KnockBack, Episode 262 | Final Fantasy II (Patreon)

Our meandering through the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters continues with Final Fantasy II, widely considered the 'black sheep' of the traditional series. But a lot of that hinges on perception, or lack thereof. See, Final Fantasy II took forever to come to the west -- it came to Famicom in 1988 but never migrated outside of Japan until it launched on PSone in 2003 -- so the reality is, a lot of people don't have any experience with it at all. And those that do have played it in sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances, though there are some good ports and reworkings on GBA (2004) and PSP (2007) to note. This episode of KnockBack, not surprisingly, is dedicated to the beleaguered II, the odd-man-out of classic Final Fantasy. With a differentiated experience system, an easily-broken economy, and actual characters and story, it's certainly a tale of ups and downs.