Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

"Unsung hero"

Before I begin singing my praises for this game, I must state that Lufia 2 is not a game meant to be hung up and admired as a work of art. It contains no deep philosophical message, no dramatic cinematics, no heavy melodrama. Rather, it is a game to be played. Lufia 2 may not give us a story anything beyond functional, but it succeeds in giving us challenging yet infinitely entertaining gameplay.

Lufia 2 begins with a short introduction which, should you choose to watch it, contains a montage of cut-scenes involving the game's main characters. After starting a file and naming your main character (the default is Maxim), you will see Maxim walking into a shop and having a conversation with the shopowner, named Tia. You will learn that Maxim is a monsterhunter, and that Tia is secretly in love with him. You will also find that you automatically run in this game--characters move around the field screens at lightning speeds.

Trying to leave town will result in an old man coming up to you and telling you to go to the dungeon south of town. You have no choice. The dungeon, called the Secret Skills cave, is basically a training level. You will be introduced to the main gameplay elements of Lufia 2 there. At first glance it is exactly like that of any other RPG. You will traverse the dungeon (a lot quicker than in most RPGs, true) with the annoying restriction of only four directions instead of eight, going through doors, looking for monsters to kill. The difference, however, emerges immediately once you actually see a weak monster wandering around in front of you, and your mentor, the old man, telling you to either touch it to enter battle or avoid it to escape fighting.

In Lufia 2, you can actually see monsters moving about in the dungeons and know exactly when you're going to fight one. Most of the time, you can even avoid fighting completely. Since monsters only move when you do, you have all the time in the world to figure out how to dodge them. Things get more normal when you're actually fight an enemy, though: the battles in Lufia 2 play out in typical turn-based manner. You select what you want all your fighters to do at the beginning of the round, then they execute your commands in the order of their agility statistic. The typical commands are all you have at this time: you can attack the enemy with your weapon, you can use items you have purchased or obtained, and you can use magic that you have bought - each character has a set collection of spells they can use, but you must still buy magic for them individually. Not that you'll need the latter two options against the enemies of the Secret Skills cave - one or two simple whacks with your weapon is more than enough to make them disappear in a puff of smoke.

It is some rooms later that you get your first glimpse of what really sets Lufia 2 aside from your typical 16-bit RPG. You will see the game's simplest puzzles. Cut your way through bushes to uncover switches, push pillars so that switches remain pushed, shoot an arrow to hit an unreachable switch - will the switches and doors that they open never cease? you will wonder. But your training will be over before you can seek the answer.

Your adventure finally begins when the cave north of town, uncreatively named the Cave to Sundletan, is invaded by monsters. But actually, the monsters that invade the cave are utter pushovers. Indeed, the battles in Lufia 2 are very easy, with just a few exceptions. Few monsters can't be beaten with the attack-heal ''strategy,'' and battles are over extremely quickly. This can be either good or bad, but it is not without good reason . They are not the focal point of the game; instead, they simply serve as filler between the game's greatest bits...

... The puzzles. And when I say puzzles, I mean puzzles. They are tricky, fiendish, deceptively difficult. They are incredibly varied: who would have ever imagined that there could be so many different versions of your basic hit-switch-to-open-the-door puzzle? As you desparately try to put three different pots on three different switches without ever stepping on the same square twice, or navigate a room full of horse statues that you can't walk in front of, or attempt to lure an enemy onto a specific platform, a mixed feeling of jealousy, hate, and respect will emerge for the brilliant minds that conceived these masochistic stumpers.

Don't forget the natural urge to outdo them, either. Perhaps you will finally admit defeat, and consult an FAQ or strategy guide for the answer to the crypt that has puzzled you for days or even weeks; but when you come across the next assortment of blocks, pillars and switches, pride will be rekindled in you. I will figure out this one myself! you'll think, eager to get back at the game's designers for their previous victory. But the enemy is certainly up to the task, testing you, challenging you, with every new room you enter. Who says a 16-bit RPG cannot invoke passion and anger in the player?

Even though the majority of time and effort seems to have gone in the puzzles, though, unique twists still exist in the battle system of Lufia 2. A variation of Limit Breaks, known as IP attacks, provide variety and some character customization: IP attacks are invoked by using different pieces of equipment. These attacks consume your IP meter, which goes up whenever you take damage from an enemy. In you journeys, you will also come across capsule monsters, non-controllable fighters that you can ''evolve'' by feeding it equipment. While they may serve only to make the battles even easier than they already are, they provide interesting little diversions - which capsule monster should you evolve? Should you give the best magical IP attacks to your attackers or your mages?

