Final Fantasy II (Dawn of Souls) with Mod of Balance 2.2 (GBA, 2004)
Graphics-8 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-6 Story-6
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-6.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-6.5
+
Improved writing and characterization over FF1
Nice intro (in media res though more briefly so than for example in FF7)
Minor dialogue interactivity - ask major NPCs about key words or items you've picked up to gain more quest info
Basic tutorial from the get go (not interactive though; just plain text to memorize and they don't go into depth about stat growth)
New spells (Shell, Esuna, Wall, Change/Swap, Berserk, Ultima, Clouder/Aero, Toad etc.) and gear
Better equipment customization (unhanded, two weapons, double handed, sword and shield, even two shields, gear effects on stats - leads to some tactical depth)
New character building system (upgrade stats and skills by using them or in case of stats performing actions related to the sooner, poorly balanced though it's partly fixed by the mod)
Character portraits during dialogue (Amano style)
Basic battle formations (front or back row, only the two rows of enemies closest to the player's party can be damaged with physical melee attacks)
Both the setting and story are a bit more fleshed out than in the NES game (somewhat more complex and humanized villain(s), introduced various things associated with the series (chocobos, Cid, black mage village))
more detailed (but not more interactive) indoor environments, spells (tomes) can be kept in the inventory and can be sold (however you can't sell a memorized spell), resurrection at church no longer costs anything (revival via spells is cheap anyway), town dialogue updates more frequently after key events, more expressive character sprites, fixes the 'canceled command' bug, some new dungeon mechanics (non-random encounters in Fynn and on the Dreadnought), fake walls), areas off the suggested path are often shielded by stronger enemies rather than impassable terrain (so you can explore a bit more of the world sooner in the story than in FF1 (or right away by grinding), a few spots can help your economy and stat growth), change equipment during battle (weapon/shield only), fighting stronger monsters gives a higher chance for stat growth, spells cast by one character on another are now transferred to the next party member (top to bottom?) if the initial target dies before the spell is cast, status ailments don't prevent stat growth in this version (except for Petrified or KO status), casting magic no longer makes you lose power/strength (white) or vitality/stamina (black), some decent humour, run button, dock the ship anywhere that's not a cliff, leviathan (a dungeon inside a sea monster where a group of people have lived for ten years), some gear can be used as items during battle to cast spells, world change at a certain point (caused by the cyclone - new monsters spawn and most towns are destroyed), some memorable characters (Leila, Cid, Minwu, Paul, Ricard – some of them are more fleshed out in the bonus dungeon), hidden mini-game (simple memory puzzle with some decent prizes, different if Toad is at level 16), great cutscenes marking major story events, unlockables (bestiary, bizarre and challenging bonus dungeon (storyline involves the afterlife and is parallel to the main game)), somewhat cheaper items overall compared to the NES version, much improved battle backgrounds and spell effects, a few stat increasing items (temporary except for the crystals in the Mysidian tower), elemental and weapon immunities and weaknesses on enemies (mostly minor effects?), super fast overworld travel by ship/airship, longer quest than in FF1, teleport (out of dungeons) is acquired sooner, single- and multi-targeting for every spell (multi-targeting makes the spell a bit weaker)
+/-
Set character personalities/sex (and to an extent class though it's only defined by initial stats and not skill limitations)
All characters can learn both white and black magic (spell inventory is limited to 16 per character though)
Undead are now damaged by curative spells/items and using a drain type attack on them damages the caster
Enemies can now escape on their own in battle
More advanced items are available from the get go (at a high price of course)
Inn resting prices depend on the amount of HP needed to reach full health
Both enemies and allies miss a lot more often early on
Unintuitive stat functions (increase HP and Stamina by taking damage (feels unintuitive but isn't that much of a hassle in practice, you also regularly gain some HP outside of this system in the GBA version), need higher evade % to gain agility faster (meaning you should stick to light armor and a weapon & shield combo to build agility which then boosts evade %, some equipment boosts agility), evade level is not raised by dodging attacks (just by being physically attacked - less intuitive but also less tedious), accuracy % is based on the Strength stat as well as the equipped weapon's accuracy % (unarmed=80%))
Attacking and casting spells on yourself still counts towards stat increases (makes it possible to quickly become overpowered but can also be useful for leveling more situational skills more smoothly while continuing the main quest)
Has a more serious tone than the first game (kills off two playable characters (one of which you didn't really get to know or develop the stats for but still!))
