Final Fantasy II on SNES (technically Final Fantasy IV in Japan, but we got it as II back in the day) is one of those RPGs that just sticks with you. The opening drops you right into Cecil’s story—dark knight with a crisis of conscience, airships, betrayal—and the pacing doesn’t let up. You’ll hop between characters, lose some along the way (no spoilers, but yeah, it gets emotional), and deal with that brutal ATB combat where enemies don’t wait for you to figure things out.

The pixel art still holds up, especially the spell effects and those moody underworld dungeons. And that soundtrack? Uematsu at his best—you’ll hum the boss theme for days. Just don’t expect modern QoL stuff; grinding is part of the charm (or pain, depending on your patience).

If you missed this one back in the ‘90s, it’s a must-play for the story alone. The SNES version’s a bit easier than the original Japanese release, but still packs a challenge.