FelixSH
(He/Him)
A long-lived peace is over.
The Emperor of Palamecia has
summoned monsters from Hell
to begin his campaign for
world conquest. A rebel army
arose in the Kingdom of Fynn
to stop the Empire. However,
Castle Fynn has fallen, and
the rebels escaped to the
town of Altair. Four youths
from Fynn, their parents
killed by the Empire, flee
from imperial forces...
The Emperor of Palamecia has
summoned monsters from Hell
to begin his campaign for
world conquest. A rebel army
arose in the Kingdom of Fynn
to stop the Empire. However,
Castle Fynn has fallen, and
the rebels escaped to the
town of Altair. Four youths
from Fynn, their parents
killed by the Empire, flee
from imperial forces...
I only played one time through FF II. It was either one month after my one playthrough of FF I, or one year later, I don't remember. I think it was two years or so ago. I recently remembered, that I didn't actually play through the game on my own, but oriented myself on a LP, likely from the Something Awful LP-Archive. I like to do that with JRPGs that I play for the first time, playing through a part and than looking at the same part in the LP. Or, with older JRPGs, using them as sort-of walkthroughs, and to get hints on how to play. So I had help, which is probably the reason, why I didn't have too much trouble.
I still never grinded, and did play through the game in a way, that I would have used anyway. The main thing was probably that I knew what to expect with bosses, and being able to avoid monster closets.
This time, I will not use an LP, or a guide. I also will not hit my own guys, because that sounds really dumb and boring. I might grind a bit, if I get stuck and feel like I need some better stats, but I'll try to avoid it. If you want to give me tipps, feel free to do so, I don't mind spoilers much, at least not when it comes to gameplay. With story, though, I'd like to get no spoilers. But whatever happened can be freely discussed. If I get spoiled, I don't really mind, just try. But please don't use the spoilertags, I will click them anyway. If you really feel the need to talk about something, I'd prefer that to just happen. Again, no spoilers is my preference, but it's not a big deal if they happen.
The start of the game:
This game fells like it has more story in the first five minutes, than FF I had during it's entire game. That might be a bit mean, but it can't be too far from the truth. Instead of having random Chosen Ones, these people are explicitely said to be orphans, who lost their parents in the fight they are just fleeing from. That's technically not much more, the heroes of FF I are probably orphans too, and considering that they can change to their grown-up form, where they clearly grow, it seems implied that these are, at the start, teens. Still, these four obviously know each other. Because after waking up, Kafka called their names - Hesse, Bronte and Twain. After they were nearly killed by the soldiers of the evil empire.
Just this battle alone is a neat bit of storytelling. We start the game, and immediately are thrown into the action. But without any chance of actually doing anything. The game immediately makes it clear: We are just some random people, who got extremely lucky to still be alive.
Everything about the start of the game is really grim. Even aside from the fact that our main characters just lost their parents, and were driven away and nearly killed by demons, everyone you talk to shares some of the pain. There is Prince Gordon of Kashuan, who fled and left his kingdom and his brother behind, and is now deeply ashamed of his cowardice. There are random people, who talk about the horrible fate of Fynn, the fallen town, and how they are scared of the Empire. Paul, a legendary thief, seems pretty happy with his life, as he seems to get good money through theft from the Empire. But he still makes it clear, that he hates it deeply. The King of Fynn is heavily wounded, and lies in his bed. His daughter has to lead the rebel army for the time. I expect that she is maybe in her mid-20s, but probably not old enough to deal with a crisis of this calibre. People clearly are scared, that the Empire will extend it's reach further. And there is the danger of them completing a Dreadnought, which might mean the final defeat.
And there is, of course, the fact that the emperor doesn't use human soldiers, but summoned monsters from Hell. It's a hell of a beginning. The game just started, and it already feels like we are nearly defeated. Even the music is intense and kind of sad.
I'm not a music guy. I don't listen to much music (I prefer podcasts), and, while I like music in the background of a game, to provide some atmosphere, it is rare that I remember it, after turning of the game. The music from the castle stuck in my head. It is a really good piece, as is the music of the town.
I like princess Hilda. She has to lead a rebel army and has to organize whatever is left of her kingdom. She does have Minwu, who I assume is an old and competent advisor, but still. She still took the time to rescue Kafka, Bronte and Twain, and offered them a place to stay. And she offers the group a chance to prove themselves, without using them in something essential. They are just supposed to rescue their friend. Hilda doesn't risk much, but she might gain useful allies. It's nice, that there is an important, strong female character at this point in the game. It nearly offsets the stupid Battle Bikini that Bronte has to wear. Seriously, come on.
I'll not complain about it again, but I had to one time.
When you get back to Fynn, there is still a nice mix of story and gameplay. Unlike every single town in FF I, the third one you find here has random encounters! Towns are safe, except if they suddenly aren't. I was caught off guard by that. But it fits pretty well. The town is full of demons, so it's not surprising, that weaker monsters are here now, as well. The NPCs too, are actually really dangerous, and will kill you if you look at them funny. It's a nice subversion, to have a save haven be a place where you can actually die.
And when you finally find the pub, you actually do find out something important. Namely, that prince Scott of Kashuan, the brother of the prince who fled, is here. Except that he is dying, and can only give you some last information. Borghen, someone who Hilda seemed to have trusted, is a traitor. Scott also wants his brother to not grieve, but keep on going. And, finally, Scott loved Hilda. Ok.
I'll probably not summarize the story of the later games in this detail, but in this case, I just don't know the stories well. And after FF I, it feels so nice to have something that already feels decently complex. I do like to talk about interesting stuff in stories, so it will, as time goes on, probably be the main thing I will focus on. I will try to get more out of it than a simple summary, though.
Regarding battle, I let Kafka keep his sword and shield, got Twain a shield to go with his axe, and took Brontes bow away. I hope she will become someone, who can punch through walls. No idea if it will work, but I guess I can just level up another weapon, if it doesn't.
Also, everyone will get the Cure spell, but I will try not to level it up too much. I will also give everyone an elemental spell, as well as an infinite death spell, and level these up. But aside from that (except maybe for Osmose?), I will focus on weapons. Or trying to raise the weapon type and the black magic of that person. We'll see. I just assume, that I can correct stuff that doesn't work.