Was FINAL FANTASY II Actually That BAD?!

Disclaimer: SORRY for the loud music audio
Was FINAL FANTASY II really as bad as everyone says it is? Is it really the worst FF game ever made? Let's find out
I also got the platinum trophy while playing, it was easy and fun to go for, basically just have to 100% the game. Looking forward to playing Final Fantasy 3 next
SOURCES for STEAM Review used in the video from Daniel Feneck:
steamcommunity.com/id/Dfeneck...

[@hvhs01]

Masamune was in the original game just before facing Tiamat the second time near the end of the game.

[@sunderwire]

Ah good catch. I was so focused on using the Excalibur in FF1, I forgot about the Masamune in that game. I love how all the games have their own Masamune in them

[@hvhs01]

@@sunderwire No problem, I loved this game growing up even with all its bugs on the NES.

[@suparicky8889]

Be careful tho its protected by a monster-in-a-box and it's tough think its either belzebulb or another "super" boss

[@seansullivan7928]

​@hvhs0you didnt know it was bugged until about a few years ago when you heard it on KZbin

[@BlakeAustin2011]

@@seansullivan7928Not true, the Nintendo Power strategy guide actually had some of the spell bugs mentioned, such as Lamp. But they didn’t know about the elemental and crit bugs and such, just saw some spells weren’t actually working as intended.

[@jesseherman5540]

The quality of life updates really help this game. Its still a shame that the bonus dungeon isnt around. I enjoyed the backstory of the destroy spell and the guy doomed to spend an eternity protecting it.

[@GiordanDiodato]

tbf I heard the bonus dungeon was hell on earth.

[@jesseherman5540]

@GiordanDiodato They were just like everything else in this game. Either you were over-leveled and crushed everything. Or you were not, and it was a struggle to neigh impossible to beat. The two super bosses were like that, too. Unfortunately. :/

[@jimmyrolls37]

The pr updates are sweet. But I am in love still with the psp version

[@genesisSOC]

@@jimmyrolls37 I love the PSP versions too but at least the PR has auto battle that also fast forwards things. Which means I don't have to play FF2 as much.

[@henryhunter9643]

@@GiordanDiodato It is. Your party starts at early-mid game levels of power (minus Ricard) while the final dungeon is en par with Pandemonium in power level. You have to grind for quite awhile in the Jade Passage to even stand a chance, and even then I kept going in, fighting a few fights, and having to leave because I simply wasn't powerful enough yet. It's a 1 hour story surrounded by 6 hours of grinding.

[@JanusHoW]

The Teleport and Toad spells absolutely destroy 90% of the game once you get them. Both sre effectively instant-death spells, but you can access them much earlier than the actual Death spell, and work on far more enemies, even most bosses.

[@SirJoelsuf1]

Fun Fact: FF9's pandemonium is the song you hear at 29:40, only slowed down.

[@Chelaxim]

No it just isn't made for casual JRPG fans. Think about it, the people who hate Final Fantasy II...what do they think of other 8 bit JRPGs and what do they think about the SaGa franchise? Final Fantasy II is both of those. People say the Mastery system is "good in theory but bad in execution" are lying to themselves. They have redone the mastery system for Final Fantasy II 6 times,there's 12 SaGa games,The Legend of Legacy and The Alliance Alive (both were made by former SaGa staff members) if they haven't thought it has worked even a single time...they just don't like the Mastery system. Final Fantasy II "wastes your time" as much as any other 8 bit RPG. Ys I is only 6 hours long but it would be about 3 if it wasn't for the backtracking. People in the west legally only got Final Fantasy II in 2003 so it was going to be seen as archaic no matter what. Even judging it to the SaGa series it came across as archaic, it came out 4 years after SaGa Frontier II. 😊

[@murkywaters5502]

Cool video. While Final Fantasy 2 is not a game I'd really play for fun, it has some merit as paving the way for things that would come later, those things namely being Final Fantasy solidifying its direction away from the quirks of Final Fantasy 2 and the SaGa series. Maybe if Final Fantasy 2 was originally localized for territories outside of Japan and if it had been positively received then Final Fantasy and JRPGs would probably be a lot different.

[@thefoxoflaurels3437]

I think if II & III came over and were hits we probably wouldn’t have a delineation between rpgs and rpgs

[@proggz39]

You’re probably right. If it hadn’t of taken 5 years to release outside of Japan I doubt it would’ve gotten so much of the scrutiny

[@kotowaza-sensei428]

I was always hesitant to try it because everybody bashed it. But I tried the pixel remaster and loved it!

[@chandlerlowell5]

Man came across this randomly. Instantly got my like and subscribe. The 333 subscribers is absolutely not reflective of the quality. Great audio sound and volume, good video structure. Good editing and background visuals. We need to get this guy’s stuff out there is this is top tier in my opinion. Good stuff man.

[@sunderwire]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@Cyril86]

28:37 Kain's last name in IV is also Highwind. Also the King of Tycoon in V is named Alexander Highwind Tycoon, though I'm not sure if his full name is ever mentioned in the game. The battle mechanics of this game really do feel like a prototype of the SaGa series sometimes.

