BREAKDOWN
Visuals:
Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition looks just like its predecessor, Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition. The character battle sprites are more detailed and distinguishable from one another, but other than that, it’s the same. Same crisp sprite work, same detailed enemy sprites, same everything!
Sound:
Final Fantasy II is greatly more obscure than the original Final Fantasy , and as a result, there are fewer iconic tracks. Still, it’s of the quality you’d expect from Nobuo Uematsu. My personal favourite is the Rebel Base track.
Story:
Despite being a huge improvement over its predecessor, Final Fantasy II’s story is still very basic. It’s certainly not bad, but it won’t be winning any awards either.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is well polished, and there are no real bugs to speak of. There is a great deal of possible customization, but whether someone prefers the “special” character growth system or the standard EXP system is a matter of taste. I can’t really say if one’s actually better or not. The lack of direction and high encounter rate may be off-putting.
VERDICT
Final Fantasy II changed a lot when compared to Final Fantasy. For the most part, these changes are advancements to the formula popularized by Final Fantasy. Unfortunately, it retains many of its predecessor’s faults, or its perceived faults, depending on your tastes. Chief among these is definitely the lack of direction that can occasionally occur while trying to advance the story. Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition adds a lot of content, old and new, that wasn’t included in the original NES version, easily justifying the price of USD $5.25 on amazon.com, or, if you’re so inclined, USD $8.99 on iOS. This is especially true if you’re a long time Final Fantasy fan who wants to get back to the series’ roots. But be warned! As I said in my review of Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition, these games are not for everyone! People who don’t like “grindy” RPGs should be very wary!
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