Several characters will enter and exit the party at will (but unlike in for example FF4 the initial three characters stay permanently), status ailments divided into two groups each with their own cure (temporary (Basuna) and permanent (Esuna); time consuming to have to level an extra spell and to check which one fixes what), some stackable spell buffs (Protect, Blink etc.), some overpowered stuff (Berserk, Osmose, Swap, Blood Sword), no encounters in rivers this time around, new gear doesn't show on the character sprites except for weapons and shields, no stat growth from casting white magic outside of battle (makes healing items more useful), a character can only gain 1 Spell Level and 1 Weapon Level (per spell/weapon type) per battle (except when dual wielding two weapons of the same type), automated escape sequence in the Dreadnought/warship, can't attack allies when in the back row, can't use sap on allies, separate shops for weapons and armor (three different item vendors in each item shop as well - they could've just implemented bigger inventories), can't buy one use items with a spell effect (could've been a decent alternative to leveling for some spells apart from weapons with a special attack which are spread out over the course of the game and sometimes hidden), the weapon switching mechanic during battle could've been made more efficient (like in the NES version but two slots at a time with different pre-sets that the player could create and switch between), less open ended structure than in FF1, the game is easier overall (based on the Origins (PS1) version) and there's no 'original difficulty' mode, still can't run in the overworld, can't rest in-doors (except for at inns), a couple of new references to later games (Kain in FF4), save anywhere outside of battle (three slots, removes a lot of tension from the game), several fetch quests, unlimited inventory space, has a mostly colorful and cutesy look to it (the original was a bit darker and more barren), tile-based movement (stiff around walls), can't spread out multiple hit attacks among different enemies (means you need to think about how to attack efficiently but also hinders some tactical flexibility), pretty straightforward story with mostly shallow characters and scenarios, can't cast stat boosting spells outside of battle (could've been time limited - see D&D games, initial buffing procedure during battle gets a bit tedious), different use for haste/slow compared to later games (affects no. of attacks), the different elemental protection spells in FF1 are now covered by the Barrier spell (need to level it up several times though), static difficulty (grinding makes the game easier), grinding required to buy new gear and spells as you encounter them (the world structure with its gating through tougher monsters helps here and there's a spot near the beginning where you can get drops worth 10k gil), several spells can’t be bought in shops
-
Still very frequent random encounters which can’t be avoided
New character building system leads to more grinding than the standard one (and in a more specific and tedious way for some stats, similar to drawing in FF8 - different weapons and spells could've been grouped together to speed things up like in the Secret of Evermore balance patch, there could also have been a system in place which checks a character's current spell level average with a school of magic (black or white) and sets a newly learned spell to a % of that average (perhaps also affected by the spirit/intelligence stat) instead of starting it at level 1)
Regaining HP lost during a battle makes the game not register the loss so no stat growth happens (the chance for HP growth increases based on the difference between the character's HP when entering the battle and when exiting it (dying and being revived doesn't disrupt growth), losing over half of current max HP/MP gives the highest chance of growth - none of this is explained by the game and taking risks by going as low as possible isn’t rewarded)
Many dead ends and empty rooms
Plot oddities (the enemy soldiers in Fynn don't attack unless talked to (a stealth segment would've made more sense) and killing one doesn't remove the sprite in the top down view (happens again in the Dreadnought), the person giving you a hint about the rebel spy in Bafsk is standing right next to the bad guys while talking, unconvincing damage to the towns ravaged by the Dreadnought (same calm music, all shops are intact as well as the rebel 'hideout'), can't learn Egil's Torch as a term when Minwu mentions it, Josef knows about the Goddess Bell but not about Sunfire?, lazy plot devices (Hilda's kidnapping, somehow the dark knight doesn't recognize the party during the Dreadnought quest, can't beat the emperor's soldiers when you've just beaten a Behemoth, somehow the door to Hilda's cell opens while your own required lockpicking), obvious foreshadowing to Hilda's doppelganger reveal, NPCs tend to forget about keywords when they're no longer relevant to furthering the plot (dialogue would've been smoother if non-relevant terms were grayed out as the game went on), the plot spoils events ahead of itself if you enter Mysidia too early, no audience during the coliseum fight, how'd Leila survive Leviathan?, somehow everyone forgot about Leon after the cyclone battles, the fact that there's a wyvern kind of lessens the effect of getting the airship from Cid (along with there not being much left to explore in the world), Leon’s redemption before the finale feels rushed)
No defend or wait commands (introduced in the PSP version)
Can't change character order without killing off characters (only for cosmetic purposes but it could be done in FF1 DoS - and why not let us since the sprites are already implemented?)