Seasoned RPG players may be somewhat disappointed in the game's plot. It is true that Lufia 2 does not contain a particularly engaging story. There are a few surprises peppered throughout, but for the most part the game's ''storyline'' involves one-line commands telling you to go to the next dungeon or tower. The ending may be the only part in the game that will genuinely stir up emotion, but its impact is dulled by the fact that this game's ending is in fact the introduction of the original. In most of the game, you are trudging across an endless chain of towns and dungeons, so generic that you will not even remember their names.

But even if his story isn't awfully exciting, playing as Maxim never becomes tedious or tiring. That is because Lufia 2 has one of the most loveable main casts ever seen in an RPG. There are no angst-ridden teenagers, no tragic pasts, no related-to-villain syndrome. Instead, Maxim and co. rise to the task of saving the world magnificently, and they actually seem like a group of people you'd trust to save the world. They are good, but not goody-goody. Even the bit of romance in the plot is handled maturely by our crew, sap-free.

And you will also find the dialogue written wonderfully. There are no heroic proclamations or rallying battle cries, but rather real conversation that real people use. The constant dialogue between your party members makes them seem like real friends, rather than a group of people that get together for no real reason. The vocabulary used is everyday, even colloquial, and the dialogue can be wacky and even zany, but it is what people will actually say, warrior or not.

In no time at all, you will find yourself addicted to Lufia 2. You don't mind the feeble reasons the game gives you to go to the next dungeon; just the thrill of seeing a new dungeon will be enough. You will get stuck a lot, but that doesn't matter. Completely oblivious of the world around you, your entire mind will be bent on the newest stumper thrown your way. And you will rapidly become annoyed at the pitifully simple puzzles and slow walking other, lesser RPGs give you.

By the time you reach the Ancient Cave, you will not care about what amount of time and effort it takes to complete every little aspect of Lufia 2. And that is a good thing. For the Ancient Cave is the mother of all RPG sidequests. It is a 99-floor, randomly generated dungeon with no save points. You will lose all items and be zapped to level 1 when you enter. All stairs lead down, none up. The only method of leaving is by using the Providence item, which is found around the 20th floor. You must find a way to gain enough levels to get past the monsters, which rapidly increase in difficulty as you get further along. The Cave takes 6+ hours in a row of pure dungeon crawling to get through, and many, many more hours of botched attempts. But it is worth it. The Ancient Cave gives you some of the most valuable equipment in the game, and also a strong sense of satisfaction. It is a game in itself.

But Lufia 2 is not all work and no play. Nor is everything in it taxing on the mind. Forfeit Island, the Las Vegas of the game's world, contains a lovely little casino. The casino contains all the favorite casino games, such as blackjack, slot machines, poker, and even a version of bingo. They're not just for fun, either; several great pieces of equipment can only be bought with gambling chips.

It is, then, perhaps a shame that Lufia 2's game world doesn't look better. The colors are bright and vibrant, and nothing sticks out as particularly ugly, but as a whole the game's graphics are not impressive. Enemies, like in the Final Fantasy series, are still portraits that somehow hover in mid-air, but they lack the amazing detail seen in the Final Fatasies. The dungeon backgrounds are downright repetitive. Lufia 2's graphics is certainly not something that early SNES games can compare to, but for a game released in the same year as Super Mario RPG this is not something that will make you take notice

You'll also notice that Lufia 2 boasts one of the best battle themes on the SNES. It's a rather mellow tune compared to most, yet it never becomes annoying and provides ample excitement. The rest of the soundtrack contains some rather forgettable songs, but all fit the style of the game. The overworld theme, a sweet-sounding flute song, is perhaps the only other memorable theme in the game.

And once you beat the game, you will see an invitation to play it again: Retry Mode. It's identical to a regular new game, but you get 4x the experience and gold. After that, you will get Gift Mode, which will allow you to play the Ancient Cave--and only the Ancient Cave. They are somewhat similar to Chrono Trigger's New Game+ mode, but less cheap. However, like New Game+, it takes out the annoying leveling-up you must do if you want to see the story and puzzles again. And trust me, you will want to.

Do not misconstrue my score. Lufia 2 is not perfect in any way. But its strengths in gameplay can more than cover up its minor flaws in style. A game released too late in the SNES's lifespan, Lufia 2 never got the attention that it deserved. In a genre so dependent on storytelling and cinematic quality, it will probably never achieve widespread respect. But in terms of providing a gameplay experience always challenging and never tamable, Lufia 2 stands alone.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/01, Updated 07/14/02