Game Boy Works #122: Final Fantasy Legend II

Game Boy Works #122: Final Fantasy Legend II

Author: Jeremy Parish December 28, 2020 Duration: 17:07

The second entry in the Final Fantasy Legend series—or SaGa, if you prefer—amped up the features, narrative, mechanics, and overall design sensibilities of the groundbreaking first game. With new races, an elaborate cosmology, inventive dungeon design, an unconventional death mechanic, and all kinds of poorly explained gameplay systems to grapple with, Final Fantasy Legend II is in some respects a high point of the SaGa series. And with both a SaGa Game Boy compilation and remaster of SaGa Frontier for PlayStation due out in the near future, there's no better time to get acquainted with this sometimes-baffling role-playing series that is well and truly here to stay... whether you like it or not.

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Jeremy Parish's Video Works by Jeremy Parish is a curated collection of his long-running projects diving deep into the history and design of classic video games. Rather than a single focused series, this podcast serves as an archive and hub for several distinct endeavors. You'll find episodes from Game Boy World, which meticulously documents every pre-Game Boy Advance handheld title in chronological order, offering a unique historical perspective. Another strand explores the interconnected world of "Metroidvania" games, analyzing the design principles that define this beloved subgenre. The Anatomy of Games segments provide thorough, thoughtful critiques of classic game design, breaking down what makes these titles endure. Each episode, whether originally audio or adapted from video content, carries Parish's knowledgeable and considered commentary. This podcast is for anyone with an appreciation for gaming's foundations, presented not as dry history but as an engaging exploration of the artistry and innovation that shaped the medium. Tune in for a consistently insightful look at the pixels and philosophies behind the games you might have played-or always meant to.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Works by Jeremy Parish
Podcast Episodes
NES Works #087: Hudson's Adventure Island & Milon's Secret Castle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:04
Famicom mainstay Hudson finally makes its American debut this week with two sizable hits from Japan. First, Adventure Island brings a little taste of Sega to NES by converting Wonder Boy with a thinly veiled graphical ov…
Segaiden #27: Graphic Tablet / Wonder Boy / Champion Billiards [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:55
The penultimate set of SG-1000 games arrives as the system does its best to remain current and competitive in the medium's changing landscape with technology built around the expectations of an earlier generation of game…
Segaiden #26: Ninja Princess / Super Tank / Champion Kendou [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:05
A brief break in the SG-1000's strong run of final releases with a set of titles that will remind you of the not-so-good ol' days when the console's library was generally pretty rough. This trio earns most of its points…
Segaiden #25: C-So! / The Castle / Gulkave [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:14
The SG-1000 didn't have much going on during 1986, with Sega's attention focused primarily on the shiny new Mark III console, but what little did make its way to the older console was pretty strong. After an indifferent…
NES Works Gaiden #31: Chack'n Pop / Dig Dug / Flappy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:43
A real sense of deja vu this week as we look at three games that have all appeared on this channel in other versions. I would like to say that these iterations are all the superior works, but Mom taught me not to be a li…
Segaiden #024: Mark III / Hang On / Teddy Boy Blues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:56
Continuing on from last week, we go from Hang On II to just plain ol' Hang On. But this in no way feels like a downgrade; quite the contrary. With Hang On (and Teddy Boy Blues), Sega brings its home hardware into line wi…
Segaiden #023: Hang On II / Bomb Jack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:26
This week bring us the first of a two-part episode—or should that be "the second"? Sega's imprecise SG-1000 launch date documentation makes it difficult to know if Hang On II did in fact debut before or after Hang On (no…
NES Works #086: Legendary Wings / Xevious / Galaga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:10
This week is a bit of an ouroboros: While the primary feature here is Capcom's Legendary Wings, this episode also touches on the NES release of Xevious, the game that very clearly inspired Legendary Wings (not to mention…