FINAL FANTASY II 9+

Wish there was controller support. However, all things considered, I think this is excellent. I like the soundtrack better than the PSP-port which was not bad in of itself. I am happier that the difficulty and in-game pricing is more like the original, making it challenging. The whole “select-cancel trick” does not work & there is no leveling down as far as I can tell. However, I will take it. Thanks Square-Enquix!

Also, do not listen to the haters! IDK what some are talking about, saying that the iPhone & iPad apps are separate purchases because they are not as you can see from the screenshots. Plus, while there is no controller support (yet?), the touch control is not bad ➕there is an option to click where you want to go with your finger or using of an assistive device (such as an iPad trackpad).

I’m a die-hard FF fan. I’ve played every core game when it was released and have spent countless dollars on ports and sequels. I do like that this port has new graphics and music, but that’s really all it’s got going for it. Also, no controller support is pretty odd for a game like this.

So why does my subject say “Nightmare to play”? Because you get attacked every other step without a breath — I had no problems getting 100% bestiary going straight from start to finish with a couple detours here and there. I don’t think this was intended. Also, enemy status effects apply to you 100% of the time, and equipment that previously prevented status effects only work some of the time. The danged Coeurls at the end of the game 100% KO your characters without any reduction from things like Protect Rings. If you get ambushed (which also happens far more than it should) by a group of 6 Coeurls, you’re looking at an automatic Game Over. And this happens a lot. Good thing they added Quick Save because you have to do it after every other fight just to make sure you don’t get wiped out by RNG (same goes for monsters that paralyze — ambush is a Game Over almost every time). With the increased battle encounter chances and messed up chances of effects, it almost seems like there’s some global chance modifier that is applied to everything that is set too high.

Anyway. I’d wait for patches unless you like playing frustrated.

I am definitely a Final Fantasy 2 fan, and have played all versions of the game.

Far and away PIXEL REMASTER is the best version. This is truer to the original NES with menu images, character sprites, and none of the GBA content.

Pros:
- Game re-balanced for a newer gen. Gaining stats is a breeze, even more so than the former mobile/Game Boy versions.

- Tap to move option and dungeon maps are a game changer for tedious NES-designed dungeons. Less frustrating trial and error!

- The uber-high encounter rate in dungeon “trap rooms” has been removed

- Auto battle with a speed up built in that makes grinding nice and easy (the encounter rate is still high though)

- GORGEOUS pixel graphics and remastered soundtrack. It’s fantastic!

Cons:
- Encounter rate is still high, but auto battle makes this far more manageable

- The GBA Soul of Rebirth bonus chapter is not included. Even though it is not original, it would be nice if included (or added in a later update)

- Some reworked tracks I found less inspired than the already redone GBA versions, specifically the main/over world theme and The Rebel Army (I liked the acoustic guitar/medieval version from the GBA). But that’s personal preference.

If you ever wanted to play Final Fantasy II, you can’t get better than this version!