'm going to replay it right now actually. The memories I have of playing this with my brother and dad are so amazing.

[@phillipmitchell2254]

I'm ngl I didn't even know Lufia II even existed until it was in the bargain bin at a video store that was switching over to N64 and PS1