#Super Mario RPG Rom | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs | Tumgik (2025)

Heyyy looking for new friends/followers! My name is Bianca Baby, or just Bianca, and I am a streamer/content creator! I stream on Twitch, but I’m planning on shifting my focus on YouTube Let’s Plays very soon! I’m always open for recommendations for weird or obscure games! I also love crossovers, collecting figures, and fashion in that order! I’m gonna tag a bunch of my likes! c:

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Man, the Super Mario RPG remake looks gorgeous. They really did the original justice and then some in all areas. Though I didn't actually play it until I was in my teens, there's still this kind of nostalgia to it, you know? And I'm happy that people will get to experience that for the first time with this remake.

So, to commemorate this auspicious occasion, I have decided to... play a superhard romhack of the original. Because I hate myself apparently (jokes, jokes!)

It's called SMRPG: Armageddon - packed to the gills with crazy-tough superbosses ripped straight out of Final Fantasy. It's not to everyone's taste, but if you like that sort of thing, it's a great time!

...welp, time to get beaten into pesky plumber paste(TM)!

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Which headcanons do you have about the Koopalings?

Let’s see…

The age order from oldest to youngest is Ludwig (18), Lemmy (17), Roy (16), Iggy (15), Wendy (14), Morton (13), and finally Larry (12).

The Koopalings are Bowser’s adopted children and you can pry that from my cold dead hands (I do not care what Miyamoto has to say about this). He was a little concerned when he kept finding random abandoned Dragon Koopa babies, but he still took them all in.

Lemmy and Iggy have the same parents, but Iggy was still an egg when they got adopted and didn’t hatch until after Roy came into the picture

For the most part, they have their personalities from the cartoons (except Ludwig is a musician/strategist and his mad scientist/inventor shtick goes to Iggy instead).

Whatever social media exists in the Mushroom Kingdom, you just know that Wendy is not only on it, but she also has tons of followers.

Morton’s caveman speak thing in Color Splash (I refuse to believe that the Paper Mario universe is separated from the main one, each post-Super game had a papery world due to magical means. I may explain this further in a future post) was a result of a concussion. Just like the cartoons, he’s a verbose guy with an inability to shut up.

A little sadder, but also in Color Splash, Black Bowser drained each Koopaling of color after their defeat, as a warning to the others to not fail. Obviously, Bowser would not have done such a thing if he was not possessed. Mario was able to restore them after the events of the game.

Funnily enough, Lemmy is the closest to Bowser Jr while Iggy is the least close.

Ludwig’s preferred instrument is the piano, but he also occasionally plays other elegant instruments like the violin or flute.

Morton is actually a really good poet, it’s just that his poems tend to go on forever.

Lemmy has a circus with some other members of the Koopa Troop.

Bowser gave the Chomp from Super Mario RPG to Iggy, as he absolutely loves Chain Chomps.

Wendy is one of the best swimmers and figure skaters in the Mushroom Kingdom (that’s why she normally takes the water and ice worlds in the main series games).

Whenever they aren’t in a game, it’s usually because they decide to take a vacation (typically somewhere that is coincidentally away from the main action).

Lemmy is really clumsy whenever he isn’t on top of one of his balls.

Larry is a really good tennis player.

Before Bowser’s Minions came out and disproved it, I liked the idea that the reason they helped Bowletta during the endgame of Superstar Saga was because Jr was being threatened.

Roy may not look like it, but he loves sappy rom-coms (bring it up and you’re dead, though).

Iggy is responsible for the upkeep of most of the Koopalings’ gear, such as their wands, clown cars, and even things like Wendy’s rings and Lemmy’s balls.

Larry has a massive sweet tooth, thus he will sometimes literally take candy from a baby.

Ludwig uses past defeats as inspiration for his symphonies.

Roy wears sunglasses due to light sensitivity.

Finally, they all love Bowser despite his many faults, and he loves them right back.

And that’s it! Feel free to add to this if you want!

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The 1990s was a pivotal decade for geek culture, solidifying many of the trends and franchises that continue to influence pop culture today. Here's an exploration of the various facets of geekdom in the 90s:

Video Games

The 1990s were a golden era for video games, seeing the rise of iconic franchises and gaming consoles.

Consoles and Games:

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Genesis were at the forefront of the early 90s gaming scene. Classics like "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past," "Super Mario World," and "Sonic the Hedgehog" became household names.

The mid-90s introduced the Sony PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. Games like "Final Fantasy VII," "Metal Gear Solid," "Super Mario 64," and "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" revolutionized the industry with their storytelling and 3D graphics.

PC Gaming:

The rise of PC gaming brought titles like "Doom," "Quake," "Warcraft," and "Starcraft," which laid the groundwork for modern first-person shooters and real-time strategy games.

The introduction of the CD-ROM allowed for more complex and graphically intense games, expanding the possibilities of game design.

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

The 90s was a transformative period for comics, marked by a combination of innovation and market upheavals.

Marvel and DC Comics:

Marvel experienced a surge in popularity with the introduction of new characters like Deadpool and the significant events like the "X-Men's Age of Apocalypse" and "Spider-Man's Clone Saga."

DC Comics shook the world with storylines such as "The Death of Superman" and "Batman: Knightfall."

Independent Publishers:

The formation of Image Comics by former Marvel artists brought a wave of creator-owned series like "Spawn," "The Savage Dragon," and "WildC.A.T.s."

Vertigo, an imprint of DC, produced critically acclaimed titles such as "Sandman" by Neil Gaiman and "Preacher" by Garth Ennis, pushing the boundaries of mature storytelling in comics.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

The 90s were a golden age for science fiction and fantasy, both in literature and on screen.

Television:

"Star Trek" had a strong presence with "The Next Generation" continuing its success, followed by "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager."

"The X-Files" became a cultural phenomenon, blending science fiction with horror and conspiracy theories.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" redefined the fantasy genre on television, combining teenage drama with supernatural elements.

Movies:

Blockbuster franchises like "Jurassic Park," "The Matrix," and "Men in Black" showcased cutting-edge special effects and imaginative storytelling.

The re-release of the original "Star Wars" trilogy in special editions prepared the groundwork for the much-anticipated prequel trilogy.

Anime and Manga

The 90s saw the global explosion of anime and manga, making Japanese pop culture a mainstream phenomenon.

Anime:

Series like "Dragon Ball Z," "Sailor Moon," and "Pokémon" became immensely popular worldwide, introducing many to the world of anime.

Films by Studio Ghibli, such as "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro," received critical acclaim and international recognition.

Manga:

Manga series like "Naruto," "One Piece," and "Berserk" began their runs, setting the stage for long-lasting popularity.

The publication of "Shonen Jump" in English brought many of these series to Western audiences.

Role-Playing Games (RPGs)

The 90s were a significant decade for tabletop RPGs, with many classic games being developed and popularized.

Dungeons & Dragons:

The release of the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) in 1989 carried through the 90s, with campaigns like "Planescape" and "Dark Sun" becoming fan favorites.

Other RPGs:

"Vampire: The Masquerade" by White Wolf Publishing introduced the World of Darkness, a setting that offered a dark, gothic-punk alternative to traditional fantasy RPGs.

The cyberpunk genre was well represented by games like "Shadowrun" and "Cyberpunk 2020," capturing the gritty, high-tech, low-life aesthetic.

Collectibles and Trading Card Games

The 90s witnessed the birth and explosion of collectible card games (CCGs), with "Magic: The Gathering" leading the charge.

Magic: The Gathering:

Created by Richard Garfield and released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, "Magic: The Gathering" became a groundbreaking and immensely popular game, sparking a new industry of collectible card games.

Pokémon:

The Pokémon Trading Card Game, released in 1996, quickly became a massive hit alongside the video games and TV series, contributing to the global Pokémon craze.

Internet and Technology

The rise of the internet in the 90s played a crucial role in shaping geek culture.

Early Internet Communities:

Bulletin board systems (BBS), forums, and newsgroups like Usenet allowed geeks to connect and share their interests in ways that were never before possible.

The creation of fan sites and the use of IRC (Internet Relay Chat) facilitated the growth of online communities dedicated to various fandoms.

Technology:

The proliferation of personal computers and the advent of the World Wide Web democratized access to information and entertainment, allowing geek culture to flourish and expand globally.

In conclusion, the 1990s were a transformative decade for geek culture, characterized by the rise of influential media, the advent of groundbreaking technology, and the growth of vibrant communities. The era laid the foundation for many of the trends and franchises that continue to shape geekdom today.

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Archive of (What Should Be) All Story Text Super Mario RPG Relocalized!:

After about a month of transcription, with some help from speedrunners, a fair bit of LazyShell use, and much grumbling, it is (mostly) finished! A full-scale transcription, organization, and archival of all story-relevant text in CoolCatBomberMan's Super Mario RPG Relocalized ROM hack! There will be some minor additions and some reformatting of the first half or so of the game, but I'm considering it good enough to put out there! Enjoy! https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1nSNiotMCGYuqcMVRzGl19a2_Wh0J7Git

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If you're reading this, hi! Hello!

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs, where I gush about whichever cartoon or video game I'm currently hyperfixating on, reblog fanart and fandom memes, share my headcanons, post the silly ideas I've thought of while walking my dog, recommend fanfics I like, and talk about the fanfics that I will definitely write, eventually, bear with me.

Check out the #random musings tag for the- well- random musings I have throughout the day that I post on Tumblr because I didn't get to do so as a teenage girl so I'm doing it now.

Things I'm into:

Cartoons:

The Owl House,

Miraculous Ladybug,

the DuckTales reboot,

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,

Avatar: the Last Airbender,

Code Lyoko,

Ben 10 (haven't watched past UA).

Video games:

NetHack and its variants,

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet,

Ace Attorney (original trilogy + Apollo Justice so far),

Super Paper Mario,

Cassette Beasts,

the Henry Stickmin collection,

Celeste,

Hollow Knight,

Stardew Valley,

Super Lesbian Animal RPG,

Celia's Stupid Rom-Hack,

Minecraft (but only singleplayer, on peaceful difficulty or in creative mode).

Other fandoms:

Pokemon Horizons - constantly a bit behind because I'm watching the Netflix dub (I know, I know),

Hearstopper - haven't watched season 3 yet, I will eventually,

Wednesday, but only through the lens of fluffy Wenclair fanfiction because I genuinely don't cope well with horror- or thriller-adjacent media,

The Wotch and El Goonish Shive webcomics,

the Back to the Future trilogy,

that one book series about a boy who learns he's a wizard (interest currently on hold, until the author comes back to her senses),

Ranger's Apprentice,

Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus (haven't had the chance to read past The Son of Neptune yet),

any sappy romantic comedy you could think of.