[@GiordanDiodato]

it had the same guy behind it.

[@snazzydrew]

@@GiordanDiodato explained why I actually liked ff2 so much.

[@DrewSwenson]

Played it for the first time as the Pixel Remaster. After doing some grinding in the early zones, I ended up over leveled for most of the game. Not ridiculously powerful but strong enough to continue without much trouble. Additionally I would just hit optimize and my party would swap weapons. Eventually they all ended up skilled with most weapons.

[@Arutima]

Honestly, the game is not bad on the Remaster version, compared to the NES or FF Origins version.

[@Khalith]

I’ve been playing the pixel remasters and using the boost options. Holy crap has it made the experience so much more enjoyable. I remember playing the old versions on roms and they were brutal. I don’t care if they trivialize things a bit, I’d rather have a fun gameplay experience.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

And IMO that's say a lot about how bad the game is, where in order to enjoy it you have to use "cheat" codes added by the devs.

[@muffetmissulena6540]

I agree, that the boost is the best way to enjoy the game. But when I use it, I can’t help but feel like “this is wrong”. It’s sad that the intended way to play the game makes it such a slog to get through.

[@Vayne_Solidor]

​@@nesoukkefka1741Nonsense. I played without those boosts and had some fun playing this one.

[@Vayne_Solidor]

​@@muffetmissulena6540I played the PR to platinum without a single boost. It's not hard.

[@Napfkuchen]

"some fun" sounds pretty disappointing. @@Vayne_Solidor

[@bryansmith7758]

i actually really like final fantasy 2, despite its flaws. I've beaten the nes version twice, and the pixel remaster twice. the battle system is actually a really unique, intuitive, and natural way to level up, despite its flaws. pixel remaster is the way to go, but if i had to pick flaws, the battle system obviously, lack of end game grinding/unique high level monsters to keep it interesting, lack of optional side quests which considering its an nes game is understandable, and the dungeon 'doors to nowhere' ugh. the music is just great. i love this game though. EDIT: another minor qualm i have with this game is the bosses. often times, the bosses are just higher level monsters that you eventually fight later in the game. in other ff games, they have unique bosses that aren't just high level monsters.

[@buddah1978egypt]

Couldn't agree more

[@PaulRockey]

I liked it a lot, too! I beat the Famicom versión on an nes repro cart.

[@bryansmith7758]

@@PaulRockey nes repro cart? what's that?

[@PaulRockey]

@@bryansmith7758 Reproduction cartridge that plays on an American Nes, with an English fan translation patch.

[@gabrielsa2111]

The GBA and PSP versions add a story quest after the main quest witch is played with the charecter that have died and its really worth playing if you are a fan of ff2

[@markkatain7891]

I really like Final Fantasy II- I always have. I stick Maria in the front row and make her use swords. Make Firion a white mage, Maria a black mage, and Guy a support. I've never done the nonsense where you hit yourself to get stronger- I just play the game and only grind for less than 5 minutes when I'm in over my head in an area (which isn't too often). Darker story, great soundtrack, tight experience than be finished in under 10 hours. I like it a lot! This game gets way, way too much hate. Same with FFVIII.

[@Fayt540]

I see you renamed the cast to later FF games. When I play FF7, I'll be sure to do the same and rename Cloud, Tifa, and Barret to Firion, Maria, and Guy respectively to balance the pettiness.

[@sunderwire]

Haha yeah it’s funny seeing the other FF characters names in the wrong games

[@Guntank]

@@sunderwire Indeed I know the feeling. I'm totally guilty of renaming my first FFT Generics Luneth, Refia, Arc and Ingus, and pretending that they got Isekai'd into Ivalice somehow to fight alongside Ramza in the final battles at Murond Death City...

[@eckitronix]