Need an item to use the world map here (unlike in FF1 DoS but you do get it early; the map is also uglier in this game)
Can't keep using lower level versions of a spell once you've leveled it up (annoying since higher level spells cost more MP and can be overkill for the situation)
Still can't skip/speed up the resting and resurrection animations (some later spell animations are also pretty slow)
Somewhat annoying confirm sound during battle, slower transitions in some situations compared to FF1 DoS (into shops and the world map view, out of battle), interface problems (can't check a piece of equipment's stats in a shop (worse stat info than in FF1 where you needed to first afford the item to get the info; here you need to buy the item), not much point in having to manually choose to learn key words - just an extra step in the process, still can't use l/r to browse through your spells during battle, can't see a skill stat’s (spell/weapon/shield/evade/m. def) experience level in battle (means you'll likely 'waste' a few casts trying to level a spell up seeing as there's a limit of 1 level gain per spell in any one battle), gear effect on evade and magic defense isn’t shown directly in the equipment menu, somewhat vague stat growth info at the end of battles (doesn't show numbers for stat increases so you have to keep checking them in-between battles if you want to keep track, doesn't show anything about evade/m. def/accuracy levels progressing), whether a spell is black or white is only shown in the manual (tedious since they're tied to different stats), can't check a piece of equipment's stats/description on the equipment screen without unequipping it, commands can't be stored until the next battle (see PSIV; memory feature only saves the last turn's input), sometimes no indicator of an enemy or ally being affected by a status (haste/slow, also takes some practice to differentiate between some of the buffs on allies since they just make them glow in different colors), still no dungeon maps, limited store inventories (need to memorize where some items are sold), bestiary doesn't show spell/weapon type affinities), unintuitive town exits (easy to exit by accident in some towns), some NPCs still say the exact same thing, staves are pretty useless beyond the special ones that you can use as items in battle, no explanation when encountering an area on the overworld that can't be entered until a certain condition is met (such as Fynn castle or the Coliseum), no churches in Poft or Paloom, can't directly change formation during battle (the back row moves to the front if the front row is wiped out), some backtracking from remote destinations (can't make Cid wait outside an area, only one Chocobo forest and you can’t make chocobos wait for you either), some slowdown (Dreadnought, Bafsk), can't escape from most undead enemies unless they're mixed with living enemies (and there are many of them; also can't escape from several other enemies despite being overpowered), this version doesn't use the more fleshed out intro escape sequence of the PS1 version, can't repurchase a sold item unless the store you're at already has it in stock, some redundant loot and spells (fear, mini/toad/break/death/warp/teleport all have the same effect on monsters (and only Toad and Break remain effective in the end) as do silence/fog and stop/stun - not on your party though), later spells start out too weak (status spells often miss until leveled up a few times and Esuna/Basuna need to be leveled to even have a chance to cure later ailments - see previous suggestions on how to balance this), trial & error (beginning of bonus dungeon, the stat boosts at the top of the Mysidian tower are handed out randomly?, no Scan spell, shields providing elemental resistance are spread out over the course of the game, Toaded character can't heal themselves using the Maiden's Kiss item, leviathan, empty rooms where you'll often face a random encounter, booby trapped chests, characters leaving the party without warning, no clues for most of the fake walls in dungeons, advanced mechanics, only one Blood Sword in this version and it's missable), somewhat less varied dungeons overall compared to FF1 (re-uses the same mechanics in some of them), the Firion clone encounter could've been more interesting (it's basically just a lock and key situation similar to the giant in the previous game), you have no say in who the fourth member should be even when there's seemingly no reason for it plot-wise, easy final dungeon and boss, curative items/spells about to be used after all enemies are dead in a battle are skipped, trial & error element to the battle order unless characters’ Agility/Evade stats differ a lot (the game doesn’t show how the turn will play out beforehand – see FF10), need to check the manual for some info (stats), still can't teleport between visited towns, mostly poor sprite animation during battle, no journal or notebook feature (for writing down/saving collected info from NPCs for later), palette swapped enemies, re-used enemies in different areas makes each area feel less distinct,
Notes:
Hidden vendor - In the jade passage (east of Mysidia), there is a Magic seller behind the lowest level of the waterfall.