Things I'm interested in outside of fandom:

learning trivia related to the subtleties of translating a work of fiction from one language to another,

browsing through the source code of popular open-source libraries to see how they work from the inside,

cycling and skiing.

Things people have recommended me that I've yet to get around to watching/reading/playing:

She-ra and the Princesses of Power,

Tangled the Series,

anything Scott Pilgrim-related,

Hilda,

Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts,

Arcane,

Tales of Arcadia,

Riders of Berk,

Star vs.,

The Lion Guard,

The Princess Bride,

My Hero Academia,

Little Witch Academia,

Kiki's Delivery Service,

Howl's Moving Castle,

Hamilton (musical),

Avatar: the Last Airbender post-canon comics.

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Game Spotlight #2: Mother/Earthbound Beginnings (1989)

Inspired by the Japanese release of Mother 34 years ago this week, Ash gives one of her favorite games a (very long) feature on Acquired Stardust! Much has been made of its difficulty, though modern advancements in emulation including ROM hacks (in particular we recommend the excellent 25th Anniversary Edition) and a wonderful release as part of Nintendo Switch Online’s selection of classic game offerings have reduced this particular pain point (that may or may not exist in the first place!) and provide excellent entry points into one of 1989′s, and all of gaming’s, most enduring icons.

An eerie low synth is quickly met by a gentle sequence of piano keys as the phrases ‘produced by Nintendo’ and ‘presented by Shigesato Itoi’ appear across the screen. It is at once lonely and beautiful sound that matches with the logo containing a shot of Earth from space, and it sets the tone perfectly for what is to follow after being prompted to name several characters. A text scroll begins describing an unsettling story taking place in the early 1900s, 80 years before the events of the game, set in rural America, and it is here at this incredibly early point where it starts to become abundantly clear that this game is decidedly different than many other games of its time and platform. Indeed, a clue in the very first few seconds of the game practically call it out - we have a name prominently associated with this game.

It’s hard to imagine now, but video games were not always this way. Industry wide, credit was a rare thing for developers to receive and they often resorted to pseudonyms, the identities of which they allude to often being lost to time, and often were explicitly disallowed from being credited. In fact, two of the largest video game publishers today (namely Activision and Electronic Arts) were founded in part due to frustrations with companies such as Atari that, in an effort to reduce individual footprints on games and therefore make their talent less likely to be poached by rivals, did exactly that. Nintendo luminary Shigeru Miyamoto isn’t explicitly advertised in 1985′s Super Mario Bros. as being its creator either on the title screen or in a credits sequence at the end of the game, and even contemporary Nintendo Entertainment System role playing games of the time such as 1986′s Dragon Quest only features specific individual credits at the end of the game, and 1987′s Final Fantasy only credits the game to the company that produced it rather than any individuals in the creative process.

Mother, alternatively known as Earthbound Zero or Earthbound Beginnings in the west after its more famous namesake, 1995 Super Nintendo RPG Earthbound leads with something very much breaking in tradition of early eras of gaming in that it is explicitly, unavoidably from someone. An individual with a name. It is this that is especially striking to me before we even get to the surprisingly creepy opening text scrawl that sets up the backstory of Mother.

Born in November 1948, Shigesato Itoi is something of a renaissance man who became a bit of a celebrity in the incredibly unlikely position of copywriting, which is essentially another word for ‘advertising’, and one of the earlier examples of celebrity game developers in Japan that come to mind off the top of my head. Having created a number of famous ad slogans and campaigns including a 1982 anti-war ad featuring two armed soldiers standing opposite each other, beckoning their Prime Minister forward onto the front lines before them, Itoi’s ads often feature bold imagery contrasted with short phrases that manage to provoke vivid emotion in the viewer, and this maximizing of such little material makes two things abundantly clear: Itoi is not only an extremely effective communicator of ideas, but his specific skillset of utilizing images and sparse but provocative text is perfectly suited not only to video games but especially the world of NES role playing games which feature incredibly strict limitations, especially by today’s standards, though even by 1989 Japan had started to see more powerful systems such as Sega’s Mega Drive console having released a year prior. Befitting of its celebrity-via-advertising creator, Mother has one of the absolute coolest commercials I’ve ever seen with the slogan “no crying until the ending”.

Mother is a famously difficult game, for which I think it gets somewhat of an unfair reputation. While it does require copious amounts of grinding to increase one’s level and stats (as was standard for role playing games of the era and even for many years after) and see plenty of steep and extremely sudden curves in battle balance, there are no game overs in Mother. Upon defeat in battle the player will simply be returned to the last physical location at which they saved with all of their experience points acquired up to the point of defeat intact. There is no loss of items either, only a loss of money you currently have on you, which isn’t an especially big deal in part due to money not accruing in the player’s inventory by default (it is instead obtained from ATMs via a credit card at department stores) as well as the abilities protagonist Ninten unlocks through leveling up often being more useful and far less limited in use than purchasable items are. In this way there are shockingly few consequences for dying in Mother, with even many games decades later returning you to the title screen to load the data you last saved, with players who aren’t mindful of saving often being able to potentially lose hours of progress at a time. Just as well, grinding becomes significantly easier with the inclusion of additional party members and guest characters that enter the party occasionally. The only particular pain point of Mother is another common feature of role playing games of this era, where actions taken applying to an enemy who has died before said actions have occurred will miss as opposed to applying to the next enemy in the encounter.

Instead of traditional difficulty, Mother is a perfect example of games of its era in that it’s a perfect Nintendo Power game. Players are given very few directions and objectives, the world is extremely vast and dialogue with townspeople is often inane and not particularly helpful. It is very easy to become lost literally and figuratively, wondering where exactly you are in the game world (despite a rather useful map being built into the game from the start) or even what you’re meant to be doing, only to resort to a walkthrough and find out you were supposed to purchase a canary egg, hatch said canary who is described as having “sad eyes”, and return it to its mother somewhere. Suffice it to say Mother is a very cryptic game that takes the tone of a light parody of genre tropes and features a shockingly wide array of ways in which the player can interact with the world and events that can occur completely irrelevant to the actual story of the game to the point that I feel like you could make up a bizarre lie about something in the game as a playground rumor and someone would conceivably believe you no matter how outlandish it was. This is the sort of game that strongly encourages and rewards spending time with it. Getting lost in it. Having your own experience with it, and forming your own genuine connection with it.

It is exactly this sort of nature that makes the game stand out so much coming from an individual as opposed to a game designed by committee. Sometimes things just happen, such as a talking penguin questioning why he came to a gathering of monkeys in an underground maze, or catching a cold from a townsperson that must be cured at a hospital. Just as well the game contains a frankly shocking level of interesting and even emotionally gripping story content (much of which does come towards the end of the game). Mother is a game unavoidably art from an individual artist and everything in the game is included because it was specifically intended by its creator, and it’s this fact permeating the entire experience that makes it so attractive to people. Aside from the scenario and general happenings of the game, composers Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka provide what has my vote for the strongest soundtrack top to bottom on the entire platform, even being featured in a vocal album containing English lyrics that may be saccharine and cheesy but are also very genuine and vulnerable. Several of the songs have been used throughout the series and are easily recognizable to gamers who haven’t even ever touched the series.

A point of particular interest for me is all the similarities between Mother and Pokemon, with many people picking up on visual similarities between the final boss of Mother, Giegue, and Pokemon’s final optional battle in Mewtwo. Much of the structure of the game is also similar, with a young protagonist leaving his ostensibly single mother on a coming of age journey obviously inspired by 1986 film Stand By Me (itself based on an earlier story by Stephen King), which is also referenced pretty directly on a television set in the Pokemon protagonist’s house. Speaking of traveling, as mentioned before the world of Mother is indeed incredibly vast and much like Pokemon is both a contemporary setting (as opposed to a fantasy setting or a historical setting) and also traveled through almost completely seamlessly, whether it be on foot or by train. It is through this railway, the Paradise Line, that one can start to appreciate just how big the game world actually is. There’s even a sidequest in which Ninten must find an old man’s missing dentures, also featured in the first generation of Pokemon games. It’s an odd series of things that line up very well, and we’re not done there. Composer Hirokazu Tanaka actually ended up heading Creatures, Inc. which has worked in tandem with Gamefreak and The Pokemon Company on various aspects the Pokemon franchise since at least 1998, potentially even earlier. Just as well, Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri famously referring to Mother as“not very kind” in its design in an October, 1989 review, nearly 7 years before the Japanese release of the first wave of Pokemon games.

There is so much I could say about this game, and indeed so much I have already said, but the purpose of Acquired Stardust is less to give you the minute to minute plot points (particularly in story-based games, we would rather you experience these for yourself than spoil the experience for you ahead of time) and more so about giving you a recommendation. To that end I can only tell you that Mother has Acquired Stardust’s endorsement as well as my own personal endorsement. Despite its age it manages to feel shockingly modern in many ways, not the least of which due to its deep influence on the indie game scene in which ‘quirky RPG Earthbound-inspired RPG about depression’ has become a scene unto itself, and games like Yume Nikki which have made their own marks on the medium which in turn has spawned a scene unto itself.

Mother is one of the games that made gamers the world over think of game developers as artists first and foremost, a notion that largely is patently accepted in today’s scene. It features an incredible plot punching far above its weight especially in the latter half, likely the best top to bottom soundtrack on the NES, rewarding exploration, and much of the supposed difficulty is mere intimidation or remedied by emulation features such as savestates, ROM hacks, fast forwarding and rewinding.

There are plenty of misconceptions and talking points ready to assure you that Mother isn’t a very good game and that Earthbound supersedes its predecessor entirely, but that’s a very western-centric viewpoint often born of a particular fusion of recency bias and nostalgia, given that predecessor Mother was never released outside of Japan and sequel Earthbound is the title most people who know the trilogy started with, and that sentiment I promise you simply isn’t true. Both games are different enough and well worth your time, as is 2006′s Mother 3. If you have even a passing interest in video games as an art form, Mother is a vitally important divergence point between ‘games as distraction’ and ‘games as art’, and an incredible milestone for the medium. It is something that changed the way we think about games and the way we interact with them, both directly and through the countless games it’s directly influenced. Just remember: no crying until the ending!

A gem hidden among the stones, Mother is unquestionably stardust.

