Final Fantasy I & II Dawn of Souls

Rather than the usual fare of one main hero starting from a lowly level to become a legend never to be forgotten, Final Fantasy II takes a slightly different approach. The story begins far, far away in a sleepy, little, peace-loving Kingdom called Fynn that has unfortunately been plagued by an evil reign of terror brought on by the emperor of the Palamecian Kingdom. Three lucky individuals survive the mass slaughter that ensues

 

The same can most definitely be attributed to the audio side of matters. The Game Boy Advance is, sometimes unfairly, criticised for not being anywhere near as powerful in terms of sound as other systems on the market. However, there have been several splendidly orchestrated titles appearing on the tiny handheld, one of which was the first half of the FF I & II package! Therefore, we can all breathe a sigh of relief as the same attention and skilled craftsmanship has been plastered all over Final Fantasy II. The audio matches those of the Super Nintendo iterations and only falls behind the Final Fantasy VII-onward versions due to the use of MIDI music as opposed to a full range of instruments via the medium of CD storage discs. Stick your headphones in and you will find yourself sucked into the game even more than before!

Final Fantasy is somewhat of a staple in the role-playing field, with the main series being focused on the idea of turn-based fighting. You start with your team, of which you can have a maximum of four characters at any one time, and move around in two various modes

 

Thankfully the gameplay has been modified for this new version, with a save-anywhere option being introduced, rather than forcing the player to constantly buy tents or cabins, helping to fit the game into a handheld form far better. In addition, the difficulty level has been moderated to allow entry-level role players into the adventure without fear of dying within seconds; also you no longer have to resort to attacking your own team members to quickly increase your levels (a nice little shortcut trick many used in the NES version, which CAN still be used in this if necessary). Finally, the inclusion of new enemies from later Final Fantasy games and dungeons to keep things fresh for those that may have played this game in its original Japanese format, or via Final Fantasy Origins on the PSone.

It is important to know that your team can be upgraded by means of killing enough enemies to gain funds for shopping at Rune, Weapon, Defence and / or Item stores, purchasing the latest magical Tomes, swords, axes, shields, body armour, potions, remedies, and so on and so forth. Beware, though, as you must remain spend-thrifty due to high costs. Once you have made your way to a new town, be sure to check out the local stores to get your hands on the next level of wares that will be the difference between life and death in the trials that face you on the journey.

 

In terms of battling, once you have been drawn into either a random fight of obligatory battle, each team member and foe takes it in turns to make a move. Should you wish to simply fight your way through an encounter, then so be it, just hold down the A button and your characters will all take their respective pops at who- or whatever is in front of them (thankfully when an enemy is killed, if you chose to hit that same creature your next player will not have wasted a turn as their move will be placed onto another beast standing up against you