Following enhanced versions for iOS and Android in 2010 and 2012 respectively, the game was re-released again as part of the 2021 Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series.

[4] The game's story centers on four youths whose parents were killed during an army invasion by the empire of Palamecia, who are using hellspawn to conquer the world.

Three of the four main characters join a rebellion against the empire, embarking on missions to gain new magic and weapons, destroy enemy superweapons, and rescue leading members of the resistance.

Weapons, armor, items, and magic spells can be purchased at shops, and townspeople provide useful information for the player's progression through the game.

Primary characters include Firion (フリオニール, Furionīru, "Frioniel" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), a resident of the country of Fynn and the main protagonist; Maria (マリア), a soft-spoken archer and dedicated enemy of the Empire; Guy (ガイ, Gai, "Gus" in the remake for the PlayStation), a simple monk who communicates with animals; and Leon (レオンハルト, Reonharuto, "Leonhart" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), a conflicted dark knight who is missing for most of the game.

These are Gordon (ゴードン, Gōdon), the prince of Kashuan and a member of the rebellion; Josef (ヨーゼフ, Yōzefu), a villager in the town of Salamand; Leila (レイラ, Reira, "Reila" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), a pirate; Minwu (ミンウ, Min'u, "Mindu" in the PlayStation remake and "Ming-Wu" in the Japanese release and English NES prototype), who is a White Mage with the rebellion, and Ricard Highwind (リチャード・ハイウインド, Richādo Haiuindo, "Gareth" in the PlayStation remake, Edward in the English NES prototype and "Richard" in the Japanese release), who is the first dragoon to appear in the series.

In the PlayStation's opening FMV of Final Fantasy II, Firion is also voiced by Yukimasa Obi, while Maria is played by Noriko Shitaya, Guy by Kenta Miyake, and Leon by Takayuki Yamaguchi.

[citation needed] Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon are attacked by Palamecian Black Knight soldiers and left for dead.

Firion, Maria, and Guy are rescued by Princess Hilda, who has established a rebel base in the town of Altair after her kingdom of Fynn was invaded by the Emperor.

She allows the group to join the rebellion and asks them to journey north to find mythril, a metal that could be used to create powerful weapons.

Everyone celebrates the Empire's defeat until a mortally wounded Fynn soldier arrives and reveals that Leon has taken the throne and plans to destroy the rebels with the Imperial army.

Still, the Emperor reappears in the throne room in a new demonic form, revealing he has become the ruler of Hell and returned to destroy the entire world.

Following his sacrifice to unseal the door guarding the Ultima Tome, Minwu awakens in a new area and sees someone resembling Gordon fight off Imperial soldiers.

[11] As there were no concrete ideas for Final Fantasy II from the start, it was eventually taken in a new direction and included none of the previous game's characters or locations.

[7][10] Hironobu Sakaguchi, who had previously served as the main planner for Final Fantasy, assumed the role of director to accommodate for the larger development team.

[14] Midway through the development of the game, Gebelli was forced to return to Sacramento, California from Japan due to an expired work visa.

[7] In April 1989, the game was novelized by its original scenario writer Kenji Terada under the title Final Fantasy II: Muma no Meikyū (lit.

[16] The music for Final Fantasy II was later arranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito for the WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance remakes.

[20] Additionally, several songs from the game were performed as part of a medley by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for the Distant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy concert tour,[21] while a different medley of songs from the game were performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series.

While all of these remakes retain the same basic story and battle mechanics, various tweaks have been made in different areas, including graphics, sound, and specific game elements.

Assigned to the project was Kaoru Moriyama, whose later work included script translations for Final Fantasy IV and Secret of Mana (known as Seiken Densetsu 2 in Japan).

Although a beta version was produced, and the game was advertised in several Square Soft trade publications, the long development time, the age of the original Japanese game and the arrival of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the NES's successor console, led Square Soft to cancel work on the Final Fantasy II localization in favor of the recently released Final Fantasy IV (which, to avoid confusing North American players, was retitled Final Fantasy II).

It was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004 as part of Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls, on the PlayStation Portable in 2007, and for the Japanese Wii Virtual Console on June 16, 2009.

The WonderSwan Color remake of the game was first released on May 3, 2001, and later included as a bundle with a special Final Fantasy II edition of the console.

The primary change for this version was the addition of a bonus storyline entitled Soul of Rebirth accessible to the player after completing the game.

[41] The 1989 "All Soft Catalog" issue of Famicom Tsūshin included Final Fantasy II in its list of the best games of all time, giving it the Best Scenario award.

Famitsu magazine scored the WonderSwan version of the game a 30 out of 40,[42] and GameSpot noted the Dawn of Souls' mostly outdated graphics but praised its length and bonus content.

The game's plot was thought by some reviewers to mirror elements of Star Wars: A New Hope in its use of an orphan joining a rebellion against an empire that was building a massive ship, with a captive princess inside.

[44] IGN described the "dialogue and story" as "much more interesting than" its predecessor and the "proficiency system not unlike what's found in The Elder Scrolls" as a "semi-innovation" for its time, but also complained about the gameplay.