--Ash

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I wonder how many people are going to be playing Super Mario RPG completely blind, no knowledge of what to expect outside of a few trailers.

I have to admit this but i'm a bit disconnected from reality when it comes to Mario fans and Nintendo fans in general. I grew up with every console and handheld that Mario made an appearance on. And if I missed a game, years later, I would emulate it.

It's just very hard to wrap my brain around the idea of a fan not being so obsessed with something, that if they missed out on a piece of media, they wouldn't seek it out by any means necessary. But there are people that don't understand a thing about emulators, how to use them, where to get roms, or they're afraid John Nintendo will bust down their door and take them off to be executed for illegally playing Undake30 Same Game.

So like, it's just hard to imagine a Mario fan existing without having played Mario RPG.

But it happens. There are kids, there are casuals, there are those who get diarrhea if their game has pixels in it that aren't an ironic throwback that only lasts a few minutes and wouldn't play the SNES version if if they knew how to emulate. Oh... and then there's those people who let Super Smash Bros speculation sour their opinion on a character without ever even getting to know the game they came from. Those exist too.

Does anyone else have the problem of assuming all fans are as intimately familiar with the series as you, even though you shouldn't?

Also, who's playing SMRPG blind?

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7 Times Princess Zelda Was Actually Playable

From legendarily bad starring roles, to fan-servicey cameos.

Despite having her name smack dab in the middle of just about every game in the Zelda franchise, few titles let you play as Hyrule’s iconic princess. Today, her first true starring role,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomlands on Switch. What better occasion to look at the instances that Zelda was a playable character?

Who is Princess Zelda?

When first developing the world of The Legend of Zelda, series creator and Nintendo wizard Shigeru Miyamoto decided to name Hyrule’s princess after Zelda Fitzgerald.

“She was a beautiful woman by all accounts, and I liked the sound of her name,”Miyamoto said. Since the series began in 1987, Hyrule’s princess would always be named Zelda, which is later established as official royal tradition. In most games, Zelda is the damsel being rescued, usually by the hero, Link.

However, in more recent games, this isn’t always the case. One of the most recent titles,Breath of the Wild, has Zelda battling an evil force in a castle for a 100 years, waiting for a hero of legend to wake up from a nap.

What Games Feature a Playable Princess Zelda?

It may surprise you, but Princess Zelda has been playable in more games than just her latest starring role. Granted, her start was rocky, to say the least. These games are featured in chronological order, and on the console they appeared. I’m excludingSpirit Trackshere. This is a list of playable Zelda, not playable Zelda’s Ghost.

1.Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Phillips CD-i (1993)

Entire history classes can be taught about Nintendo dipping its toes in CD rom games. After a series of foibles and business backstabbing, it led to Sony entering the console market. In the middle of this struggle, Nintendo licensed its Mario and Zelda franchise to Philips to make games for its CD-i gaming console. What followed was one of the most atrocious games of all time. Imagine all the gameplay ofZelda II: The Adventure of Linkon the NES, but worse. There’s a reason Nintendo is so defensive with its IP. It’s afraid it will lead to more travesties like this. Still, it gave us plenty of timeless memes, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

2.Zelda’s Adventure, Phillips CD-i (1996)

Zelda’s Adventureis another Phillips CD-i title, and marginally better thanThe Wand of Gamelon. On paper,Zelda’s Adventureis a top down action RPG, likeLink’s AwakeningorA Link to the Past.In execution, like its predecessor, it’s a clunky, buggy, unplayable mess. Its one saving grace, like Gamelon, are the memes and reaction images it birthed.

3. Super Smash Bros. Series, Various Nintendo Platforms, (From 2001)

This is perhaps the first time Princess Zelda was playable in a game that doesn’t stings your eyes or makes you want to become a luddite. Zelda has been playable in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series since its second entry,Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here, not only does she wield powerful magical abilities, but can transform into her alter ego Sheik. This makes her quicker, and perhaps more devastating. Eventually, these two characters became wholly separate entities in Smash Bros.

4.Hyrule Warriors, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Switch (From 2014)

Despite its flashy Zelda coating, this is actually another entry in the Dynasty Warriors series. Princess Zelda, and just about every main, supporting, and tertiary Zelda character is playable here. They even gave Tingle a spot! Zelda’s arsenal is fairly diverse here. Not only does she utilize many of the magic spells she’s known for, but also wields a rapier and a bow. Many of her special attacks, in true Dynasty Warriors fashion, are incredibly captivating. Alternatively, she can also trade in her baton for a Wind Waker. This lets her conduct popular songs from the Zelda series that manifest as powerful attacks.

5.Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo Switch (2019)

It took Nintendo more than two decades to finally get over the pain of the Phillips CD-i games. Nintendo finally licensed out its characters again, this time to indie developer Brace Yourself Games. This top-down rhythm game puts a new spin on the classic Zelda formula, which makes for an addictive, toe-tapping adventure. Zelda is playable here, and if you complete the right quests, you unlock her special weapon, the Royal Rapier.

6.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Nintendo Switch (2020)

The earth-shattering success ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildmeant the game would be milked for all its worth. It eventually got DLC, but it also got its own spinoff withAge of Calamity. In attempts to hold us over while we waited forTears of the Kingdom, Nintendo and Omega Force made another entry in theHyrule Warriorsfranchise. This game takes place during the fated war that happens 100 years before the events ofBreath of the Wild. Zelda and the gang are all playable here. She’s armed with the Sheikah Slate, which is basically an iPad that has the power to kill.

7.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo Switch (2024)

This may be the seventh game where Princess Zelda is playable, but in my humble opinion, it’s really the first one that counts. This time, Zelda is the one rescuing Link from Ganon. In lieu of a sword, she’s armed with the Tri Rod, a magical wand that can conjure up everything from monsters to furniture. Despite being a classic top down Zelda, reviewers are already comparing its versatility toTears of the Kingdom.Not only is this the first (good) game starring Zelda, it’s also the first in the series to be directed by a woman, Tomomi Sano.

Originally published on Playboy.com

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슈퍼패미콤 명작 롬 모음 한글팩 sfc 드래곤퀘스트 한글롬 등 게임 하세요! sfc 한글 롬셋 롬 다운로드 가능하니 snes 한글롬 모음 추천 합니다. 슈퍼패미콤 에뮬 롬 다운 하세요! 슈퍼패미컴 롬파일 한글롬 제공 합니다.

슈퍼패미콤 에뮬 한글롬 명작 게임 다운 슈퍼패미컴 snes sfc 슈퍼패미컴(Super Famicom, 일본명: スーパーファミコン, 영어권에서는 Super Nintendo Entertainment System 또는 SNES로 알려짐)은 1990년대 게임 역사의 한 획을 그은 콘솔로, 닌텐도가 1990년 일본에서 처음 출시했습니다. 북미에서는 1991년에 출시되었고, 유럽 등 다른 지역에도 점차 보급되었습니다. 이 콘솔은 16비트 아키텍처를 기반으로 한 고성능 그래픽과 음향 기술로 당대 최고의 게임 경험을 제공했습니다. 슈퍼패미컴의 성공은 그 당시 수많은 명작 게임들이 출시된 덕분이며, 이 중 일부는 여전히 게임 역사에서 고전으로 손꼽힙니다.

이 글에서는 슈퍼패미컴의 특징, 추천 한글화 게임, 대표 명작 게임, 그리고 에뮬레이터로 한글롬을 즐기는 방법에 대해 자세히 설명하겠습니다.

���퍼패미컴의 특징 그래픽 및 사운드 성능 슈퍼패미컴은 당시 기준으로 획기적인 그래픽 기술인 Mode 7을 지원했습니다. 이 기술은 배경을 회전시키거나 확대/축소하는 효과를 가능하게 했으며, F-Zero와 슈퍼 마리오 카트 같은 게임에서 돋보였습니다. 또한 소니가 제작한 SPC700 사운드 칩 덕분에, 멋진 배경 음악과 사운드 효과를 구현할 수 있었습니다.

다양한 컨트롤러 지원 기본 컨트롤러에는 Y, X, B, A 버튼과 L, R 버튼이 추가되어 현대 게임기의 표준 버튼 배치를 확립했습니다. 이 외에도 특정 게임용 주변기기(슈퍼 스코프, 마우스 등)를 통해 다양한 장르의 게임을 즐길 수 있었습니다.

소프트웨어 라이브러리 슈퍼패미컴은 닌텐도와 타사 개발사의 협력으로 수천 개의 게임이 출시되었습니다. RPG, 액션, 스포츠, 퍼즐 등 다양한 장르에서 최고 수준의 타이틀들이 쏟아졌습니다. 특히, 당시 최고의 RPG 시리즈로 평가받는 파이널 판타지와 드래곤 퀘스트, 닌텐도의 대표작 슈퍼 마리오 월드와 젤다의 전설 등이 있습니다.

한글롬 추천 게임 슈퍼패미컴 시절에는 국내 정식 발매된 게임이 많지 않았으나, 열정적인 팬들이 비공식적으로 ROM을 한글화해 많은 한국 게이머들에게 감동을 주었습니다. 아래는 대표적인 한글화된 명작 게임입니다.

파이널 판타지 시리즈 (Final Fantasy IV, V, VI) 장르: RPG 특징: 스토리와 음악, 전투 시스템이 절묘하게 조화를 이룬 시리즈. 한글화: 팬들의 노력으로 각 시리즈가 훌륭하게 번역되었으며, 특히 파이널 판타지 VI는 심오한 스토리와 매력적인 캐릭터들로 한국 게이머들에게 큰 사랑을 받았습니다.

젤다의 전설: 신들의 트라이포스 (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past) 장르: 액션 어드벤처 특징: 복잡한 퍼즐, 방대한 던전, 몰입감 있는 스토리로 닌텐도 대표작 중 하나. 한글화: 스토리를 읽으며 모험의 재미를 더 깊이 느낄 수 있도록 한글 패치가 완성도 높게 제작되었습니다.

슈퍼 마리오 RPG: 레전드 오브 세븐 스타즈 (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars) 장르: 턴제 RPG 특징: 닌텐도와 스퀘어가 협력해 만든 독특한 RPG. 슈퍼마리오의 세계관에 RPG 요소를 더한 게임입니다. 한글화: 원작의 유머와 스토리를 충실히 번역한 한글 패치가 존재합니다.