My personal justification for those trapped dead-end high encounter chance rooms They're janitor closets, bedrooms, break rooms, jail cells, storage rooms, dining rooms, and everything with similar uses, but they've been emptied out after the construction of whatever dungeon you're in, and since then, infested by the Empire's Monsters. That said, if the dungeon is the Dreadnought warship or the Emperor's place or like, Pandemonium or Hell, it's probably left unfinished or meant to be a deliberate trap. In fact, that could very well be the case for the dungeon creators too, making it so Monsters' breeding grounds n nests can fit in there, because possibly they're hoping it'll trap hostile fellas. Like with Kashuon, the castle is probably deliberately trapped and bugged with all sorts of creatures in all sorts of useless rooms, and Gordon seems to not know much about the Castle. Masamune is a sword in nearly every game, and it's first seen in Final Fantasy 1 in the Chaos Temple 2000 years ago, found on a diagonal path before slaying a buffed Tiamat clone. Biggs as well as Wedge are found first in Final Fantasy 6, assuming we aren't counting naming FF1's party members, FF3's, or subsequent material in FF4, revealing Biggs and Wedge to have been part of the Red Wings with Cecil. Cid dying in this game is singlehandedly the worst thing about this game. In fact, it's only bad because of that. Dude didn't deserve it, he was just being a chill grandpa... That kid n his mom at Deist, the kid's apparently named Kain. This probably isn't the same Kain we see in FF4, I'd assume this is either hundreds of years after FF2 or that it's a sort of Marvel Earth-616 situation where different things happen differently. It's implied Leon left a sword in Fabul long ago. This also isn't the only game with a Wyvern, or only one Wyvern left, given Hiryuu is all that remains (ignoring any other wyverns that supposedly are elsewhere). The Emperor is slain, goes to Hell, defeats Satan and becomes the ruler of Hell, and returns as an extremely life-threatening extinction level event. The fact that Firion, Maria, Leon, and Guy are literally just four kids who lost their families in Fynn and almost died themselves really solidifies the message that anyone can be a hero if they simply choose to and put all of their willpower into making the world a better place. While Chocobos aren't in FF1, there are often depicted statues of them in royal castle areas. What that indicates to me is that because of FF1's events causing a bunch of time alteration, chocobos were once extinct and this is no longer the case. I wonder why Highwind got to be a popular last name. That said...anyways, thanks for the video, I myself love FF2 almost as much as FF1 and FF4, my other two favorites. After FF4, I'd honestly put FF1, 2, 6, 3, and 7 as my favorites so far. I also really enjoy FF5, FF8, FF9, and I also wish people hadn't treated FF2 like it was irredeemable garbage for this long. It's only coming around to be enjoyed now, but I also think it's awful because Cid shouldn't have been killed and that's a load of--

[@tiradouken2854]

Ff2 and ff4 aren't connected at all. It's definitely not the same kain as a kid here that's the kain in ff4.

[@__-tz6xx]

Final Fantasy 2's growth system reminds me of FF8's junction system but without leveling stats. If it was just drawing magic and junctioning the magic would purely change the stats of a character..

[@abhirao8582]

'The fantasy is missing as it is grounded too much in topics of war' That is such a bizarre statement it doesn't make sense to me.

[@Dfeneck]

Just compared to other FF's, this game focus' on war quite a bit, its not really until the end that any fantasy really kicks in at all.

[@pauldyson8098]

FFII is pretty low on my list, but I don't hate it. I really like rotating fourth characters, Minwu in particular. I also appreciate what they were trying to do with the leveling system, even if it is clunky and easily abused.

[@portaalchemica]

Biggs and Wedge first appear as characters in Final Fantasy 6, not 7.

[@lendrigangames]

My first experience with FF2 was a translated rom, and my first full playthrough was Dawn Of Souls on the GBA. The training style of character growth, I had already enjoyed in Daggerfall and Quest For Glory, so while it did take me off guard at first, I figured out an optimal way of grinding, which involved putting a shield in the dominant hand, nothing in the other hand, and a weight on the A button. They'd punch themselves in the shield while I walked away, and when I got back, they'd reach the next tier of monk damage. I laughed when the Emperor claimed to be "beyond the hand of man," and then my party punched him to death pretty quickly. Of course, the experience was helped by the fact that Dawn Of Souls actively increases how quickly character get powerful, thus reducing grind times.

[@mouthsores]

Nice work. Looking forward to the rest of the remasters.

[@AndyWitmyer]

I love how this game's leveling system is basically Skyrim, decades before Skyrim

[@bobmorris799]

People will drag FF2 for the exact same reasons they praise Morrowind and TES games. -use skills to level skills -spend hours grinding -open world go anywhere even if you arent supposed to yet -branching dialog and keywords -hitting yourself for HP is literally falling off buildings to boost acrobatics

[@seawind930]

One of the reasons I loved it when it came out for the GBA. Once I knew where everything was I could become overpowered really early.

[@gamedeuschronus8796]

I don't care what anyone says, I loved FF2. I've only ever played the pixel remaster but I still enjoyed it a lot. The leveling system is different and innovative but it's not a deal breaker. The story is fantastic and the music is phenomenal. Eventually I'll play every version of FF2. The one complaint I have is that your last character is always rotating, which is odd considering you can't expect to max that character's stats because there's essentially no point if they die off later in the game. But being able to dual-wield is fun as hell! And giving anyone any spell in the game is wild, I enjoyed the progression of my spells the more I use them.

[@hian]

Most importantly, FFII paved the way for SaGa which is an absolutely fantastic series. Minstrel Song and Romancing SaGa 3 ranks higher for me than most FFs.

[@snazzydrew]

rs3 is legit a magical RPG.

[@hian]

@@snazzydrew Indeed.

[@Altorin]

If nothing else final fantasy 2 is proof that final fantasy was always experimental. Honestly it's actually not terrible once you adjust to its oddities

[@Jason-eo7xo]

FF II has its issues like you mentioned but I love that they experimented with different ideas. Skyrim and other games used the same kind of skills based leveling. But yeah the random battle frequency is just nuts and the story is just not engaging enough to keep going.

