Following our coverage of the original Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, we dive straight into the follow-up.

The first really flourished on Switch, due to a combination of the updated modes and visuals and with the second game feeling largely similar, it’s fair to say it’s an equal comparison.

With this game, Square partly adopted a ‘if it ain’t broke’ mentality for sure, with even the initial opening areas feeling largely similar to Final Fantasy 1.

Which is likely why this one isn’t talked about in the same breath as other FF games. Others in the collection really get into their groove and define what the series became and we’ll certainly get to those later.

But Final Fantasy 2 remains an important part of the Pixel Remaster Collection, particularly because of its prior region exclusivity, its symbolism and what it introduced to the franchise, even if it does suffer a little bit from tricky follow-up syndrome.

The story still centers around four heroes, but rather than being powerful warriors and custodians of great power, these four are orphans who’ve lost their parents due to a cruel and bloody war bringing an end to a long period of peacetime.

Spearheaded by a power hungry Emperor who is bent on world conquest, the four orphans miraculously escape his clutches and try to find a way to fight back.

The immediate difference here is you won’t get to choose between different classes, though you can, of course, rename your heroes. A familiar staple throughout the franchise.

You’ll also be accompanied by some exciting, powerful allies with their own abilities and eventually, you’ll be able to meet a Chocobo for the first time ever and even ride it in the overworld to avoid attacks and get to your desired location faster!

This time, however, Square experimented with a different kind of skill-based system that didn’t focus on levelling up or experience, but rather the skills a particular character uses and their unique fighting style. It’s strange to get to grips with at first, especially since the traditional ways of the original are preferred in more recent games, but it’s a surprising departure that adds some intrigue.

Another unique approach is the topic based system which, again, shows how far ahead of its time the franchise was. While it was rarely used afterwards in Final Fantasy, some could quite easily liken this to the origins of the dialogue tree. You can select a key term learned in a conversation prior and if you ask the right person, you’ll learn more about the particular topic.

You can even find objects and show them to people to progress the story, which should sound very familiar to fans of point and click adventures. But ultimately it isn’t a story that stands up as well as the original, which makes it harder to sink into.

Still, this is a game that’s all about trying to stay faithful while carefully iterating through trial and error. Some things worked and have stuck ever since. Others didn’t pan out quite so well. Basically, it’s a little bit of what you saw and played in Final Fantasy 1 with some tweaks.

Combat remains largely unchanged, except there’s now a back row of enemies which can’t be harmed in quite the same way as the front row. The graphics are practically identical, even going so far as keeping the map similar, and the structure of buying weapons, armor and using a tent out in the open world remain in place.

As such, it often gets overlooked because it didn’t clearly break the mould of the first game, even if it did introduce some game-changing components that would evolve to become something much bigger over time. Which is what makes Final Fantasy 2 a very important part of gaming history.

Heck, it even marks the first appearance of a Cid, and Square’s bold decision to keep the game entirely seperate from its predecessor was a pivotal one which has followed the franchise around ever since. As such, this is one that might just surprise you.

Verdict

A tricky followup that doesn’t massively stand out in this collection, even though it has tons of historical significance and experiments with mechanics in some unexpected ways.

Pros

+ Some interesting, bold gameplay choices that are easier to appreciate now than way back then.
+ Fast travel over the map with Chocobo is a welcome change versus the original
+ Pixel Remaster benefits feel very welcome here, particularly due to the game’s skill system.

Cons

– Story feels weaker than FF1
– Skill system doesn’t feel like it works as well on balance without Pixel Remaster benefits
– Encounters are still very common and no obvious signposting when you’re venturing somewhere outside your level.