Enter the waterfall by hugging the wall from the right of left, then when you stop, press the talk button.
Fast Gil - Be at ~400 HP on average, then head a northwest of Fynn (just beyond the forest).
Around here lurk Magicians (and blue ogres), who drop spell books that you can sell (Haste=10k!).
Stat Growth (some guides are incorrect or incomplete):
Accuracy Level - Attacking with a weapon (% is determined by Strength and equipment)
Agility - Having a higher Evade % (and by being the target of physical attacks according to some guides)
Evasion Level - Being the target of physical attacks (it builds up like weapon/spell experience), % is determined by Agility and equipment)
(NES only?: Physically attacking your own party members does not count for the purposes of evasion progress, so there is no exploit to level this skill. http://guides.gamercorner.net/ffii/systems/)
HP - Losing HP during battle (the game checks current HP when entering and exiting a battle and compares it to current max HP; you don't increase your chance of growth by losing a little bit of HP over several battles), you also regularly gain HP outside of this system in the GBA version)
Intelligence - Casting Black Magic
Magic - Losing MP during battle
Magic Defense - Being the target of spells and special attacks (% is affected by equipment)
(NES Only?: Like evasion, there is no exploit for this skill, and the game does not display your progress anywhere.)
MP - Losing MP during battle
Spirit - Casting White Magic
Stamina - Losing HP during battle
Strength - Attacking
Bugs:
-One can easily level up a weapon by tricking the game that a shield is the weapon you want to level up - Equip two shields and attack over and over, then switch one of them for the intended weapon (via the item menu) before finishing the battle
-Using 'target all' on a single enemy causes some extra damage thanks to a flawed damage formula
Mod of Balance 2.0:
* Weapons and magic leveling are hopefully balanced now. Magic is easier
to level, weapons take a fair bit longer.
* Practicing a weapon or spell always increases a character's skill, even
if the monster attacked is significantly weaker than the character.
* Fixed a display bug concerning the number of hits connected when a character
is using a shield. If a character used a weapon in their primary hand, and a shield
in their secondary hand, they struck with the shield, and if they hit did no damage.
This has been corrected, however the bug still is in effect if the character uses a
weapon in their secondary hand, and a shield in their primary hand.
* Monsters take double damage if vulnerable to a spell's element. This is
reduced from x4 damage. Don't worry, this is still *plenty* of damage.
* If an elemental weapon strikes a vulnerable monster, its Attack rating is
increased by 25 (increased from 20).
* If a weapon which has an affinity for damaging a specific family of monster
hits that kind of monster, its Attack rating is increased by 25 (increased
from 20).
* Strength increases more often. The chance was (number of "fight"
selections / 45), and it is now (number of "fight" selections / 32).
* Agility increases are more regulated- more likely early in the game and less
likely later on. Before, a random number was rolled between 0 and 255, and if
that was lower than a fourth of the character's Evasion, Agility increased.
Now, the random number rolled is now between 0 and 250, and the Evasion is a
little less important in determining increase. Base chance to increase Agility
is 2.0%, and maximum chance is 6.8%.
* Intellect increases more often. The chance was (number of black magic
castings / 25), and it is now (number of black magic castings / 16).
* Spirit increases LESS often. The chance was (number of white magic castings / 15),
and it is now (number of white magic castings / 20).
* MP increases more often. The chance should be about 25% more likely than it was
before.
* When a character gains HP, the increase is halved. The increase is (STA / 2).
* Magic evasion gains take a bit longer. The threshold to gain Magic evasion
was 99, and it is now 159.
* Characters start with different stats.
* NPCs also begin with different stats, and should be more balanced with the
party when you meet them. Leon and Gordon also join the party already equipped
with spells.
* Weapons, armor, and spells have been rebalanced. Enemy direct damage spells will
be a bit more dangerous and require more planning to thwart.
* Monster stats have been modified slightly to moderately. Expect that the final
bosses will not go down with a couple of well-placed elemental spells.
2.2:
*The times that spells become available should be more balanced. In particular,
Berserk, Toad, and Blink are available later, and Slow, Sleep, and Haste are
available more soon.
* The extremely rare spells Break, Stop, and Confuse are not as rare anymore.
* A few spell shops have been tweaked. Most notably, Blink and Fog are no longer
for sale. Sleep and Slow are now purchasable, Haste is available in shops, and
very late in the game you may purchase Osmose (Jade passage). Sleep and Slow sell for much
less than they used to be, to compensate for this.