크로노 트리거 (Chrono Trigger) 장르: RPG 특징: 시간 여행을 주제로 한 독특한 스토리와 멀티 엔딩 구조. 아름다운 그래픽과 스토리는 당시 기준으로 혁신적이었습니다. 슈퍼패미콤 에뮬 한글롬 명작 게임 다운 슈퍼패미컴 snes sfc 한글화: 팬들의 노력이 빛나는 번역이 완벽에 가깝게 이루어졌습니다.

파이어 엠블렘 시리즈 장르: 전략 시뮬레이션 특징: 유닛의 생사 설정과 감정적인 스토리. 당시 팬들이 직접 번역해 한글 패치를 제공했습니다. 추천작: 파이어 엠블렘: 문장의 수수께끼 (Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem).

테일즈 오브 판타지아 (Tales of Phantasia) 장르: 액션 RPG 특징: 전투 중 실시간 액션을 즐길 수 있는 독창적인 시스템. 한글화: 고퀄리티 번역으로 게임 내 감정선을 더욱 풍부하게 즐길 수 있습니다. SNES/SFC 에뮬레이터로 즐기는 방법 한글롬을 사용해 슈퍼패미컴 게임을 즐기려면 에뮬레이터가 필요합니다. 아래는 대표적인 에뮬레이터와 세팅 방법입니다.

추천 에뮬레이터 ZSNES: 가장 오래된 SNES 에뮬레이터 중 하나로, 안정성이 뛰어나며 저사양 PC에서도 잘 돌아갑니다. Snes9x: 정밀한 에뮬레이션과 호환성이 높은 소프트웨어. bsnes/higan: 정확한 그래픽과 사운드를 제공하는 고성능 에뮬레이터.

사용 방법 에뮬레이터를 다운로드하여 설치합니다. 게임 ROM 파일을 준비합니다. 이는 정품 카트리지를 추출하거나 인터넷에서 제공되는 한글 패치 ROM을 다운로드하는 방식으로 가능합니다. 한글 패치 파일(.ips)을 적용하려면 Lunar IPS 같은 툴을 사용하세요. 에뮬레이터에서 게임을 로드하고 즐기면 됩니다. 명작 게임 리스트 다양한 장르에서 아직도 사랑받는 슈퍼패미컴 명작 게임들은 다음과 같습니다:

액션/플랫폼: 슈퍼 마리오 월드 동키콩 컨트리 시리즈 록맨 X 시리즈 RPG: 드래곤 퀘스트 V 세이크리드 블레이드 (Secret of Mana) 스포츠/레이싱: 슈퍼 마리오 카트 NBA Jam 퍼즐: 테트리스 어택 패널 데 폰 슈퍼패미콤 에뮬 한글롬 명작 게임 다운 슈퍼패미컴 snes sfc 게임 역사에 한 획을 그은 레트로 콘솔입니다. 한글화된 ROM 덕분에 언어 장벽을 넘어 보다 많은 게이머들이 이 명작들을 경험할 수 있게 되었습���다. 에뮬레이터로 쉽게 접근 가능한 지금, 이 레트로 게임의 황금기를 다시 한번 즐겨보는 건 어떨까요?

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This Paper Mario Remake needs a more unique Spin

I had a lot to say about the Super Mario RPG remake last year, and I can’t find it in me to feel the same way about Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I guess because it’s not that much different overall to me. It didn’t get a graphical overhaul in the same way. It looks better for sure, but it already looked great before. SMRPG was a game I didn’t like the look of and the remake fixed that completely for me. The gameplay is basically the same. There are quality of life features sprinkled throughout, but none were a real game changer. The framerate is lower now, but I barely noticed. The story is basically the same too. The translation is the biggest highlight for me as now Vivian is explicitly trans which kicks ass. The unique battle themes are also a huge plus. I wasn’t super impressed with a lot of the remixes, but the new stuff was great and it gave me the option to just switch back to the OST.

It’s not a bad thing that this game isn’t dramatically different than the original. This was already a fantastic game, so there wasn’t much to add. I think I’m just a bit disappointed that the one issue I have with the game still remains. You just move too fucking slow. It takes forever to cover any ground. If this game wasn’t as long as it was, it would be acceptable, but this is a chunky game compared to the older Mario RPGs. and while Yoshi alleviates this in chapter 3, it's still a character you have to switch to, and switching to a character takes time to do. It gets tedious, especially when you don’t want to use them in combat. The spin in Paper Mario was vital to the quality of that game and I still don't know why they took it out. Even if it wasn’t actually that fast, it felt fast. It felt like you were blasting through the world at breakneck speeds. They could have not made any of the changes they made and just released a rom hack that had the spin from the first game implemented, and I would have happier. I don’t care if it gets me canceled, I will sacrifice any amount of trans representation if it means I can zip around Rogue Port with the press of a button. This was the true eye opener after playing this game for like the 4th time in my life. Bring Back The Spin Nintendo.

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Download Super Mario RPG Switch ROM NSP (v1.0.1 update) for NintendoSwitch NSP rom free link fast, no short link, release date November 17, 2023, developer byNintendo Game Info Release DateNovember 17, 2023GenreRole-PlayingAdventurePublisher & DeveloperNintendoSystemSwitchImage FormatNSPNSZXCIGame Version1.0.1LanguageDutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional ChineseRequired firmwareBase=14.0.0 / UPD=17.0.1 (Atmosphere)MultiplayerSingle System (1)Age ratingEveryoneSupported play modesTV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld modeBasic info Game Description Mario, Bowser, and Peach partner up to repair the wish-granting Star Road in this approachable role-playing adventure Team up with an oddball group of heroes to save Star Road and stop the troublemaking Smithy Gang. This colorful RPG has updated graphics and cinematics that add even more charm to the unexpected alliance between Mario, Bowser, Peach, and original characters Mallow and Geno. Enter (or revisit) this world of eccentric allies and offbeat enemies in an RPG for everyone. Set out on a classic Mario adventure Enter—or revisit—a world of whimsy with Mario on a quest to repair Star Road and defeat the troublemaking Smithy Gang. Team up with a party of unlikely allies, like the monstrous Bowser and a mysterious doll named Geno, in a story-rich RPG packed with laughs and quirky characters. A strange party unites to save Star Road Meet the team of oddballs setting out to thwart the troublesome Smithy Gang and protect everyone’s wishes. Even Bowser is lending a claw! Mario The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom who always jumps in to help. Mario serves Fireball and Jump specials to stomp all over enemies. Princess Peach The beloved ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom who is…missing?! Once found, Princess Peach supports the party with healing and staggering status effect specials. Bowser The King of the Koopas who lost his Keep to the invading Smithy Gang. Bowser uses his might and mischievous minions to overwhelm his enemies. Mallow A young frog (despite appearances) and the grandson of the Frog Sage. Mallow unleashes the destructive power of weather onto enemies, while healing his allies with rain. Geno A powerful protector of Star Road taking the form of a humble doll. Geno puppeteers his own style of moves, like Geno Beam and Geno Boost. Take it easy with Breezy Difficulty Mode Players new to RPGs or who want a story-focused experience can use the new Breezy difficulty, which makes battles easier and leveling up faster. You can set the difficulty at any time if you change your mind. Adventure, battle, and traverse across a colorful world Jump towards your next goal and continue the story. Run into monsters to enter turn-based battles with your party of three. Master the new Chain and Triple Moves system to claim victory. Stomp and guard with Action Commands Command your party to attack, block, and use specials against a variety of enemies. Press the A Button at the right time for a satisfying dose of extra damage or a helpful guard. Turn battles in your favor with the new Chain System Rack up stat boosts and fill the Action Gauge by continuously using Action Commands. Unleash your party’s Triple Moves Fill up the Action Gauge to unlock a brand-new Triple Move, which changes based on your party makeup. Use it to deliver a variety of powerful effects. Take on a bounty of boss battles Put your best strategies forward to stomp out rowdy bosses like Belome, a vicious monster with an appetite, and Johnny, the fiercest pirate in the sea. Explore zany areas with even zanier stories Make ground by running, jumping, and swimming through the environment. As you journey, you’ll discover comical stories with offbeat mini-games. Continue the fun After completing the story, you can return to areas to replay mini-games for coins or other rewards and rematch some bosses in new, more challenging battles! A delightfully reimagined world Enjoy familiar sights with colorfully enhanced graphics and spiffy upgrades. A host of brand-new cutscenes Immerse yourself in the story with new CGI cutscenes of pivotal moments. A cutscene will also play for each Triple Move, so get fired up! Turn up the charm and the music Enjoy a rousing remastered soundtrack or the retro beats of the original. Freely change between the new Modern or Classic Super NES soundtrack. Gallery Download Links ID= 0100BC0018138000 (America, Europe, Japan, Asia) US (eng), UK (eng), JP, FR, DE, LAT (spa), SPA, IT, DU, CAD (fr), KOR, TW (ch), CH SMR_[v0][US].nsp.part1.rar SMR_[v0][US].nsp.part2.rar Update 1.0.1 Super Mario RPG [0100BC0018138800][v65536][US].nsp.rar

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Pinned Post, However Those Work:

Still not quite sure I've gotten the hang of Tumblr very well quite yet, and I'll probably be making some edits to this post with other important stuff, but for now mostly it's just going to be linking to a couple projects and core communities of mine. Mario Translation Archive: I... don't know Japanese. This can be a bit of a problem when so many things I'm a fan of were originally written in Japanese and later localized to English, often with lore-relevant changes or mistakes. I can't really contribute to the translation part of it myself, but I can do the book-keeping. So I'm essentially building a megafolder of the text of all the games in the Mario franchise, and incorporating whatever translations I come across. At the moment it's mostly SPM stuff, but SMRPG is coming along.

Archive Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1UFU_VRR2reCmVJtZfOOA3PATb0TXAZXw

Super Mario RPG Projects:

SMRPG Relocalized Text Archive: This is pretty much entirely done, but it hasn't been incorporated into the broader translation archive for a few reasons. One is, as the name says, the hack is in many ways a re-localization, meaning it's not always accurate to the actual Japanese, which is the point of the archive. So before incorporating it, I'd need to go through the process of evaluating what is and isn't reliable, which... will take a while. Also I have no idea what the remake did or didn't change, so that's another factor to consider. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1nSNiotMCGYuqcMVRzGl19a2_Wh0J7Git SNES/Relocalized Script Comparison: Line-by-line spreadsheet comparison of the SNES script with CoolCatBomberMan's delocalization ROM hack. Use with discretion, but it's more navigable than the whole archive. Needs to be deformatted eventually. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cjwzzBZfp4fpN_56KOfHEwoG4eeQ0wzLPCf5KJjVHsQ/edit?gid=573618861#gid=573618861 SNES/Switch Script Comparison: In-progress spreadsheet comparing the SNES and Switch scripts and marking lines that have been altered, added, or removed. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l8I9s3GwsRPpdmo72tTcjeLnBk7X_ElXPsVB4QV-01o/edit?gid=174644527#gid=174644527

Starmen.net: A wonderful Mother series fan community that's been around for over 20 years, and in my opinion (which is admittedly a bit biased, since it is basically my home on the internet) , one of the best places you can be.

