Four youths from the Kingdom of Fynn flee their homeland in the wake of an invasion by the forces of the Empire of Palamecia. Their journey will lead them to join an underground rebellion to repel the Emperor’s forces and reclaim the throne for the royal family.
With a rotating cast of fourth party member, a radically different leveling system, and featuring a number of ‘first appearances’ of iconic Final Fantasy monsters, spells, and allies – Final Fantasy II is definitely one to remember (even if its not always for good reasons).
The Story
The Empire of Palamecia has forged a pact with the demons and monsters of Hell to take over the world. Destroying one kingdom at a time, the story opens as they set their sights on the Kingdom of Fynn as four young orphans flee the massacre.
Three of the orphans – Firion, Maria & Guy – awaken in a town to the South, saved by the members of the Wild Rose Rebellion, a group of freedom fighters made up of remnants of Fynn, the fallen kingdom of Kashuan, and others who wish to resist the Empire’s brutal campaign of conquest.
Much of the story is then spent traveling across the globe trying to make contacts and gain assets to help the war effort – be it raw materials, allies, or forbidden magic – before facing off with the Empire and chasing them back into Hell itself.
The Characters
Firion: One of four orphans who fled Fynn and ended up joining the Wild Rose Rebellion. While Firion, Maria, and Guy are all considered the main characters, artwork and narrative focus tends to depict Firion as the primary lead.
Maria: One of four orphans who fled Fynn and ended up joining the Wild Rose Rebellion. The loss of her brother, Leon, following their flight from Fynn weighs heavily on her mind.
Guy: One of four orphans who fled Fynn and ended up joining the Wild Rose Rebellion. Guy is something of a wild man who speaks in broken words and refers to himself in third-person. He also speaks Beaver.
Leon: One of four orphans who fled Fynn but was thought to have perished while fleeing the kingdom of Fynn. In fact, Leon joins the Palamecian Empire as their Dark Knight.
Minwu: A white mage who serves the royal court of Fynn and serves as a fourth party member for a while.
Josef: An agent of the Wild Rose Rebellion working to discover the secrets of the Empire’s mythril mining operation. He serves as a fourth party member for a while.
Gordon: The last surviving member of the Kingdom of Kashuan’s royal family. He deals with crippling depression after the loss of two homes and cowardly fleeing instead of fighting like his brother.
Ricard Highwind: The last dragoon of the Kingdom of Deist. He has been trapped in the belly of Leviathan since before the start of the adventure, but joins the group as a temporary fourth party member.
Princess Hilda: The Princess of Fynn and the leader of the Wild Rose Rebellion.
Cid: A freelance airship pilot who owns the only airship not controlled by the Empire.
Emperor Mateus: The emperor of the Empire of Palamecia. He ultimately plans to conquer not only the world, but all of hell as well.
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