* Sap is now more powerful than Osmose. As it should be...
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-6.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-6.5
+
Improved writing and characterization over FF1
Nice intro (in media res though more briefly so than for example in FF7)
Minor dialogue interactivity - ask major NPCs about key words or items you've picked up to gain more quest info
Basic tutorial from the get go (not interactive though; just plain text to memorize and they don't go into depth about stat growth)
New spells (Shell, Esuna, Wall, Change/Swap, Berserk, Ultima, Clouder/Aero, Toad etc.) and gear
Better equipment customization (unhanded, two weapons, double handed, sword and shield, even two shields, gear effects on stats - leads to some tactical depth)
New character building system (upgrade stats and skills by using them or in case of stats performing actions related to the sooner, poorly balanced though it's partly fixed by the mod)
Character portraits during dialogue (Amano style)
Basic battle formations (front or back row, only the two rows of enemies closest to the player's party can be damaged with physical melee attacks)
Both the setting and story are a bit more fleshed out than in the NES game (somewhat more complex and humanized villain(s), introduced various things associated with the series (chocobos, Cid, black mage village))
more detailed (but not more interactive) indoor environments, spells (tomes) can be kept in the inventory and can be sold (however you can't sell a memorized spell), resurrection at church no longer costs anything (revival via spells is cheap anyway), town dialogue updates more frequently after key events, more expressive character sprites, fixes the 'canceled command' bug, some new dungeon mechanics (non-random encounters in Fynn and on the Dreadnought), fake walls), areas off the suggested path are often shielded by stronger enemies rather than impassable terrain (so you can explore a bit more of the world sooner in the story than in FF1 (or right away by grinding), a few spots can help your economy and stat growth), change equipment during battle (weapon/shield only), fighting stronger monsters gives a higher chance for stat growth, spells cast by one character on another are now transferred to the next party member (top to bottom?) if the initial target dies before the spell is cast, status ailments don't prevent stat growth in this version (except for Petrified or KO status), casting magic no longer makes you lose power/strength (white) or vitality/stamina (black), some decent humour, run button, dock the ship anywhere that's not a cliff, leviathan (a dungeon inside a sea monster where a group of people have lived for ten years), some gear can be used as items during battle to cast spells, world change at a certain point (caused by the cyclone - new monsters spawn and most towns are destroyed), some memorable characters (Leila, Cid, Minwu, Paul, Ricard – some of them are more fleshed out in the bonus dungeon), hidden mini-game (simple memory puzzle with some decent prizes, different if Toad is at level 16), great cutscenes marking major story events, unlockables (bestiary, bizarre and challenging bonus dungeon (storyline involves the afterlife and is parallel to the main game)), somewhat cheaper items overall compared to the NES version, much improved battle backgrounds and spell effects, a few stat increasing items (temporary except for the crystals in the Mysidian tower), elemental and weapon immunities and weaknesses on enemies (mostly minor effects?), super fast overworld travel by ship/airship, longer quest than in FF1, teleport (out of dungeons) is acquired sooner, single- and multi-targeting for every spell (multi-targeting makes the spell a bit weaker)
+/-
Set character personalities/sex (and to an extent class though it's only defined by initial stats and not skill limitations)
All characters can learn both white and black magic (spell inventory is limited to 16 per character though)
Undead are now damaged by curative spells/items and using a drain type attack on them damages the caster
Enemies can now escape on their own in battle
More advanced items are available from the get go (at a high price of course)
Inn resting prices depend on the amount of HP needed to reach full health
Both enemies and allies miss a lot more often early on
Unintuitive stat functions (increase HP and Stamina by taking damage (feels unintuitive but isn't that much of a hassle in practice, you also regularly gain some HP outside of this system in the GBA version), need higher evade % to gain agility faster (meaning you should stick to light armor and a weapon & shield combo to build agility which then boosts evade %, some equipment boosts agility), evade level is not raised by dodging attacks (just by being physically attacked - less intuitive but also less tedious), accuracy % is based on the Strength stat as well as the equipped weapon's accuracy % (unarmed=80%))
Attacking and casting spells on yourself still counts towards stat increases (makes it possible to quickly become overpowered but can also be useful for leveling more situational skills more smoothly while continuing the main quest)
Has a more serious tone than the first game (kills off two playable characters (one of which you didn't really get to know or develop the stats for but still!))
