Final Fantasy II

Final Fantasy II was the second game in the Final Fantasy series, however it was not released in North America until 2002. Unlike the original game (and all future ones), Final Fantasy II characters did not gain experience in the traditional sense; instead of earning points at the end of a fight that can be applied to gaining a level, specific stats increased based on fighting style. If a character used weapons, their strength would increase, using magic would increase MP and magic strength, taking damage would raise maximum HP, and so on. While this style of gameplay would not be used in any other Final Fantasy, it would be used by Square in Threads of Fate and the SaGa series.

Squaresoft bundled the game with Final Fantasy I for several re-releases: Final Fantasy I-II for the Famicom, Final Fantasy Origins for the PlayStation, and most recently Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls for the Game Boy Advance.

Version history, including the original release and the English and European releases only:
 * 1988 - Final Fantasy 2: original Famicom version, released in Japan only, 8-bit graphics;
 * 2002 - Final Fantasy 2 Origins: PSX version, faithful gameplay, improved 32-bit graphics;
 * 2004 - Final Fantasy 2 Dawn of Souls: GBA version, easier gameplay, added one dungeon, 16-bit graphics based on PSX version;
 * 2008 - Final Fantasy 2 Anniversary Edition: PSP version, added another dungeon, 64-bit graphics based on PSX version.