[@sunderwire]

True. FF2 paved the way for Skyrim and other games

[@iamthehobo]

You find out the Empire is building a death star and then the Death Star blows up Alderaan and then you find out it has a single weakness that blows it up? You weren't kidding about this being Star Wars

[@75ur15]

Biggs and wedge from 7? They were also in 6 (usa 3) though in the original snes cart they had it misspelled as vicks

[@sunderwire]

They were in FF6 too yes, I should have mentioned them in the video as well

[@mitchgray7391]

I got through the game. But I cheesed it by attacking my own characters and casting spells on them to level myself up faster. Lol. But its a weird game. I didn't find it that bad. It was enjoyable.

[@ZayTheOracleArchive]

Really great video! I've owned the PSP version of FF2 for a very long time now but never really got around to beating it. Figured the pixel remasters would be a good chance to give it another go, and from watching this it honestly comes across as just a nice little fun rpg romp with some kinks here and there. Keep up the good work!

[@gonbn7793]

Hiii amazing vídeo!!!! Ost song around min 6 and 7 ?

[@sunderwire]

Thanks! I believe that song is “Rebel Army”

[@nrrork]

The Pixel Remaster was the first version where that was finally good. It's still the most grindy one, but the auto-battle helps immensely here. I'd just equip my characters with weak versions of whatever weapon I wanted to build up and let it do its thing. Meanwhile, have my spellcasters work on healing or buffs of something. It proved quite effective.

[@zatchbells]

i despise cheating in video games i will never ruin the enjoyment of playing a game how its meant to be played

[@damoncranston9364]

Have two characters cast berserk, one cast blink, and one cast haste on everyone to start, no weapons go unarmed and you'll punch your way to the final boss.

[@CatfishPineapple]

I think most people don't like FF2 because it's gameplay is more close to the Saga games (Instead of leveling up, the characters' individual stats increase) which I feel that makes it the predecessor to the Saga games.

[@stephanieking8299]

I missed one key term for the platinum, I talked to someone in the wrong order and now I have to replay the entire game if I want the it 😩

[@Ceodore411]

I don't know why you don't have more subscribers. This was a great review!

[@witecatj6007]

This game has a bad reputation, but I still like it. This game's many battle system oddities was enough for a lot of people to say no to. I thought it was an interesting choice, but in the end you could swear all your party members were channeling their inner Darkness when you can literally punch yourself in the face for stat increases. The story was what stood out for me with a memorable main villain in the Emperor and a complex story that was told well in an era when such things were not very common. It is worth a playthrough.

[@Jimpipecigarbear]

Plus part of FFII was a easter egg in FFIX. Was able to beat FFII on the playstation myself. Sadly kinda like the artwork from the playstation more than the latest version.

[@jaredlaughlin3703]

Of the 3 NES game remakes, FF2 is actually my favorite.

[@AwsmNix]

Empty rooms in dungeons aren’t an issue if you use the map properly. Go in one room and you see inside every room on that floor, then you know where to go

[@zatchbells]

the leveling system is easy to understand the tougher the enemy encounters the better stat growth your party members get easier enemy encounters net you next to nothing only wasting your time fighting weaker trash

[@roguerifter9724]

I've loved this since I first played it (I pre-ordered Final Fantasy Origins to get it) and its among my five favorite games in the series. Final Fantasy Legend/Saga II was the first Square RPG I ever played so the stat growth system was familiar and I've always had a soft spot for rebellion against evil empire stories.

[@suchendelokidottir5673]

The only final fantasy I love more than this one is everyone's other most hated final fantasy. Final fantasy 8

[@roguerifter9724]

My top five are II,VI, VII classic (Haven't tried the remake yet), VIII, and XII

[@ShinraWotV]

I also love this game but we clearly are the minority within the community 😅 I was around ten years old when I played this the first time. English is not my first language, so at the time I wasnt able to understand that I need to find the secret wall in the pub in the beginning. Instead I wandered around the world map until I basically was strong enough to explore all of it 😂 That’s why it has a special place in my heart

[@somethingsomething9006]

@@suchendelokidottir5673 Honestly FFVIII is getting more love these days, I'd say FFXIII is easily the most hated while XII remains the weird black sheep, granted I've played through the XIII trilogy more than 3 times and will do so again lol

[@AstroTibs]

Biggs and Wedge got their start in FF6

[@The.Retro.Corner]

Another great video! Keep up the great work!

[@DarkmoonWinter]

I think the overall biggest fault of the game over anything is how boring and tedious all the back and forth fetch quest stuff really was. I completely lost count at how many times I was forced to go back to Altair which was wayyyy too much.

[@Walamonga1313]

I just beat the Pixel remaster, 100% it too. I thought it was 0K but the last dungeon got pretty annoying. I don't think the game was well balanced either, tbf most FF games suffer from balancing (funnily enough 13 is prob the best in this aspect, the one people always cry about). Overall it's probably bottom tier for me, even below 12 and 15, but it wasn't terrible.

