After the surprise success of the first Final Fantasy in 1987, Hironobu Sakaguchi and his team immediately set out to work on a sequel which would be completely disconnected from the original. But what informed the creative direction of Final Fantasy II? What games were making waves in Japan in 1988? And how much of Final Fantasy II's overall design was influenced by Akitoshi Kawazu?
In this installment of the Final Fantasy retrospective, we'll be exploring the development of Final Fantasy II, including its earliest design documents and story plans, how and why the narrative direction was changed, and the need to move development to Sacramento, California in the latter months. We'll also be discussing at length the game's obtuse progression system, fans' distaste for it, the reputation it has cultivated for the game, and how later versions have changed it for the better.
Twitter: / lorddrubie
Patreon: / andrewbluett
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
03:51 - Part I - Back From the Brink
08:03 - Part II - Everything Changes
15:38 - Part III - Final Fantasy II
17:44 - Presentation
20:27 - Structure Analysis
25:44 - Combat & Progression: Nurture Over Nature
42:34 - Difficulty Factors
51:45 - War, Death, Hope, & Betrayal
1:04:22 - Characters
1:16:27 - Climax
1:21:35 - Personal Thoughts
1:24:03 - Part IV - 33 Years of Refinement
1:38:46 - Part V - Reception & Legacy
1:45:25 - Epilogue & To Be Continued...
Sources:
1. Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. Directed by Kevin Burns and Edith Becker. Prometheus Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd., 2004.
2. Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 1, pg 80-84 Dark Horse, 2018.
3. Parkin, Simon. “The Never-ending Story.” Edge Magazine, Jan 2018.
4. biturl.top/y2Ezmm
5. Famitsu 46
6. biturl.top/je6rAz
7. biturl.top/aeIzAn
8. Keiser, Gregg (June 1988). "One Million Sold in One Day". Compute!. p. 7.
9. "Console Yourself." New Computer Express. No. 43 (2 September 1989). 31 August 1989. p. 8.
10. Famitsu 45
11. Famitsu 47
12. Famitsu 48
13. Famitsu 49
14. Famitsu 50
15. Famitsu 51
16. Fujii, Daiji (2005-06-10). "The Birth of "Final Fantasy": Square Corporation". 岡山大学経済学会雑誌 (Okayama Economic Review). Okayama University.
17. "総合TOP50" [Total Top 50]. ファミコン通信 〜 '89全ソフトカタログ [Famicom Tsūshin: '89 All Software Catalog]. Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). 15 September 1989. p. 78.
18. biturl.top/QJfUvu
19. Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (Manga)
20. Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel
21. Dragon Quest: The Legend of Dai (Anime)
22. biturl.top/eq6VVn
23. Dragon Quest III
24. Kohler, Chris. Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life. Brady Games, 2005. Republished by Dover, 2016. p. 94.
25. Star Wars
26. The Empire Strikes Back
27. Return of the Jedi
28. biturl.top/eYrQja
29. Zelda 2
30. Super Mario Bros 2 (US)
31. Mielke, James. “A Day in the Life of Hironobu Sakaguchi.” Electronic Gaming Monthly, p. 29. September 2008.
32. biturl.top/mAjeeq
33. biturl.top/aYVJni
34. Gorges, Florent. Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography - Beyond the Fantasy. Translated by Studio Cutie. Dark Horse, 2018.
35. Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 1, pg 49 Dark Horse, 2018.
36. Silviu Lupaşcu. "In the Ninth Heaven - the Gnostic Background of the Romanian Folklore tradition of the “Heaven’s Custom Houses”". Danubius 1:309-325.
37. biturl.top/ueUrY3
38. biturl.top/AbmMny
39. Milton, John. Paradise Lost.
40. Terada, Kenji. Final Fantasy II Muma no Meikyu. Kadokawa Shoten, April 1989.
41. biturl.top/nqeYju
42. biturl.top/jyIju2
43. Famitsu 42
44. Famitsu 67
45. Famitsu 73
46. "Final Fantasy III". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis (63): 172. October 1994.
47. biturl.top/jyM3eu
48. biturl.top/Ujmuai
49. Famitsu 39
50. “Software Impressions: Final Fantasy II” Famitsu 65, pg 21
51. "Best Scenario Award: Final Fantasy II", Famicom Tsūshin, no. All Soft Catalog '89, 1989
52. biturl.top/e67BFf
53. biturl.top/UnENBb
54. biturl.top/JNZ7Vj
55. biturl.top/2qqam2
56. biturl.top/zmAja2
57. “Titles of game software with worldwide shipments exceeding 1 million copies" (PDF). Square Enix. February 9, 2004. p. 27. biturl.top/rEZZRv
58. "FY2007 First-Half Period Results Briefing Session" (PDF). Square-Enix.com. November 19, 2007. biturl.top/YFF3ei
59. biturl.top/fq2y6n
60. biturl.top/YRRNzi
61. biturl.top/z6b6Vr
62. biturl.top/NFrQrq
63. biturl.top/7vQfai
64. biturl.top/y63EBj
65. biturl.top/EZNRru
66. biturl.top/IBBvAb
67. biturl.top/r67zQn
68. biturl.top/r6Fzaa
69. biturl.top/7VnyUf