Several characters will enter and exit the party at will (but unlike in for example FF4 the initial three characters stay permanently), status ailments divided into two groups each with their own cure (temporary (Basuna) and permanent (Esuna); time consuming to have to level an extra spell and to check which one fixes what), some stackable spell buffs (Protect, Blink etc.), some overpowered stuff (Berserk, Osmose, Swap, Blood Sword), no encounters in rivers this time around, new gear doesn't show on the character sprites except for weapons and shields, no stat growth from casting white magic outside of battle (makes healing items more useful), a character can only gain 1 Spell Level and 1 Weapon Level (per spell/weapon type) per battle (except when dual wielding two weapons of the same type), automated escape sequence in the Dreadnought/warship, can't attack allies when in the back row, can't use sap on allies, separate shops for weapons and armor (three different item vendors in each item shop as well - they could've just implemented bigger inventories), can't buy one use items with a spell effect (could've been a decent alternative to leveling for some spells apart from weapons with a special attack which are spread out over the course of the game and sometimes hidden), the weapon switching mechanic during battle could've been made more efficient (like in the NES version but two slots at a time with different pre-sets that the player could create and switch between), less open ended structure than in FF1, the game is easier overall (based on the Origins (PS1) version) and there's no 'original difficulty' mode, still can't run in the overworld, can't rest in-doors (except for at inns), a couple of new references to later games (Kain in FF4), save anywhere outside of battle (three slots, removes a lot of tension from the game), several fetch quests, unlimited inventory space, has a mostly colorful and cutesy look to it (the original was a bit darker and more barren), tile-based movement (stiff around walls), can't spread out multiple hit attacks among different enemies (means you need to think about how to attack efficiently but also hinders some tactical flexibility), pretty straightforward story with mostly shallow characters and scenarios, can't cast stat boosting spells outside of battle (could've been time limited - see D&D games, initial buffing procedure during battle gets a bit tedious), different use for haste/slow compared to later games (affects no. of attacks), the different elemental protection spells in FF1 are now covered by the Barrier spell (need to level it up several times though), static difficulty (grinding makes the game easier), grinding required to buy new gear and spells as you encounter them (the world structure with its gating through tougher monsters helps here and there's a spot near the beginning where you can get drops worth 10k gil), several spells can’t be bought in shops
-
Still very frequent random encounters which can’t be avoided
New character building system leads to more grinding than the standard one (and in a more specific and tedious way for some stats, similar to drawing in FF8 - different weapons and spells could've been grouped together to speed things up like in the Secret of Evermore balance patch, there could also have been a system in place which checks a character's current spell level average with a school of magic (black or white) and sets a newly learned spell to a % of that average (perhaps also affected by the spirit/intelligence stat) instead of starting it at level 1)
Regaining HP lost during a battle makes the game not register the loss so no stat growth happens (the chance for HP growth increases based on the difference between the character's HP when entering the battle and when exiting it (dying and being revived doesn't disrupt growth), losing over half of current max HP/MP gives the highest chance of growth - none of this is explained by the game and taking risks by going as low as possible isn’t rewarded)
Many dead ends and empty rooms
Plot oddities (the enemy soldiers in Fynn don't attack unless talked to (a stealth segment would've made more sense) and killing one doesn't remove the sprite in the top down view (happens again in the Dreadnought), the person giving you a hint about the rebel spy in Bafsk is standing right next to the bad guys while talking, unconvincing damage to the towns ravaged by the Dreadnought (same calm music, all shops are intact as well as the rebel 'hideout'), can't learn Egil's Torch as a term when Minwu mentions it, Josef knows about the Goddess Bell but not about Sunfire?, lazy plot devices (Hilda's kidnapping, somehow the dark knight doesn't recognize the party during the Dreadnought quest, can't beat the emperor's soldiers when you've just beaten a Behemoth, somehow the door to Hilda's cell opens while your own required lockpicking), obvious foreshadowing to Hilda's doppelganger reveal, NPCs tend to forget about keywords when they're no longer relevant to furthering the plot (dialogue would've been smoother if non-relevant terms were grayed out as the game went on), the plot spoils events ahead of itself if you enter Mysidia too early, no audience during the coliseum fight, how'd Leila survive Leviathan?, somehow everyone forgot about Leon after the cyclone battles, the fact that there's a wyvern kind of lessens the effect of getting the airship from Cid (along with there not being much left to explore in the world), Leon’s redemption before the finale feels rushed)
No defend or wait commands (introduced in the PSP version)
Can't change character order without killing off characters (only for cosmetic purposes but it could be done in FF1 DoS - and why not let us since the sprites are already implemented?)