Forum: https://forum.starmen.net/forum Discord: https://discord.gg/kM3wQzr (Sidenote, this may be the only actual permalink remaining, because Discord is kind of dumb and changed the rules, so propagate this specific invite link if you want to permalink.)

Super Paper Mario Lore and Theories Wiki: Technically a wiki, but that's kind of on hiatus at the moment. For the time being, we're mostly a lore community! We're friendly to people who are new or haven't really looked into the lore yet, and even if its lore isn't strictly your thing, the goal's largely just to have a positive space where fellow nerds about this wonderful game can get together and talk.

Discord: https://discord.gg/rS9MMACPCq Wiki:https://spmtheory.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Paper_Mario_Lore_and_Theories (Still very barebones, please don't judge us)

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my opinion about emulation

Emulation:

I could go many ways of my dislikes or likes but I will say a couple of things.

I feel that emulation would help archive old video games that have been forgotten or lost from documentation. How else are we supposed to know the history of video games if we don’t save them? Many old games from the cartridge era are dying from chip rott or chip failures. Some cartridges are just beyond repair or saving. And as for disc base from pc to playstation. Those are getting hit harder than cartridges due to the disc rot and scratching on the data on the disc. Once it's gone, it's gone for good. That is why I feel that emulations should be a thing to save these games before being lost.

What I don't like about emulation is the use of it. Over in China, you could buy loaded retro box or handhelds that have thousands of games from the eight bit to sixteen bit, even twenty four/sixty four bit games roms for over twenty to eighty dollars. Some come in the form of an arcade fight stick. And another thing i am seeing is software or hardware devices that you can mod your current console and play rip games. Nintendo went after a company that makes the switch emulation that you can run on your pc or steam deck. And the ps4 just got a linux based emulation and runs pretty well if you got a beefy pc to run it, only if it linux os then windows os. Those of the emulation I don't like but that is my opinion.

But I do see why people do it, and the reasons that come with it. I mean, I would love to have a red cab neo geo mvs arcade system but those are going for $900 to $3000 a pop from a one slot to four slot. I would rather emulate the cab on my pc than buying the cab. Also the mvs carts are getting so pricey. And there are some games on the snes I wish I could afford but can’t. I would love to have most of the jrpg games on snes like secret of mana, chrono trigger, and super mario rpg. But those games are running around $80 to $400. Same thing on ps2 the king of jrpg. I wanna get my hands on the .hack series and also tales of the abyss, star ocean, fantasy star universe, and tales of rebirth. Again, those games are getting so pricey and scary due to disc rot. And if I have to use an emulation to play them. So be it.

The world of retro game collection in 2024 is pretty bad now since everyone is getting into it. I got into it with my little brother back in 2009. I am lucky to have most of my childhood games but the games I was curious about that I mentioned before will be outta react unless I get lucky online from facebook market space or ebay. Emulation is my way to play games i haven’t had a chance to play when i was a kid. Even through it all sources of wrong or good. I feel that emulation will be the only way to preserve video game history and its contents that come with it. So I am 50/50 on the emulation. It is good for preservation and it is wrong for piracy from the current gaming consoles we have now. Again, that is my opinion about emulation.

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Super Mario RPG (NSP, XCI) ROM + Update + All DLCs

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Final Fantasy II: Ambitious to a Fault

This is the latest in my ongoing series on the Final Fantasy franchise I started for the website vidyathoughts.com. For now I will crosspost content here, but please consider checking out the website! This post is slightly edited to conform to picture limits on tumblr.

A trying time for sequels

Final Fantasy II was unleashed into the world on December 17, 1988. The original Final Fantasy title turned out to be a hit, with 520,000 copies shipped in Japan. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the ‘father’ of Final Fantasy that I mentioned in the last article, pushed for a large number of carts to be developed so a sequel could potentially be on the table. Luckily for him, those copies did not rot on the shelf and SquareSoft elected to move on to make a sequel to what would become their flagship franchise.

Video game sequels were tough to figure out at the time, and quite frankly they still are. How do you even follow up on a major hit? Do you stay close to the original vision or do something completely different? Nintendo had a mega hit on their hands with Super Mario Brothers and released Super Mario Brothers 2 in 1986. The game looked and played basically the same but was exponentially harder than the original release. It was so infamously mediocre that Nintendo of America elected not to release the title in North America at all – instead they altered a game called Doki Doki Panic and released it as Mario 2 for the United States. You will not find many people who will claim either version of Mario 2 as their favorite game of all time.

On the other side of the Nintendo spectrum was Zelda 2, also released in 1988. That game took the top-down Zelda formula and turned it more into a side-scrolling adventure game. There were still puzzles to solve and secrets to find but it just looked and felt like something else entirely. Zelda 1 is a fairly universally beloved game, so much so that it often tops best games of all time lists even to this day. Zelda 2? Not so much. That said, while most normal people don’t think much of Zelda 2, notable developers like the people who made Hollow Knight cite it as one of their favorite games ever and note it as an inspiration for their games. Something to keep in mind when thinking of that game’s legacy.

And who could forget Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest (1987)? It added RPG elements and was non-linear – a big departure from a game where the player generally just walks in a straight line to their destination. The clues they receive in order to progress are also quite vague and hard to figure out. As someone who has only played the game well after release, I picked it up, said “oh that’s why people hate this” and put put it back down. I also believe it has officially been labeled a shitty game that sucks ass.

The original Final Fantasy was released in 1990 in North America and found some success, so work had begun to go into Final Fantasy II – there are English prototype roms out there to prove it. However, note that release date: 1990. The Super Nintendo would release in North America in 1991. In Japan, Final Fantasy IV was set for release in that very year. So what makes more sense logically? Release Final Fantasy II in 1991 – at the earliest – on a rapidly aging system that nobody plays anymore or skip it and release Final Fantasy IV instead?

Final Fantasy II was skipped, relegating it to the same fate that Mario Lost Levels would have. Since the Internet was in its infancy, most people playing Final Fantasy II on the Super Nintendo weren’t aware that they were actually playing Final Fantasy IV. Square would not correct the Final Fantasy numbering internationally until Final Fantasy VII and by the time VII came out, respectfully, very few people cared about the three titles they were missing out on. Final Fantasy II would not receive an official release in North America until 2003. Ironically, on the Playstation 1, which was in itself a rapidly aging system that nobody played anymore. But hey. It was here!

So was it like Mario 2 in that it was skipped over for a reason in that it was kinda middling and samey? Was it like Zelda in that it was too different for most? Was it like Castlevania in that it was hard to figure out without some guidance?

All is not as it seems

On a surface level, Final Fantasy II looks very similar to the original game. In the NES version, most character sprites look like recolored versions of sprites that showed up in the original. The main character, Firion, looks just like the fighter with some extra work done. Another character, Guy, looks like the sprite edit of the Thief. It looks visually uninspired and some might even think it’s a touch up of the original release. The combat is also very similar feeling. It’s still a turn based system and it largely relies on using physical attacks or magic.

That’s on a surface level though. When actually playing the game, the player realizes that Final Fantasy II is actually a fair bit different than the original and that realization starts immediately. When the player creates their party, they are no longer making four blank slate characters with no personality traits or dialogue. Instead, they get four characters with canon names who have dialogue. The original game was definitely an adventure with story as set dressing whereas this game eyed offering more of a story to go along with that grinding.

The story isn’t going to win any awards – this was a Famicom/NES game after all – but things are more fleshed out. The player’s main party joins a resistance movement, highlighted by Princess Hilda of Fynn (currently on exile in Altair) and Prince Gordon of Kashuan, to fight against the evil Palamecian Empire that is using demons and technology in order to conquer the world. Every town the player goes to has unique NPCs with unique Empire-related problems. The character section in the last article was relatively short but in this game, it felt like every location had someone new and interesting thrown into the mix. Characters have more to say and they give the player more motivation to go from one location to the next.

Adding to this expanded story is something called the key terms system. You can learn specific terms from NPCs and then ask other NPCs about them, which can change their dialogue and give you more story or direction. This small little step makes the storytelling feel a lot more immersive than in the original game. The player’s conversations with these NPCs that spout like three lines of dialogue total feel more like actual conversations because they are answering questions for the player. It feels interactive! The player doesn’t get key items and have NPCs just psychically know that they have the item, the player has to present it to them specifically. This system would never come back but it does a really impressive job of making Final Fantasy II feel like it has some sort of grand narrative.

Having an actual cast of characters is really nice for those of us who started with later, story heavy Final Fantasy titles. Yes, you can role play as your thief in Final Fantasy I, but at the end of the day “GP or HP?” is a character that lives exclusively on your game cart or save file. When you talk to someone on the playground, they won’t know what the hell you’re talking about. With II, if you want to talk about the main character, everybody has the same one. Firion. Or maybe “Nathan” if you’re one of those weirdos who names RPG characters after your real friends.

I definitely named Aerith and Tifa after a crush or two in my day, no judgement here.

Oh! Aerith! That reminds me…on top of having more narrative, the game takes on a decisively darker tone than the original Final Fantasy. Yeah, chaos and Garland are no good assholes trying to take over the world. But do they actually kill anyone? Thinking as hard as I can, I can’t think of a single character or NPC that gets killed by the bad guys. In fact, every single death in the game can be attributed to the Warriors of Light. Murderous jerks. In 2? Well…

You thought Aerith was the first character to die in Final Fantasy history? No. If you meet anyone remotely important, there is a good chance they bite the bullet at some point. There are literal bombings on cities that take place in this game. Death is all over the place. It reminds me of when people are talking about what will happen at the end of a popular show – it always involves the question of ‘whether X character will die.’ I remember so much speculation about the potential death of Don Draper at the end of Mad Men. Death isn’t the only way to make something tragic! Still, Final Fantasy II kills off roughly a billion characters. I suppose it’s nice that the bad guys actually kill more people than the main party this time around.

