Final Fantasy II
|
| Final Fantasy II

Life has a habit of turning the things you perceived as tall and mighty as a child into small and meek as you reach adulthood.

Films that held my attention for the best part of an afternoon when growing up now pass by in the blink of an eye. By the same token, the run-up to Christmas that used to torture me barely registers nowadays, as I flip over the calendar pages apace.

The appearance of what was an RPG giant on the humble mobile would have seemed impossible when Final Fantasy II first rolled out on NES in 1988. Have the intervening 23 years managed to cut Final Fantasy II down to size, though?

Time to talk

It's a motion that can only be answered with the words 'yes' and no'.

In some respects, Final Fantasy II has aged well: the story of four young adventurers on a quest to take down the emperor of Palamecia after their parents are wiped out by his soldiers remains broad in scope.

Surprisingly, neither the controls nor most of the gameplay feel out of date, either. Much of your time is spent wandering around the game's expansive locations, interacting with the scores of NPCs to garner information.

The game employs an intuitive system that allows you to 'memorise' any notes of interest picked up during conversation, enabling you to regurgitate them to other characters at a later date.

The battles themselves, however, have the potential to split the game's audience – and that's an issue that's the same now as it ever was.

Old time's sake

Final Fantasy II's experience-based progression system (specific statistics improve related to the moves you actually make) lends the game a distinctly harder edge than scores of other RPGs.

The process of picking your line of attack and choosing your intended target in the game's multi-character battles is simple enough via the D-pad and '5' key, but the upgrade system makes Final Fantasy II a tricky encounter for newcomers.

The reams and reams of dialogue that are never a comfortable fit on mobile, and visuals that are too sparse to be welcoming (despite being the beneficiaries of a spruce-up) sadly betray Final Fantasy II's age.

The second game in the series hasn't been surpassed by its more modern rivals when it comes to the bare bones of play, but its delivery leaves it out of touch with the kind of experience gamers expect on mobile.

Final Fantasy II remains too large and too set in its ways to really fit into its new environment, leaving it as the kind of encounter its original fans will appreciate in all its big and bountiful glory, but newcomers may find too daunting.

Final Fantasy II

A product of its time, Final Fantasy II remains the grandiose adventure it always was, but feels a little out of step in its new home
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.