Need an item to use the world map here (unlike in FF1 DoS but you do get it early; the map is also uglier in this game)
Can't keep using lower level versions of a spell once you've leveled it up (annoying since higher level spells cost more MP and can be overkill for the situation)
Still can't skip/speed up the resting and resurrection animations (some later spell animations are also pretty slow)
Somewhat annoying confirm sound during battle, slower transitions in some situations compared to FF1 DoS (into shops and the world map view, out of battle), interface problems (can't check a piece of equipment's stats in a shop (worse stat info than in FF1 where you needed to first afford the item to get the info; here you need to buy the item), not much point in having to manually choose to learn key words - just an extra step in the process, still can't use l/r to browse through your spells during battle, can't see a skill stat’s (spell/weapon/shield/evade/m. def) experience level in battle (means you'll likely 'waste' a few casts trying to level a spell up seeing as there's a limit of 1 level gain per spell in any one battle), gear effect on evade and magic defense isn’t shown directly in the equipment menu, somewhat vague stat growth info at the end of battles (doesn't show numbers for stat increases so you have to keep checking them in-between battles if you want to keep track, doesn't show anything about evade/m. def/accuracy levels progressing), whether a spell is black or white is only shown in the manual (tedious since they're tied to different stats), can't check a piece of equipment's stats/description on the equipment screen without unequipping it, commands can't be stored until the next battle (see PSIV; memory feature only saves the last turn's input), sometimes no indicator of an enemy or ally being affected by a status (haste/slow, also takes some practice to differentiate between some of the buffs on allies since they just make them glow in different colors), still no dungeon maps, limited store inventories (need to memorize where some items are sold), bestiary doesn't show spell/weapon type affinities), unintuitive town exits (easy to exit by accident in some towns), some NPCs still say the exact same thing, staves are pretty useless beyond the special ones that you can use as items in battle, no explanation when encountering an area on the overworld that can't be entered until a certain condition is met (such as Fynn castle or the Coliseum), no churches in Poft or Paloom, can't directly change formation during battle (the back row moves to the front if the front row is wiped out), some backtracking from remote destinations (can't make Cid wait outside an area, only one Chocobo forest and you can’t make chocobos wait for you either), some slowdown (Dreadnought, Bafsk), can't escape from most undead enemies unless they're mixed with living enemies (and there are many of them; also can't escape from several other enemies despite being overpowered), this version doesn't use the more fleshed out intro escape sequence of the PS1 version, can't repurchase a sold item unless the store you're at already has it in stock, some redundant loot and spells (fear, mini/toad/break/death/warp/teleport all have the same effect on monsters (and only Toad and Break remain effective in the end) as do silence/fog and stop/stun - not on your party though), later spells start out too weak (status spells often miss until leveled up a few times and Esuna/Basuna need to be leveled to even have a chance to cure later ailments - see previous suggestions on how to balance this), trial & error (beginning of bonus dungeon, the stat boosts at the top of the Mysidian tower are handed out randomly?, no Scan spell, shields providing elemental resistance are spread out over the course of the game, Toaded character can't heal themselves using the Maiden's Kiss item, leviathan, empty rooms where you'll often face a random encounter, booby trapped chests, characters leaving the party without warning, no clues for most of the fake walls in dungeons, advanced mechanics, only one Blood Sword in this version and it's missable), somewhat less varied dungeons overall compared to FF1 (re-uses the same mechanics in some of them), the Firion clone encounter could've been more interesting (it's basically just a lock and key situation similar to the giant in the previous game), you have no say in who the fourth member should be even when there's seemingly no reason for it plot-wise, easy final dungeon and boss, curative items/spells about to be used after all enemies are dead in a battle are skipped, trial & error element to the battle order unless characters’ Agility/Evade stats differ a lot (the game doesn’t show how the turn will play out beforehand – see FF10), need to check the manual for some info (stats), still can't teleport between visited towns, mostly poor sprite animation during battle, no journal or notebook feature (for writing down/saving collected info from NPCs for later), palette swapped enemies, re-used enemies in different areas makes each area feel less distinct,
Notes:
Hidden vendor - In the jade passage (east of Mysidia), there is a Magic seller behind the lowest level of the waterfall.
Enter the waterfall by hugging the wall from the right of left, then when you stop, press the talk button.