The nitty gritty

For as different as this game feels from a narrative standpoint, it feels even more different when you’re actually grappling with the ‘core’ gameplay. I described the original Final Fantasy as a game designed with grinding in mind. Final Fantasy II takes this idea and supercharges it. There are no longer traditional levels. Instead, every single skill your character has needs to be leveled in some way. If your character wants to get better at evasion, you better make sure you have a shield. Got a fancy new sword? Better go out and do some random battles so your character can actually wield it properly. Have you ever played Morrowind? You know how when you start the game your character moves at like two miles per hour and if you want to get quicker you gotta, well, keep moving? This is a lot like that.

The goal of this is to create an immersive experience. If the player wants Maria to play like a white mage, simply teach her the proper skills, give her the right gear and her stats will progress in that way. If the player wants Firion to just be the warrior from FF1 simply jam on that attack button baby and they’re like halfway there.

I looked around to find if there were Western games released around this time frame that incorporated these mechanics. Leveling up every single thing is not terribly uncommon in CRPGs, for instance. But I could find nothing. So I’m not comfortable with saying that Final Fantasy II was the first video game to do something like this, but I will say it feels like Akitoshi Kawazu – the designer most people credit for Final Fantasy II being the way it is – got into a time machine and grabbed a bunch of mechanics from the 90s and tossed them into a blender for a console game released in 1988. Seriously, it feels nuts that an NES/Famicom game from the 80s would have this kind of stuff in it. I would love to ask someone like Todd Howard if they drew inspiration from Final Fantasy II of all things.

The way I approached the Pixel Remaster version of II was me just playing the game naturally. I had tried playing Final Fantasy II in the past and read about how cruel the leveling system is and just kind of fell off. The consensus best way to level stats for your characters was to wail on each other over and over again until you felt you were strong enough to continue. If you wanted to have your HP increase, you had to perpetually walk around with your HP very low. You needed to cast fire on yourself over and over and over again until it leveled up. Trying to play this way was an immediate turn off, so my suggestion to those playing FFII for the first time is to simply move forward. Don’t worry about over grinding spells and weapons until you HAVE to worry about it.

It’s still a bit of a cruel system because no matter what spell the player is casting, it needs to be worked on. For instance, this game has Esuna. In Final Fantasy X when Yuna casts Esuna, it cures all status ailments as soon as she learns it. In Final Fantasy II, when Firion learns Esuna, the only status ailments it can cure are Poison and Darkness. The player has to keep leveling it up to cure Amnesia, Toad and Stone. On top of that, you also have Basuna in this game. Esuna cures status ailments that persist after battle while Basuna cures status ailments that fade after battle. So if a character gets confused, the player needs to cast Basuna on him. Esuna does nothing. Of course, the player needs to level Basuna up to level 6 in order to cure confuse and the later FF mechanic of just smacking the shit out of a confused party member doesn’t work. So there is a need to grind both Esuna and Basuna if the player wants to effectively deal with status ailments. And you know what that entails? Casting Esuna and Basuna over and over again to no effect in battle. It gets tedious.

This game is grindy. It felt grindy even in the Pixel Remaster and as I noted in FF1, that version took a lot of the grind out of the original. My strategy when going from one dungeon to the next was to just cast spells on repeat in order to level them up. This did not cover all my skills though, at some point I had to pick and choose. So by the end of the game I was using Flare, Holy and Ultima pretty much exclusively as my damage dealing magic. The only buff skill I really bothered with was haste because it was really useful in the original but found it pretty lacking here. So my trips in dungeons consisted of me using the same spells over and over, running out of MP (the D&D-esque charge system is gone) and then attacking over and over. It felt dull and repetitive here, so I can only imagine how an NES player in 2024 would feel.

Jackassery

Speaking of dungeons, they are much more lengthy and involved here. I found that basically every one had multiple floors with lots of twists and turns. Even though I feel like my MP wasn’t lacking, I had to cut off my magic grinding less than halfway through most dungeons because I suddenly wouldn’t have the ability to heal myself. I feel like needing to grind every little aspect of your character is a poor combination with the resource management required of early Final Fantasy. This approach encourages the player to grind away from their main objective and as a result, the journey through dungeons feels unexciting because to conserve resources, they mostly running away or just jamming on the attack button. These dungeons are far lengthier than what showed up in FF1, you don’t want to run out of magic halfway through.

Also. This game is an asshole. Observe.

This exceptionally boring looking screenshot compilation is of four empty rooms. Your eyes do not deceive you, they are entirely empty. Nothing. What if I told you every single fucking dungeon is full of these empty rooms? They’re just there for seemingly no reason. If you’re like me, you try to get every single treasure chest that you can. You need those stinkin’ potions! So naturally you go from room to room trying to find all these chests and you get met over and over again with empty rooms. If there are five rooms on a floor, odds are that four of them will be empty. Sometimes more. But I’m gonna check every time because what if the fifth door has something? This actively punishes the player for exploration and encourages them to stick to the main path. If the player goes to every side room, they’re probably gonna get into more random battles, which will further drain their resources. It feels like you are being punished for trying to engage with the game.

Going back to Kawazu’s wacky time machine, I want to discuss another open world WRPG mechanic. Sometimes a game will gatekeep the player from certain areas by placing exceptionally hard enemies in their path. If someone were to run straight for New Vegas at the beginning of Fallout New Vegas, they are probably going to run into Cazadors and Deathclaws, the hardest enemies that game has to offer. It’s a subtle way of telling the player to fuck off. An unsubtle way of this is seen in basically any Pokemon game, where the roadblock can range from “some guy is thirsty” to “a bunch of people are hanging out here for some reason.”

At the beginning of Final Fantasy II, I was mashing monsters left and right. Nothing felt out of the ordinary. However, I went one pixel too far to the left and I encountered this.

I screencapped this because I was excited to see a bomb already. Hell yeah dude, a famous Final Fantasy enemy! What this screencap doesn’t show you is that these bombs self destructed for around 300 or so damage, well beyond what my characters have here. It should be noted that Bombs show up in the final dungeon too. Granted, by then they are pretty weak and easy to manage, but they are legitimately a final dungeon enemy. By going like a pixel off the main path I got destroyed. Some players find these early hard encounters useful for grinding spells since harder enemies equals better stat gains, but since I was trying to do a straight up playthrough without looking for too much guidance, this just served to annoy me. It ensured that I would basically not move a fraction off of the main path. Plus, in a game without autosaves, a random encounter that blows you out can make you lose hours of progress and it just isn’t fun.

There are also things the game doesn’t flat out tell you. Characters can wear any kind of equipment and equip any sort of weapon they want, which is good. But, unless I missed it, they don’t mention that wearing certain equipment has penalties. Heavy armors, shields and certain weapons cut your magic expertise by as much as 70%. The game doesn’t say that your mages actually need to dress like mages if they want to be successful (and if it does, I missed it), so you might just think your characters all suck ass at magic and never bother with it. And then, if you want to level up your defense or your evasion, you need those things, so if you’re aware of this mechanic you might feel the need to have grinding equipment and fighting equipment. Neat for MMOs. Extremely, extremely tedious for single player games.

Did you know that you basically go through the entire game with three characters? Now you might be looking at screenshots and notice that there are four characters in each one, but Final Fantasy II uses a rotating fourth cast member. This character changes all the time and after the first one, they kind of are all useless. Why? Because you haven’t grinded all of their abilities, stats and magic. You quickly get the impression that these characters leave you, so why would you waste time and effort making these characters as powerful as the main cast when they are just going to go away in an hour? You get a permanent fourth at the very end of the game and by then, do you really want to build this guy up so he can cast flare as well as the rest of your party can? As I said, this game is an asshole.

The trimmings

I want to briefly touch on music here. In my Final Fantasy I writeup, I wasn’t terribly kind to the music. I said the Pixel Remaster tracks felt like they came off of an assembly line. So using the magical power of 2024 technology, I modded in the original soundtrack into the Pixel Remaster and I gotta say it’s fantastic. The songs are all very catchy and they feel like they were composed with the NES’s sound chip and limitations in mind. I found myself humming tunes when not playing the game far, far more than I did with FF1’s remastered soundtrack. When playing these games, I think it is absolutely essential to put on Uematsu’s original soundtrack. It’s just fantastic. Sometimes just sticking with the original thing is the way to go and prettying it up for, well, whatever reason, is just unnecessary. I’m not a music guy so you’ll have to excuse me for the shallow analysis.

Final Fantasy II is an ambitious title. It sets out to do so much more than what Final Fantasy I accomplished. It takes the ideas of Final Fantasy I and expounds on them in many ways. I admire it for setting the series tradition of reinventing themselves for each new title. Without Final Fantasy II being a strange mess, you don’t have the weird game about a bunch of orphans with amnesia as the follow up to the game about a bunch of revolutionaries fighting against an evil corporation. I think it had a lot of interesting ideas, but ultimately feels too mean to truly recommend to anybody. I would say if you want to understand the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole, it’s important that you play and try to complete this game. The amount of things here that would go on to be staples in video games as a whole is really impressive, but if you’re looking for an actual solid game that you’re going to want to play over and over again? You should look elsewhere.

The cast

Unlike with Final Fantasy I, you have quite the collection of characters here. Just like with that game, I decided to compare character sprites between the Pixel Remaster and the original.

Firion

The main character of the game. As you will notice here, he borrows the Warrior sprite from the original Final Fantasy (NES). In the remaster, he gets altered to look more like the official artwork for the character. I was against drastic alterations to character sprites in the original Pixel Remaster, but I feel like since the original Final Fantasy II looks so similar to Final Fantasy I, changing things up is acceptable. These are actual characters now, so making Firion’s sprite just the generic fighter sprite feels unfair to him.

This is still an early JRPG, so Firion still doesn’t have a lot to his character. If I were to sum it up best, just think of generic main character dialogue and you have most of what he says. It’s nothing impressive, but it’s a start. They do have one thing with his character I really like though. There’s a scene where there is an imposter masquerading around as Princess Hilda. In this scene, she tries to seduce Firion – it gets so far that the rest of the party just leave the room because I guess they wanna let Firion get his freak on. And it even seems like it’s going to happen! This is like 30-something years before Clive and Jill laid naked on the beach in Final Fantasy XVI.

Of course, this is a fake. But it’s a neat little touch to his character. Yeah, he gets all horned up too! I just thought it was hilarious that the party, including Maria who I am pretty sure is supposed to be Firion’s love interest, are just cool with him randomly going to town on the princess during a pretty tense time in their world.

