Final Fantasy II (4) was when I really started taking note of this series. I enjoy this game alot, though its not my favorite of the series, its very near and dear to my heart, much like Final Fantasy 7 is for a lot of people.  I would also say this game has one of the better stories of the series as well.

This is the first use of Time Action Battle, moving beyond waiting turns, and letting the enemies have their own attacks in between yours. Each character (and foe) has a bar that fills up, when ready, you can attack. This was a big change and a welcome one, removing the stagnant turn by turn system and became something Square relied on for years in continuations of the series.


Graphics: 8
The SNES looks great here, the characters are still a bit squashed and without very much detail, but its light years ahead of the first game on the NES. The larger towns and items are what I first noticed, all the new shops, with small benches and stools, pots that could contain potions, some hidden walls, the interactions were way more than I expected, and a good move towards making the rpg world more fleshed out. The airship exterior looks realistically sized, the castle Baron, impressively grand, there is a lot of scale to take in this game.

Not content with just giving us a wide map of the world, you also have two other areas to explore beyond the oceans and seas of the world. I'm not going to spoil them, but each is a world in its own right - although each smaller and with less to do than the other. 

The character sprites are generally small, but very colorful (even townspeople), and as each member of your team is already a premade character - they stand out well. The blonde-white hair of Rosa, the healer, the green hair of Rydia the Summoner, the scaly green/blue armor of Kain- each is unique and can be picked out of a lineup. The spells are more impressive, with the summons introducing us to Titan first, someone whom we would summon for many Final Fantasies to come.

The graphics were good, but not exactly stellar. There were still better games to be seen on the SNES, but for RPGs, this was nothing to sneeze at. 


Sound: 10
Square really did shine with this music selection. The soft melody of the crystals of the title screen, classic. The military march of the Red Wings, the haunting tune of Calcobrena. So much music in this game, and I love it all. I think this game has my favorite battle music of all. The main bad guy Golbez, has some Imperial march meets organ music theme song. I loved Fabul caslte, lets just say I loved it all and just leave it at that with no more spoilers, OK?


Addictiveness: 9
I played this game many times through, I just really liked the story. There are hidden things to find (being an rpg) and I had no problem ever coming back to see Cecil and the gang. Some characters grew on me a second playthough. I'm not saying thats best, but I did try new things.


Story: 9
A airship captain, a black knight, in service to the Baronian kingdom. You end up going on a quest that has you protecting the weakest, and in turn find out that you are actually the weak one. The first FF had where you could 'level up' your characters to a new class - but this was the first, and probably best, where your character's transformation is explained well. Along the way you find party members, and at scripted story events they leave, sometimes never to return.

I did enjoy the villains in this game. Final Fantasy has a running theme with elements, and the four fiends are quite impressive. Some get a lot more limelight than others, but I felt they served their purpose.

The option to keep party member selection out of your hands is probably the biggest hurdle to stomach for rpg fans. The story is pretty tight, and each character departing just makes way for others. Now if you have a preference for a one thats gone, maybe they come back, but I could see players being disappointed. But I enjoyed how each worked their own way into the story.

I am not so sold on the last leg of the journey, involving a man named Fusoya. But I won't go into that. It just seemed to be grasping too far in my taste. Keep your fantasy story grounded in some reality. 


Depth: 8
There are a lot of optional quests here, including rare summons, rare weapons, and even where Namingway comes from. Again, the best depth would be to let you choose your party, but that is completely out of your hands for this game.


Difficulty: 7
This is not a difficult game, per se, aside from some important bits. It does still contain some areas where grinding is probably best. The challenge of using characters you don't like is also thrust upon you, and I had those.  I enjoyed the difficult boss battles, and this game has quite a few of them.


Overall: 9.4
One of the strongest SNES games in my opinion, and one I personally love. Its not perfect, but it sets up Square as a provider of excellent melodies and gripping storylines, that would show them as leaders in RPGs.