[@1BadAssArchAngelvs14]

i mean Between FF13 and FF2 FF13 gate keeping power leveling made sense. the only thing that was balanced bad in FF13 was the summons. the ff13 summons feel like DPS chainers than Finishers like in other final fantasy games. I did discover the different weapons that have different effects in FF13 do affect summon gameplay like Lightinings axis-blade giving lightning more summon drive attacks max's out at 50 drive attacks for lighting when she summons Odin compared to the usual 24-27 drive attacks without axis-blade.

[@jaykknight2248]

I thought FFII would have made a great candidate for a souped up "remake" approach to show off the story (possibly including the novelization) and characters, and tweak the progression system a little bit and revamp the dungeons

[@EarthboundX]

A review of a game, with a focus on its achievements/trophies? Surprised I haven't seen that more to be honest. Still sad these Pixel Remasters skipped Xbox as that's my main system, but I do have a PS4 as well.

[@ryann8348]

I've played the Famicom version of this game at least 7 times over the years. For the time it was made, the ideas in this game were just incredibly revolutionary. The real problem was it was rushed out the door. I know a lot about how the stat leveling works and have spent some time thinking about how I would have solved the balance issues. If FF2 had been given the time to be properly polished, it could have really changed the genre. EXP/level systems may have been the uncommon one instead

[@cyootlabs]

Two words: TRAP ROOMS.

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

The interact barracuda 2 programable controller can make it easier to power up. Getting unarmed skill to 12 or higher allows you to plow through battles. Max sword skill combined with 2 blood swords makes the final boss a joke.

[@LisroMeniosa]

Having just beat it myself. It was ok. Not great, not terrible, ok. Like a C on a report card, bit annoying to deal with but not a bad grade.

[@Alan_Chapman]

I played the Origins version. The game has a lot of problems. I can’t imagine it being anyone’s favorite. Trap rooms with tough encounters after 1-step, trap floors with ridiculous encounters on the lower floor (looking at you ghast), and one section in particular requiring me to ferry my party back and forth across a long stretch of ocean to refill my magic for grinding. I did grind, and went out of my way for as many weapons/armor chests as I could find. Blood Sword definitely made a particular fight an absolute joke which I rather enjoyed after all the bullshit I went through. Maybe I’ll play the Pixel Remaster version someday if they ever add boosts from the console releases. It’s the only one I haven’t touched in that collection.

[@gabrielsa2111]

It does make sense and its not a waste of time to level up the character that leave your party in the GBA and PSP version with the souls of rebirth sidequest witch is one of the best and very satisfactory after you end the normal game.

[@Arkholt2]

FF3 is obviously the best of the original Famicom Final Fantasies, but I still have a soft spot for FF2 because I love the leveling system. I know many people don't like it, but I've never understood why, because it just makes so much sense. Use a weapon or a spell enough, you get better at it. So simple, and very true to life. But because there are no level numbers or anything I guess it confuses people.

[@somethingsomething9006]

I think most people enjoy the leveling system as a concept, the issue most people have with it is the _execution._ It's agonizingly slow to level thing when it gets near the 7-10 mark, and then there's butchering your party for stat boosts since monsters eventually net very little EXP. Not to mention that if you spend enough time grinding MP and HP, really easy to do mind you, then you become effectively unkillable for most of the game.

[@Arkholt2]

@@somethingsomething9006 Yeah, I can get how people can find it tedious. However, I don't see becoming effectively unkillable for most of the game as a bad thing. Sounds fun to me 😂

[@somethingsomething9006]

@@Arkholt2 Oh it's fun for sure, BUT if you're looking for a game to challenge you or actually give you a reason to pay attention to battles and take it seriously? Then I can see why people getting too powerful too easily is an issue for them,

[@jba2048]

Before I watch, when I originally played this in the mid to late 90s I didn’t like it; it was different and we don’t like things that are different. It didn’t help having only a fan translation and no formal manual to understand the game mechanics. It wasn’t until I got it on PS1 and had some form of instructions to understand how the game is played that the game opened up to me and I had a new appreciation for the game. Considering the memory limitations of the NES I think the story was good for its time The story contained a strong theme of loss. It’s is now my 4th favorite FF game.

[@runningdecadeix4780]

What is the opening music?

[@sunderwire]

It’s called Rebel Army

[@runningdecadeix4780]

@@sunderwire thanks, mate

[@moedog]

played this first on the PS1 so i knew what i was doing , it was differernt but still love this game . is it bad no . but just like mario 2 , zelda 2 , castlevania 2 and other games , they tried something new and they were all good.

[@selgeaus]

I played the very original Japanes version in early 90s and found it extremely difficult due to a weird levelling system. But loved the story line.

[@Kligor2]

Holy fuck those empty rooms were fukin KILLER in the NES version. I used am emulator to play it and I learned to just use save states for those rooms. You had like a 50% chance per goddamn tile to get a fight and they were rarely pushovers lol So I just cheated to ignore them. It was the laaaaziest move Ive ever seen compared to the company behind it.