The way I used Firion here was pretty disjointed. At first I tried to make him a magic and sword wielder. I tried to make sure fire, blizzard and thunder were always fairly highly leveled but – since I wasn’t willing to take my armor off during big fights – I decided it was ultimately useless to focus so hard on that. In the end, he became a fairly dedicated warrior and when equipped with the blood sword, he made absolute short work of the final boss of the game. It was actually such an easy victory that I thought maybe I was playing something other than Final Fantasy II. I’ll take it!

Maria

I really like how close the Pixel Remaster keeps Maria’s character portrait to the original. It basically looks the same but less pale. To me, her NES sprite looks like a female warrior. I am pretty sure it’s also a reuse of an FF1 sprite since I think this is how Princess Sarah looks in the 8-bit Theater comics, but I don’t know for sure so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Her new sprite matches her hair color instead of the weird red->purple thing the NES has going on so I like that.

Maria’s actual character is…uhm…I have no idea actually. I feel like she maybe says three words for most of the game. Then you meet her brother who has been acting as the dark knight for the empire the entire game and her character becomes ‘brother of the former bad guy.’ She’s there. But this is your first canon female party member – the white mage in FF1’s gender is ambiguous – so I guess take what you can get?

So when I play games like this, I like to have my lady characters be magic users. Like everyone else in the world. So Maria was pretty much doomed to be my magic flunky throughout the game. Until I got Ultima, her main usage in combat was to be the party healer. I made sure Cure, Esuna and Basuna were all as leveled as I could make them and generally speaking I never ran into too much trouble. I think I ran into two game overs the entire way? Not bad. As a result of this, I will name her MVP of my party.

Guy

Another case where I think the Pixel Remaster does a great job of capturing what the original portrait is going for. I am curious to see how the remasters handle IV-VI considering those are SNES games. Just like with Firion, his Remaster sprite is made to look more like his official artwork which I think is a good call because his original sprite is just a recolor OC Do not steal of the Thief.

Guy’s personality is very simplistic. Apparently his official backstory is that he was raised by wolves. I don’t remember this being brought up in the game, but the first couple of times I saw him speak I thought maybe the font pack I installed with my game altered and fucked up the translation. No…he just talks like a caveman because he’s something of a wild man. Think a more useful version of Gau from Final Fantasy VI, but with none of the bad guy copying skills.

In my playthrough, Guy was an axe wielding mad man who I tried to make proficient in magic but ultimately found it not worth the effort. I didn’t keep it up as long as I did with Firion, but I did at least try to make him a viable Holy and Flare user. I failed, mind you, because with my armor all equipped he was only doing like 100 damage with level IX holy but an effort was made. Perhaps I need to get good. During the endgame, Guy took on some healing duties since I had Maria focused on casting Ultima. But I can’t say he was too great at it. Kind of a jack of all trade and a master of none. Like the red mage!

Oh and he can talk to beavers. He’s the best character in the game.

Guy indeed speak beaver.

Leon

Another warrior edit for this guy, but I kinda like that decision because it gives him and Firion a bit of a Dante and Virgil from Devil May Cry thing. Speaking of Virgil, I feel like his NES portrait looks a bit like what an NES portrait of Virgil would look like. The remaster went with black hair because I guess that’s what his character art looks like. Okay. Probably the one character where I prefer the original.

Despite being the fourth main character on the character naming screen, you don’t actually get Leon until the very end of the game. This is because Leon spends almost the entirety of the game acting as the evil Emperor’s right hand man and generally being an evil asshole. Eventually Leon turns against the emperor and joins the good guys, but it’s not like he ever gets a true character arc. I’d say he’s like a really dumbed down version of Shadow the Hedgehog. No I will not elaborate.

Since Leon is the dreaded ‘fourth’ party member that I mentioned above, he didn’t do much for me at all. I think I just had him attack blindly during the final dungeon. I did teach him flare and a couple of other odd magics but he never really needed to use them because Firion with his blood sword and Maria with ultima were just dominating everything. He got to be part of the final party that saved the world but didn’t contribute very much. What a jerk!

Minwu

I love Minwu’s NES sprite so much. It looks like a character from Mario 2 (U.S.). I think they did a good job of recapturing the feel of it for the Pixel Remaster but damn. The original rules. I also don’t know why they decided to mask him up for the Pixel Remaster when he is maskless in the original. You’re a handsome dude Minwu, no need to hide that face away!

His character trait seems to be reliability. The Joe Kido of Final Fantasy II. He is Princess Hilda’s trusted white mage advisor person and is tasked with joining the crew to go get some mythril so the resistance forces can make some cool weapons to fight the emperor. He leaves the party so he can focus on healing up the King of Fynn. He comes back at some point to help the party acquire ultima and ultimately sacrifices himself to save the group. One of many deaths. But Minwu was an exceptionally useful party member so I was sad to see him go.

He is the first ‘fourth’ party member of the game and honestly he sets unrealistic expectations for the rest of the fourth members. He comes equipped with a bunch of leveled up white magic skills. I mean, just look at this shit

I think my other characters had like 20 MP and level 2 spells max at this point. I liken him to someone like Frederick from Fire Emblem Awakening. A character you get early to make things seem easier. Fredrick becomes useless later because other characters catch up and surpass him whereas Minwu becomes useless later because he leaves the party and fucking dies.

Josef

I love Josef’s sprites. The first one just looks like an old businessman LARPing as an elf. The Pixel Remaster one gives him a gigantic forehead because he does all of his exercising at the library.

Josef is a bit cold towards the party when you first meet him but he eventually becomes a big ol softie when Firion and crew save his daughter from slavers. His main purpose in the game is to give the party a snowcraft in order to transgress an impassable snowfield in order to obtain an item called the Goddess’s bell. He joins you briefly and is probably the most useless of the ‘fourth’ party members. He doesn’t come with any magic and while he fills the monk role you’d see a lot of later – he fights with his fists you see – I don’t think he ever did very much damage. Like Minwu, he dies saving the party. His death involves saving you from a giant boulder!

Leila

Looks just like a recolor of Maria, so automatically I prefer the remaster’s sprite. I think they did a really good job of making it match with her new portrait. I don’t think I like her having purple hair instead of red hair – especially since we already have one purple haired lady in the crew – but that’s a nitpick.

Leila is a pirate and hooks the party up with a boat, which allows them access to most of the world. There are really only a couple of places that you can’t reach by boat so it’s probably the most useful boat in the franchise? I guess we’ll see. She starts off mean, remember pirate, but joins the party as another relatively useless fourth party member. Unlike Minwu and Gordon she doesn’t die, though I was concerned when she got separated from the party in the Leviathan dungeon, and ends up being a big part of the resistance against the empire. She doesn’t have much of a personality but the pirate lingo makes her stand out so I always liked when she would show up. At the end of the game she suggests Firion becomes a pirate with her, which apparently upsets Maria. Firion is a lady’s man!

Gordon

Damn, I love Gordon’s NES sprite. The white hair looks cool on him. I don’t understand why the NES portrait looks like Marth but, you know, that was the style at the time.

Gordon is the prince of Kashuan and has probably the only thing resembling a character arc in this game. He starts the game being a depressed coward because he feels like he let his brother, Scott, die. Eventually he decides to prove himself and in doing so helps the party defeat a giant airship that had been bombing all of society. The king of Fynn even acknowledges him and gives him a prominent position in the rebellion’s forces. He later agrees to partner up with Hilda, the princess of Fynn, in order to build up their kingdoms from the depths the empire has plunged them to. It’s not exactly the most compelling character arc, but it’s something! Oh and he’s another useless fourth party member. I got nothin’ on his gameplay because I legitimately don’t remember it.

In some versions of Final Fantasy II, Scott is a playable character. I generally feel like the bonus dungeons added to some Final Fantasy ports really suck and are rarely worth doing, but hey, he’s there if you want him. Since this remaster is supposed to be relatively faithful he was not a playable character here. It’s okay Scott, you were engaged to Princess Hilda before the game started, you won in some small way right?

Ricard

God damn look how cool Ricard’s NES sprite is. And he’s a good guy! This guy would have been a mega hit over here if it hadn’t released 15 years later. Since he’s kind of a dark character, I definitely agree with the decision to make him look kinda edgy in the Pixel Remaster. I don’t like his portrait as much though. Hide that mouth fella.

Ricard plays the role of the last dragoon in the world. That’s right, the extremely popular and beloved dragoon class debuts here. Want a character to be a megahit? Give them a spear and make them friendly with wyverns, odds are they will be one of the most popular characters in your game. Your party meets Ricard in Leviathan’s guts and he basically just exists to save the party from the emperor. He sacrifices himself so your party can regroup and challenge the emperor another day. Three of the five ‘fourth’ characters die. Not good odds!

In combat, Ricard had a pretty damn solid attack stat because he was putting up numbers comparable to Firion while he was in my party. He is probably the most useful fourth since Minwu, but he isn’t around long enough to make much of an impact. He also has no magic but he was hitting so hard that I didn’t mind it for once.

Princess Hilda

Princess Hilda is the second princess in the Final Fantasy universe and immediately she is a lot more memorable than Princess Sarah. Why does Sarah get used so much more in other media? It’s not fair! Her deal is that her kingdom, Fynn, has been overtaken by the empire so she is working with rebellion forces to take it back through their hideout in Altair, the game’s first town. She ends up giving the crew a lot of their tasks, starting with FIND MYTHRIL and evolving to STORM FYN AND TAKE BACK THE CASTLE. She was engaged to Gordon’s brother Scott at some point, but he died and I believe the game suggests her and Gordon are going to pair off now in order to help recover the world. Neat.

I decided not to make a separate character entry for the King of Fynn because he spends the entirety of the game either sick in a bed or dead. He’s not much of a character, so I consider Hilda the true face of the kingdom.

Cid

I like how NES Cid looks like Dan Hibiki of Street Fighter fame.

This is the official debut of the eternal Cid character. For those of you that don’t know, every Final Fantasy title has a character named Cid in it. Their importance varies from title to title. In some Final Fantasy games he is an important NPC, in some he is a playable character and in others he is an old mechanic that lets you perv on his mechanic daughter. He is typically an engineer of some sort or has a fondness for airships.

In Final Fantasy II he falls into the NPC line of Cids. His main purpose is to provide air travel to the party – at first he has an attendant that will charge you to fly to various world map locations but eventually you get his airship because he dies. A net gain, dare I say?