Fast Gil - Be at ~400 HP on average, then head a northwest of Fynn (just beyond the forest).
Around here lurk Magicians (and blue ogres), who drop spell books that you can sell (Haste=10k!).
Stat Growth (some guides are incorrect or incomplete):
Accuracy Level - Attacking with a weapon (% is determined by Strength and equipment)
Agility - Having a higher Evade % (and by being the target of physical attacks according to some guides)
Evasion Level - Being the target of physical attacks (it builds up like weapon/spell experience), % is determined by Agility and equipment)
(NES only?: Physically attacking your own party members does not count for the purposes of evasion progress, so there is no exploit to level this skill. http://guides.gamercorner.net/ffii/systems/)
HP - Losing HP during battle (the game checks current HP when entering and exiting a battle and compares it to current max HP; you don't increase your chance of growth by losing a little bit of HP over several battles), you also regularly gain HP outside of this system in the GBA version)
Intelligence - Casting Black Magic
Magic - Losing MP during battle
Magic Defense - Being the target of spells and special attacks (% is affected by equipment)
(NES Only?: Like evasion, there is no exploit for this skill, and the game does not display your progress anywhere.)
MP - Losing MP during battle
Spirit - Casting White Magic
Stamina - Losing HP during battle
Strength - Attacking
Bugs:
-One can easily level up a weapon by tricking the game that a shield is the weapon you want to level up - Equip two shields and attack over and over, then switch one of them for the intended weapon (via the item menu) before finishing the battle
-Using 'target all' on a single enemy causes some extra damage thanks to a flawed damage formula
Mod of Balance 2.0:
* Weapons and magic leveling are hopefully balanced now. Magic is easier
to level, weapons take a fair bit longer.
* Practicing a weapon or spell always increases a character's skill, even
if the monster attacked is significantly weaker than the character.
* Fixed a display bug concerning the number of hits connected when a character
is using a shield. If a character used a weapon in their primary hand, and a shield
in their secondary hand, they struck with the shield, and if they hit did no damage.
This has been corrected, however the bug still is in effect if the character uses a
weapon in their secondary hand, and a shield in their primary hand.
* Monsters take double damage if vulnerable to a spell's element. This is
reduced from x4 damage. Don't worry, this is still *plenty* of damage.
* If an elemental weapon strikes a vulnerable monster, its Attack rating is
increased by 25 (increased from 20).
* If a weapon which has an affinity for damaging a specific family of monster
hits that kind of monster, its Attack rating is increased by 25 (increased
from 20).
* Strength increases more often. The chance was (number of "fight"
selections / 45), and it is now (number of "fight" selections / 32).
* Agility increases are more regulated- more likely early in the game and less
likely later on. Before, a random number was rolled between 0 and 255, and if
that was lower than a fourth of the character's Evasion, Agility increased.
Now, the random number rolled is now between 0 and 250, and the Evasion is a
little less important in determining increase. Base chance to increase Agility
is 2.0%, and maximum chance is 6.8%.
* Intellect increases more often. The chance was (number of black magic
castings / 25), and it is now (number of black magic castings / 16).
* Spirit increases LESS often. The chance was (number of white magic castings / 15),
and it is now (number of white magic castings / 20).
* MP increases more often. The chance should be about 25% more likely than it was
before.
* When a character gains HP, the increase is halved. The increase is (STA / 2).
* Magic evasion gains take a bit longer. The threshold to gain Magic evasion
was 99, and it is now 159.
* Characters start with different stats.
* NPCs also begin with different stats, and should be more balanced with the
party when you meet them. Leon and Gordon also join the party already equipped
with spells.
* Weapons, armor, and spells have been rebalanced. Enemy direct damage spells will
be a bit more dangerous and require more planning to thwart.
* Monster stats have been modified slightly to moderately. Expect that the final
bosses will not go down with a couple of well-placed elemental spells.
2.2:
*The times that spells become available should be more balanced. In particular,
Berserk, Toad, and Blink are available later, and Slow, Sleep, and Haste are
available more soon.
* The extremely rare spells Break, Stop, and Confuse are not as rare anymore.
* A few spell shops have been tweaked. Most notably, Blink and Fog are no longer
for sale. Sleep and Slow are now purchasable, Haste is available in shops, and
very late in the game you may purchase Osmose (Jade passage). Sleep and Slow sell for much
less than they used to be, to compensate for this.
* Sap is now more powerful than Osmose. As it should be...