Play Final Fantasy II Online

Summary

The WonderSwan Color edition of Final Fantasy II (often called FF2) feels like a love‑letter to the 16‑bit era. Square completely redrew the graphics, giving us larger character sprites and full‑screen battle backdrops that look right at home alongside the classic PlayStation titles. Tsuyoshi Sekito took Nobuo Uematsu’s original score and gave it a fresh remix, so the familiar Chocobo theme suddenly sounds richer on the handheld’s color screen.

Bandai’s partnership with Square meant the port arrived on May 3 2001 as part of a special themed WonderSwan bundle, and Kan Navi handled the technical conversion. Famitsu gave the handheld version a respectable 30 / 40, noting the dialogue‑memory system was a bit clunky but praised the deeper, more involved story that even touches on romance and loss. The updated visuals and remixed music made the game feel like a bridge between the original Famicom release and the later international versions.

What really sticks with me is how this version cemented series staples like the Chocobo and the ever‑present Cid for a new generation of players. Even though the core gameplay—overworld exploration, usage‑based stat growth, and turn‑based battles—remains unchanged, the WonderSwan Color’s polish gives FF2 a fresh, nostalgic charm that still holds up today.

Storyline

Final Fantasy II takes place in a fantasy world where the expansionist Palamecian Empire has already conquered the kingdom of Kashuan and the dragoon homeland of Deist, while the kingdom of Fynn struggles to survive. The story follows Firion, his childhood friend Maria, the wolf‑raised Guy, and Maria’s brother Leon as they become embroiled in a rebellion led by Princess Hilda.

After a Black Knight ambush leaves the four heroes for dead, Hilda rescues Firion, Maria, and Guy in the rebel base at Altair but refuses to enlist them because they are too young. The trio travels to Fynn to find Leon, discovers the dying Prince Scott of Kashuan—Hilda’s fiancé—who reveals that former noble Borghen betrayed the cause and now serves as an Imperial general. They return to Altair, earn Hilda’s permission to join the rebellion, and are sent north to retrieve mythril.

In the occupied village of Salamand the party frees villagers forced to work in the mines, defeats Borghen, and secures the mythril needed for powerful weapons.

Their next task is to stop the Imperial airship Dreadnought. After obtaining the Sunfire, they blow up the Dreadnought’s engine, rescue Hilda, and confront a dark knight that Maria recognizes as Leon.

Later, the heroes seek the last surviving dragoon of Deist, uncover a lamia impostor posing as Hilda, and finally reclaim Fynn. A cyclone summoned by the Emperor leads them to a wyvern‑ridden assault on his castle, where they defeat the Emperor and, after a brief betrayal by Leon, seal him away for good.