Paul

Paul is a thief character that is part of the resistance. He owes the party a debt because they saved him from a bunch of slavers in the game’s first dungeon, Semitt Falls. To repay this debt, Paul busts the crew out of prison, gives information about how to open up a secret passage at Fynn castle and even gives you a blood sword – well the location to it anyway – if you talk to him at the right time. The blood sword makes the end of the game a complete cakewalk so I really like Paul! The NES version of him appears to play up on his status as a thief by making him a ninja while the remaster goes more with updated renditions of his appearance. I prefer ninja Paul, he doesn’t have a bowl cut.

My favorite sprite, Ogre Mage

Just like with Final Fantasy 1, I just wanted to highlight a random enemy sprite I really like. This time it’s a very early enemy called the Ogre Mage who…yeah, I bet you can guess everything about him by his name. I really like the shadows over his eyes, it makes him look really demented. He reminds me of Sloth from Full Metal Alchemist.

Forces of the Palamecian Empire

The main badguys of the game! The connection between all of the villains is made a lot more obvious here because they are all part of the same empire, there isn’t some 2000 year relationship going on! So let me break down these four screenshots real quick.

Upper Left: Borghen. He’s a sniveling coward who betrays the kingdom of Kasuan because he sees the tides turning and wants to join the winning team. He’s portrayed as incompetent, though he does manage to kidnap Josef’s daughter Nelly at some point. The party runs into him while trying to find an item called the Goddess’s Bell and the boss fight is great because it’s one of those times where the gameplay matches what the story tells you – this guy is a joke. But upon death he triggers a boulder that kills Josef because even this joke character has to get a confirmed kill. I like to think this guy laid the ground for characters like Solt and Peppor from Chrono Cross or Zorn and Thorn from Final Fantasy IX.

Upper Right: The Dreadnought.The first portion of the game involves the rebellion trying to destroy this thing. It is a warship of immense power and is probably the most devastating weapon that the empire has available to them. You destroy it by trekking through it like a dungeon and tossing some sunfire into the engine. I found this to be one of the game’s more intimidating dungeons because I ran out of MP about halfway through, I had no ethers and I couldn’t exit to go heal up. I was very grateful there wasn’t a big boss at the end of the dang thing. I was pretty surprised when an early game cutscene shows this giant ship just flat-out bombing cities. Impressively, it even changed the look of the city. I’m not sure if this happened in the NES version or not, so if this is a Pixel Remaster exclusive…nice touch!

Lower Left: Captain.The Captain is not a major character, but I thought he would be a good choice when talking about the grunts of the empire. When the party goes to Fynn, something strange happens that doesn’t happen in any other town in this game. Random battles! This is an excellent little bit of gameplay serving the story because Fynn is overrun by the empire so it makes sense that this town is swarming with baddies. The Captain comes in as an elite unit the party has no chance of beating the first time they arrive into town. You are told to stay away from them – they aren’t random battles, they are NPCs – because you don’t want to raise alarms that the resistance is moving around. It would be wise to listen to the warnings because the Captain one shot every member of my party with ease. When you actually liberate Fynn later in the game, it feels like some nice progression being able to explore the town without fear of a Captain wrecking you.

Lower right: The Dark Knight:Final Fantasy titles love their brooding dark knights. The Dark Knight here is the right hand man of the emperor for most of the game and later tries to ascend to the throne when he believe the emperor has been killed. It turns out that this character is Leon, the party’s fourth member that they were separated from at the beginning of the game. The game never says why Leon turns to evil but I appreciate that they never excuse away his actions by saying he was brain washed or he couldn’t help it. When he joins the party, he never acts overly friendly towards them either. He’s just there because a bigger threat arrives. I think he’s probably the most interesting villain in the game just because what drives him is mostly a mystery.

The Emperor

Apparently this guy is also known as Emperor Mateus, but I never saw that in the game so I’ll stick with just calling him “The Emperor.” If you close your eyes and think of the most generic evil dude ever, well, you got him. He wants to destroy the world and will use magic and technology to achieve those goals. In your initial battle with him, he is portrayed as something of a coward because he summons a bunch of guards to help him out. He’s a bit of a pushover here. The game goes to a lot of lengths to convince you that he’s dead and that the Dark Knight is now the true main enemy. They even celebrate his death with a fun dance at the castle in Fynn!\

He’s not done though. He comes back from the dead by conquering hell or something – the specifics of it are vague but he says that he gained powers in hell and will topple your forces and presumably the world. This is when the Dark Knight decides to become Leon again and help the party save the world from the obviously bigger threat. I think the Remaster does a good job with his overworld sprite because he looks far more intimidating and boss-like upon his return.

The Emperor serves as the final boss of the game and compared to Chaos he’s a bit of a joke. If you remember with Chaos, I had went beyond the level cap of the original Final Fantasy and was still struggling to defeat him – it was an absurdly challenging battle that represented a large step up in difficulty from the rest of the game. The Emperor on the other hand is stupidly easy, as long as you have the blood sword. Firion was causing like 7,000 damage per hit with his sword and Maria was causing over a thousand with Ultima. Maria also still had normal armor equipped so if I had died, I would have stripped her down and assumedly hit far harder. He’s probably a fair deal more difficult without the blood sword, but if the game is going to give me an easy way to deal with the final boss, why wouldn’t I do that?

It started here

Here is a look at some franchise staples that got their start with this game.

Cid, the word Highwind (Ricard’s last name), main character deaths, Final Fantasy ‘sequels’ having nothing to do with the previous entry

These are touched on above so I won’t go into much more detail about them. The Cid thing is fun because everybody knows about Cid and everyone has a favorite Cid. Me? I’m a basic bitch and my favorite Cid is Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII. The word Highwind also goes on to become a bit of a Final Fantasy staple. Fun fact, in the very first Kingdom Hearts game you have to run a race against Riku, the rival of the main character Sora, and the reward for winning is the ability to name your ship. In my first playthrough, I of course entered the name Highwind and was pleasantly surprised to see that Riku had also chosen that as the name for the ship. It felt extra good considering I don’t think I have ever won that race despite playing Kingdom Hearts 85,000,000 times in my life, so I never actually got to name the ship myself, but it still got the name I wanted. Why does Sora act so distressed over it? You got the name you wanted buddy!

The sequel thing is definitely the most important part here and is a key element of the franchise. I think III regresses things a little bit and is a bit more like the first game, but generally each new Final Fantasy reinvents itself in some way and feels a lot different than what came before it.

Chocobos

That’s right, we got our first mascot! The Chocobo Forest is south of Kashuan and is pretty well hidden, to the point that it almost feels like an easter egg for players familiar with the franchise. But no, it was always there and Final Fantasy II is just a mean game that doesn’t want to give you easy access to a ‘skip battle’ mechanic.

The chocobo functions much like it does in later games. You find one and ride it around the world map. You can’t enter towns with it, but while you are riding you move quicker and random encounters are disabled. In the console version of the remaster and modded PC versions you can just turn off random encounters if you want to, so the chocobo being here is even more of a ‘fun little easter egg’ for those players.

Sadly no chocobo inbreeding until Final Fantasy VII.

Unwinnable battles

A fine JRPG tradition like no other. Occasionally you will have fights that you can’t win no matter what you do and just exist to progress the story. The one I remember most vividly in my head is Beatrix from Final Fantasy IX. This game starts out with an unwinnable battle that separates Leon from your crew and gets your characters to join the resistance. I like these in the sense that it really helps show your party’s progression when you fight unbeatable enemies again and come out on top.

Familiar monsters

I feel like it’s a good thing to point out the first appearance of iconic enemies in the franchise. Here’s a little mashup of some familiar faces. The one that may not be as immediately obvious is the iron giant in the top right. He looks far more sinister than later incarnations of that baddie, I actually prefer this aesthetic. I think I like the NES version of the (King) Behemoth because it looks like it has a giant fin on its back. Ya gonna go swimming or something buddy?

MP (Magic Points)

Mentioned exceptionally briefly above, but Final Fantasy I used magic charges while this game introduces the MP system to the Final Fantasy franchise. Most games in the franchise use it from here on out, with the most prominent exceptions leaping to mind being Final Fantasy VIII (which replaces it with the junction system) and Final Fantasy XVI (which is an action game and has different mechanics all together). I think the charge system worked great for what Final Fantasy I was going for, but MP suits the franchise better as a whole.

Ultimate weapons for real this time, I swear

The Excalibur comes back! Again! But this time it’s overshadowed by the blood sword, which I am far more comfortable in calling an ultimate weapon than the Masamune or Excalibur from the original. The blood sword doesn’t work against every enemy in the game, its actual stats are lower than several other weapons, but it does work against every big enemy in the final dungeon which I think goes a long way into cementing its status as an ultimate weapon. There are several hard enemies that pop out in chests in the final dungeon and the blood sword makes short work of them and I’ve already mentioned how the final boss gets obliterated by it.

Dual wielding weapons

What would later go on to become the calling card of the ninja job, dual wielding starts here. Every character can dual wield every type of weapon, except those that require two hands to wield (bows). You can also dual wield shields if you want to. This is handy for grinding up weapon levels since you can do two types if you so choose to. For me, in more cinematic titles, when a character reveals they dual wield they instantly become way cooler. To mention Kingdom Hearts again, one of the things I remember the most about the original’s secret ending is when the mysterious cloaked figure (who would go on to become Roxas) pulled out his second keyblade. At that very moment I became obsessed with what the next Kingdom Hearts game would look like. I would like to think I have Final Fantasy II to thank in some small way for that.

In conclusion

Final Fantasy II is an ambitious but flawed game that can feel like it’s actively punishing the player for trying to get the most out of it. It feels like a game created with knowledge of future mechanics but without the knowledge of what makes them work or fun to engage with. I admire the heck out of it and cannot bring myself to hate it, I legitimately don’t understand people who plop it on ‘worst game ever made’ lists because it absolutely doesn’t belong there.

Just like with the original Final Fantasy, it’s a good idea to at least try the NES version before jumping into the Pixel Remaster. It’s nice to gain some perspective on what it originally looked and felt like. Unlike with the original Final Fantasy, I feel like you don’t lose out on a whole lot by sticking with this version of the game. Even with some quality of life and balance tweaking, the Pixel Remaster still feels like an ancient grindy NES game.

For most players, you only need to play a little bit. There is no need to beat the whole thing just to claim you’ve beaten every Final Fantasy. It’s worth sticking through to see all the innovation as it can help you appreciate what the title is going for, but don’t feel bad if you get annoyed and bounce off of it.

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