[@yosukeoshida9886]

Normally you'd get a guaranteed encounter with an enemy whenever you tried to exit those empty rooms. They used to be an absolute pain in the butt. I suppose they undid that with the pixel remaster, which is actually a very good thing. Those rooms were pretty much the incarnation of frustration before. With that factor gone, they are just empty rooms and meh. Pretty much one of the worst parts of the game was alleviated. Try one of the older ports, it will drive you insane. I can promise that, haha

[@GuardianKyle]

What are you talking about Final Fantasy II is an amazing game! I can remember having so much fun playing it on Super Nintendo over thirty years ago. Memories that will last a lifetime. *Mutter mutter* What's that, say that again? *mutter mutter mutter* Final Fantasy II was actually Final Fantasy IV? Oh...um, well. *Runs*😅

[@redtide89]

Nice video! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with it and break down your thoughts. Just a few pressing things on my mind as I ramble like a mad man. How, exactly, can you determine if it "was that bad" by playing the pixel remaster? Any other version of the game would be better to determine that! Your video is just about the latest version of Final Fantasy II. The pixel remaster. The steam version, to be specific. Because over half of the video is just listing the steam achievements while sort of describing the events the player will encounter throughout the game. Which were done on a single playthrough (not sure how using an achievements guide counts as playing blind, but whatever). They put cheats in the main menu these days. The pixel remaster is like the 8th or 9th version of the game, each previous iteration having used an earlier version as its base and making its own subtle changes/improvements (and fixing bugs/glitches while unfortunately adding a few more of their own). Every single time, pixel remaster included. Don't get me wrong, your video was not bad by any means, but it is very different from tackling a pressing question (at least in my mind -- it's why I clicked on this video after all), which is if any people actually like Final Fantasy II. From what I can tell, it is no one's favorite Final Fantasy and I'm not convinced people who've said they've beaten it have actually done so! So in your case, proof is given with this very video (albeit the absolute easiest and least tedious version of the game to date) on completing it and I'm super interested in what you have to say about your experience. Unfortunately, when the pixel remaster is all we're willing to give our first shot to, it just feels like a hollow and almost meaningless, because judgements can only be assumed like its tedious, unintuitive elements. For many things, like overall difficulty or the fun you have while playing, determining what the other versions (let alone the actual original) are like is virtually impossible. I guess I'm just looking for that unicorn, the player who truly loves Final Fantasy II, and could tell me about it. How cool Firion and the characters are, how they fit into a fan's headcanon, etc. Tell me how the grind wasn't counter-intuivite. Tell me how the leveling and fighting made you feel after conquering a long, tedious dungeon. Tell me how this strengthened you as a person. Don't tell me that you just pushed through because it wasn't that bad playing a more advanced version of the game with every quality of life feature handed to you right out of the box. The beginning of narrative-based games that would become the series we all know and love is one thing, but actually talking about how it impacted you personally, that's what I want to hear. At the very least, telling me how it isn't that bad compared to any other game in the series, even if you have to liken it to the first Final Fantasy or something universally hated like the After Years. It's just that there's no meat to the argument whatsoever. It is easier to argue that any other mainline Final Fantasy is better! I'm going to need some sufficient evidence to the contrary.

[@danielsicko8593]

After Years PSP FF4 was not even bad. The 3D version with the removed content was not very good, but the 2D version was a solid game even if it was not super great. The team behind After Years later made Final Fantasy Divisions that was a solid FFV like game.

[@danielsicko8593]

And for FF2 i only played the DoS version. It was flawed but i broke the game by hitting my team until i had 9999 hp. While i did beat the bonus dungeon, i never beat it a second time without cheesing the game. I dont really have a drive to do so as well, there was a lot of where the fuck do you go next so i had a gamefaqs walkthrough on me the whole time when playing.

[@Jahalang82]

I just recently completed ff2 from the pixel remaster and I didn't care for the magic system. For the majority of the game, I didnt even equip a weapon on anyone and had everyone punching away.it wasnt until the final dungeon that I finally equipped weapons on people.

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

The wonderswan/ps1/gba/psp/pc remakes really improved Final Fantasy II. The original Famicom release had a great set (it was the first "dark and depressing" rpg) and music but the gameplay was totally broken. The remakes corrected that and also introduced one of the best boss themes of the series:Batle scene A.

[@Dragonfire511]

I liked it, im playing the WonderSwan Color version and i like to play with the leveling system. Managed to get used to it.

[@Emberson-9000]

Wish I could find FF1 and 2 translations, though I can play FF1 on my Wonderswan in Japanese. Its FF1. It's simple enough. Translated carts are really hard to find, though.

[@roymerkel8008]

~25:00 -- you didn't even need Blood sword cheese to beat the emperor! 😲 But yeah, that's some cheese you can use for this particular game is to hit the emperor with the blood sword (think there are two in the PSX version, don't recall about PR) and itt'll do a TON of damage. That said, looks like you didn't need it.

