The 90s brought with it a surge in popularity for the role playing genre. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy were mega hits in Japan, and they were slowly catching on elsewhere in the world. Many developers saw openings to create their own franchises hoping they would also click with the marketplace. Capcom, for example, created Breath of Fire. The original game had some major issues but it was still enjoyable. The follow up was released a few years later on the Super Nintendo. Breath of Fire II improves on the formula in some pretty big ways but still falls short of the more mainstream RPGs.
Breath of Fire II takes place in the same kind of fantasy world as the last one. It’s full of humans, anthropomorphic animals, magic, monsters, and more. The story begins with a young boy named Ryu who lives with his sister and grandpa. Behind the village sleeps a large dragon, and when the children sleep near it they dream of their deceased mother. One day Ryu does just this, but when he awakens everything is different. No one in the village remembers him now, and because of this he’s now an orphan. This is where he meets the mischievous Bow as the two are taken in by the church. Ryu’s new friend is quick to rip them off and make a run for it, and our young protagonist goes with him.
The two seek shelter from the rain but encounter a huge monster in the darkness that tells Ryu of his fate and future. Fast forward to when the two are adults. Ryu and Bow now make ends meet by working as mercenaries. Things are going well enough for them until one day Bow gets caught up in a scheme to steal an important item and is caught red-handed. The two get swept up in a grand adventure complete with plot twists, a large party of characters, and a huge world to explore. The story is… well… it’s a bit lacking. Breath of Fire II uses the silent protagonist trope, and it robs the game of some charm. Additionally, while the plot outline is really interesting the execution is not. Breath of Fire II feels a little empty and soul-less in the story department. The atmosphere however is great.
Breath of Fire II is a very traditional RPG. You move your party around a variety of 2D environments from an overhead perspective. There are town areas in which you can purchase items/weapons, advance the plot, or gain clues to find out where to go next. You also have the typical dungeon areas chock full of monsters and light puzzles. These normally feature loads of treasure, branching paths, and a boss fight at the end. You travel the world via the world map which is how you access both the dungeons and towns. There’s terrain like forests, grassy plains, beaches, etc and these feature different types of enemies and encounters. If you’ve played any other traditional Japanese RPG then you know the drill.
The battle system is also pretty typical fare, at least on the surface. Enemy encounters occur at random, and the action is strictly turn based with some pretty typical options. You’ve got your standard attack, magic, and some of the characters have special skills. The first thing I really like about the battle system is the viewpoint. RPGs typically go for either a side or behind the characters view. In Breath of Fire II the set up is diagonal with characters on the lower right and enemies on the upper left. This alone is enough to make Breath of Fire II stand out from most other Super Nintendo role playing games.
What really sets this battle system apart from the pack however is the character abilities. Transforming is a big part of the gameplay. Ryu can transform into various dragon forms for strong attacks (it’s a returning feature in the franchise). The brand new feature is the ability to fuse the other characters with shamans. This can not only change their physical appearance but will heavily alter their stats. You have several different options with this, and with the large character roster you can certainly mix and match with a fair amount of depth to the system. Characters that would otherwise be worthless (Jean, for example) are now some of the strongest in the game thanks to this feature.
Characters also have field abilities. Some of these play only a minor role at best (such as Ryu’s ability to fish) but others are absolutely required to get past obstacles on the world map. These abilities can be used on the world map (or during action sequences) and the more interesting ones are those that are optional. You have the ability to hunt animals for food (healing items) and this survival aspect of the game is touched on by several of the abilities. Bow for example shoots arrows at his prey while Kat hits them with her staff. It’s worth noting that only the leader of your party can use their ability, but you can switch them with the shoulder buttons. Sometimes you’ll need to switch people out and around in order to progress which can be a little annoying.
If there’s one thing I like about Breath of Fire II it’s the difficulty balance. It always teeters on the edge of being too hard but it’s never unfair. If you get stuck it’s easy enough to gain a few levels on the world map. Grinding is always enough to give you an edge. I found that the battle system allowed for enough options that you can simply change up your tactics and most of the time that makes a world of difference. That’s the kind of thing I like; you’re given enough options but don’t necessarily need to explore them. You can opt to just power your way through by grinding, and that’s a perfectly reasonable way to move forward. Breath of Fire II has amazing balance.
The original Breath of Fire had an excellent art style. The graphics were a little behind the times, but thematically it was unique and interesting. Breath of Fire II kicks things up a few notches. It carries on the same spirit as the original, but with significantly more detail, and much more colorful. Enemy designs are incredible. Their animations truly look a generation ahead of what most other similar games had to offer at the time. The humanoid animal theme is a bit off-putting at first, but it grows on you fast. So what if a frog, dog, stag, and monkey join your party? You won’t even notice after a while. Breath of Fire II is a very, very pretty game and looks better than most SNES RPGs.
Breath of Fire II also has the benefit of an awe-inspiring soundtrack. The music has a very whimsical feel to it, and there’s an overarching style that’s highly memorable. There’s a unique piano motif to the soundtrack which sets it apart as few other games on the platform had such well done instrumentation. If there’s one complaint I have then it’s the standard battle theme. It’s a shame because you’ll be hearing it a lot, but it really lacks the energy of the fight music in the original. The dungeon themes however are amazing, as is the music for towns and boss encounters. I actually keep this soundtrack on my phone; it’s that good.