[@NickDyers]

the game designed to help you progress NATURALLY with those dungeons encounter rate, and most dungeon only have 5 floors, except on the late game (Typhoon/Mysidia/Pandaemonium). but projared worshippers surely HAVE TO beating themselves to this very date and cursing the game, because their only REAL LIFE ACHIEVEMENT is by having 9999 HP. Its short, and fun FF entry with ton of replay value. You can finish the game easily in under 10hours with around 3k HP on each characters and 200MP on Firion/Maria without projaredWorshippers masochist exploit.

[@topfranluis1]

11:15 YOU SAID DOO DOO! … anyone got the reference?

[@asraarradon4115]

I still use the NA release names, and still to this day have never played the JP FF2, FF3, or FF5. I don't know why; I just never have.

[@wiseguy240Winston]

It's my least favorite and one i can't defend or enjoy much at all. The high encounter rate alone, especially in treasure rooms is rage inducing.😭

[@kevinfm8933]

I enjoyed the hell out of the iOS port but I would be interested in trying the quality of life updates. For how weird it is, FF2 is one of my favs.

[@RealmsofPixelation]

Well, Final Fantasy 2 is actually one of my favorite entries in the series. I love that game. I'm kinda glad it's not super popular. Makes it more special. More like it's MY game, not just something I played because it was popular. Popular doesn't necessarily equal good. And I don't like or dislike things just because they're popular either. I genuinely love Final Fantasy 2 and how the stat increases and spell leveling systems work. I also love the story very much. It's leaps and bounds better than the first game and honestly would make a great movie or anime story. Not to mention the soundtrack. The Rebel Army theme is glorious. The music in Kashuan Keep is another great listen. Just beautiful and suits the environment so well. I also find the characters to be very interesting and there's more there than most people realize. What happens is, a number of people say "this game sucks" and then that becomes the narrative, carried out by even people who have never played the game at all. "Because Willy Jim said, so I never tried the game." I rank Final Fantasy 2 higher than 4, 6 or 7 and I love 4 and 6. Final Fantasy 7 is the most overrated JRPG of all-time. It's not bad per se, it's just not as good as many people would have you believe. Final Fantasy 9 is the best game in the series. I would follow that with FFV, FFIII, FFII and FFIV as my personal top five. Anyway, there's so much to love about FFII and most people won't even try to see it because of herd mentality. People say "most people are stupid" or "most people are idiots." If that's true, then people are wrong about Final Fantasy 2. Lol

[@MilenAnessar]

I've played FF2 on GBA and while I couldn't say I hate it I also didn't like it, Pixel Remaster's exp toggle and turn off encounter sounds like a godsend to me as those are what I have problems with. Skill & stats grind is kinda absurd for this game so the faster the better, and while I don't really mind encounter rate but some of the enemies do being either annoying or shot up in difficulty spike at some points and don't get me started on that horrible Dungeon design with all those empty rooms. Would give it another shot with PR version. Also f**k Soul of Rebirth, glad PR didn't include it even tho it's good for the lore but it waste more time having to grind more party members when you know they will be dead in the main story.

[@veghesther3204]

Yes IMHO it still sucks.

[@otismcfeely6401]

I got ff origins for my 12th birthday day and finally got to the final boss at 25 yrs old.

[@frodofranz]

To be fair this game has a much better story than ff1. The ask and learn system really helped with that and gives some fun flavor text sometimes when you use words not required with some people. sadly after the ps1 version (dunno about psp) they fix a few leveling bugs that let you level up anything in a single fight with selecting an ability or attack then deselecting and select again you would get points for the action when selecting the action. this led the final member of the team to not get this use, so power leveling for the first 3 party members happened when minwu joins since it doesnt matter to powerlevel him. just takes longer now that it works as intended.

[@somecommonsense4647]

The thing is final fantasy two tried to do what skyrim did before skyrim did it. Having the ability to create your perfect party by playing the game how you wanted to was entirely ingenious. It's just they needed more time in the oven to cook this because it's already hard to balance a 2d turn-based RPG. But yeah aside from Final Fantasy 5 and 15, this is my favorite Final Fantasy game.

[@graylyhen9490]

Finally, a new review of one of my favorite GBA games. Surely this man will speak well of this game

[@graylyhen9490]

nvm he loves FFXIII, we're on very good terms now

[@adamguitar1498]

Are you also 8-bit music theory? Kind of have the same voice/speaking style/interest in retro games?

[@sunderwire]

That’s not me, but that’s funny I’ll have to check them out 😆

[@Amp5150]

I got the 1+2 GBA version 20 years ago and loved it

[@Keullo-eFIN]

FF II & XIII are one of the most underrated games I personally enjoy.

[@mrsticky005]

FF2 is my favorite game in the series. I want a FF2 Artistic Revision that actually looks like Amano's designs to the extent that is possible. But also I like to see other artists involved too. Although I think all the FF1-6 could use an Artistic Revision I feel like FF2 would benefit the most from it. I know the story probably feels extremely basic but to me it is an absolute classic. People will say the story line is just Final Fantasy meets Star Wars because sure both are about rebels vs the the empire but the mood is entirely different. FF2 is bleak. Or at least I felt like that was the mood that they were going for. Although that's probably true for a lot of FF games I felt like that sense of melancholy really began in FF2 while FF1 has a much more whimsical adventurous feeling to it. So while I would want the original plot to remain with the orphans joining the Wild Rose Rebellion I also want the story expanded. Particularly for the temporary fourth party members. I believe the core theme of FF2 is about struggling with loss. I think it would be great if the longer you play as the temp 4th player the more destruction the Palamecia Empire causes so you're racing against the clock but the clock is also ticking down for your fourth player. I think a voice acting option would really help. One major possible addition that I think would add a lot of depth to the story is while you sleep as your party you wake up as Leon while he is a Dark Knight of Palamecia and you get to play as the villain maybe even form a team with the despicable Borghen and walk down a path of violence and destruction in order to gain favor from the emperor and be bestowed new dark powers. The twist is that while you do gain new powers the destruction that you cause means you lose out on gaining other powers and items when Leon turns good.

[@alexisandme4eva]

I liked the game when I first played it, just waiting for the game to go on special on the switch so I can buy it

[@some_guy117]

Final Fantasy 2 AKA the First Saga game, prove me wrong

[@radicaldreamer927]

Actively preferring and liking that the pixel remasters removed content is certainly a choice.

[@SouthHill_]

I've been playing through all the Pixel Remaster games (recently started 6), and FFII is my second favourite after 5.

[@FirionFF2]

My first experience with final fantasy was final fantasy I and II: dawn of souls when I was like 10. I’ve played most of the games now but II is still one of my more enjoyed games and Firion is in most my nerd handles. Idc what people say it’s an awesome game! Also incredible music

[@Alustar22]

If I can make an honest critique here, I think your videos could do with a bit more attention to sound. For most of this video I fight to hear you over the sound track.

[@sunderwire]

Appreciate the feedback, it helps!

[@rayvenkman2087]

If FF II was this bad as people say, then would we have FF 16 today? I thought FF 13 was the bad one?

[@sunderwire]

Haha true. I think all the FF games are good in their own right, but I do see why people didn’t like 13 😆 although I think 13-2 fixed a lot of the problems with 13-1

[@tiffanyverbeck7041]

I recently 100% ff2 myself. I thought it was good maybe not the best in series but not the worse either though I don't think I could rate a worse I loved all the ones I played so far even spin offs like type 0 and world of final fantasy. Actually i just started 8 for the first time and was so confused when they used squall instead leon because they call him leon in my favorite sqaure enix series kingdom hearts. Although i have been trying to keep to defult names as much as possible i had to make exception for 8 i couldnt play with the main charcter named sqaull so he's leon doing my gameplay

[@TheMayimIsh]

Biggs and Wedge are from 6 originally not 7

[@sunderwire]

Yep! You are correct I should have mentioned them as well

[@Ariserix]

I still call the leveling system in this game my worst enemy, there’s a reason it was never done again the story was good, but god that leveling system will always leave a poor taste in my mouth

[@chucheeness7817]

I really hate FF2 (I'd even put it below 13) but I can't say people can't like or love it. I mean, my most favorite Megaman is Megaman 3 lol

[@eckitronix]

I mean I think Mega Man 3 is one of the best ones too. I myself have my favorite at Mega Man 1, so I think _that's_ a stranger opinion overall. That in mind, I don't entirely think those apply as well considering they're a very similar experience barring Mega Man 7, 8, & Bass, and 11, but while they're similar they're still wonderful in their execution except for & Bass and I cannot stand listening to or playing 8. I'd say Final Fantasy 2 is the Mega Man X 5 of JRPGs; not perfect and definitely glitchy and buggy and stinky but you know that it has potential and promise and if it had even more time maybe it'd be a perfect game. That and it shifted the formulaic approach really hard.

[@rayvenkman2087]

Mega-Man 1 and 5 are generally regarded as the least favourite entries either for some bad game design or just being underwhelming. 3’s got it’s detractors but it’s mostly regarded as one of the good ones.

[@ModessyGuy]

I really enjoyed this game. Figuring out some of the ways to make it easier. Out of 10, a 7!

[@hondasi88]

I am currently planning the psp version and it's pretty good.....

[@TheNuts1225]

Nice to see fellow Final Fantasy 13 enjoyers out in the wild.

[@youareacoward8459]

I never cheesed the game. I fought all battles and had a blast. 8 of 10 for me.

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

My problem with FF2 is the game is too short and lacks bulld up. Whereas most others keep you hanging and then you feel the big "oh that's what's happening." And they really missed an opportunity to expand the game when the 4th hero (Leon) comes bsck, but tries to be the bad guy after the king is defeated, but bring the king back immediately, so again there is no build up and suspence. It just makes the game a lot shorter and less interesting than it could have been. Yeah, Leon was the dark knight. They should invested a little more time into that. I'm not saying Leon should have been the final boss, but he should have brought some drama....well for more than 5 seconds anyway.