Breath of Fire 2 for the SNES
(by Capcom of America)
Welcome once again! This time I have Breath of Fire 2 (BOF2), from Capcom. For those who didn't know, Breath of Fire (BOF) was originally the creation of Capcom, but for some reason they didn't want to back it, so Square came along and Capcom sold them the rights to it. It seems that Capcom has seen how well BOF did and decided to bring out the sequel themselves. Indeed a very wise choice by Capcom, because BOF2 is an excellent game and worthy of its creator's name. BOF2 is, so far, the best RPG of the New Year, I hope this bodes well for all the RPG's to come.
BOF2 takes place 100 years after BOF. I personally recommend that you play BOF, only because it makes BOF2 that much more enjoyable when it makes references to the events that take place in BOF and when you meet some of the characters from the first game.
The story starts with you as a little child who is told by your father to go find your little sister. When you find her she is by the sleeping white dragon that had protected the village from a demon invasion, when you were just a little baby. Your sister tells you about how she has dreams about your mother when she sleeps by the dragon. When you try it you have a terrible nightmare.
When you awaken and return to the village your father and sister aren't there, in fact no one seems to know who you are. When you go to the church, where you are sure your father worked, you meet Father Hulk, who takes you in as an orphan. When you go to the bedroom you meet a dog-like character named Bow, who is acting as an orphan so he can steal things once everyone is asleep. You then decide to go with him and leave the village. Afterwords, as you journey through a cave you have an interesting encounter...
It wouldn't do for me to tell you the entire story, so now I will tell you a little about the characters whom you meet, and the circumstances that cause them to join your quest.
Bow, whom you meet at the church becomes your best friend and most loyal ally. A little later in the game he is accused of stealing and you have to smuggle him out of town in a trash can. The first part of the game is about you tracking down the real thief and clearing Bow's name so he can fight with you once more. Bow uses a crossbow and a large array of healing spells in battle.
You meet Katt, a female cat warrior, while trying to track down the real thief. In fact the only way you can meet her is to challenge her in the arena. After saving her life she joins you in your hunt for the real thief. Though not very bright she is a strong fighter.
In fact Rand, a giant armadillo-man, is responsible for helping you save Katt from being poisoned. Rand no longer has any work at the coliseum so he decides to tag along with you. Rand uses his hands to fight and in time learns a lot of healing and thunder spells. A very strong fighter, to have up front.
Nina is an exiled princess of the Winged Clan. She is exiled because she was born with black wings. There is a prophecy that foretells disaster when a black winged child is born to the royal family. She helps you in your quest after you rescue her sister from the Joker gang. Physically, Nina is very weak. Her strength lies in her wide library of offensive spells. If you have played BOF, this is not the same Nina, she is the first Nina's great, great, ...granddaughter.
Sten is a warrior monkey, who is easily distracted by pretty girls and is constantly joking around. When you first meet him he is masquerading as a magician and tries his hardest to get a date with Nina and Katt by making you disappear. His weapon of choice is a dagger. His physical and magical attacks are about the same strength.
Jean is literally a frog prince. Due to the fact that he is royalty he is very proficient at sword play. In time his magical skill will be as good as his sword skills. But first you must free him from a witch's spell. A word of warning, Jean is a little absent-minded sometimes.
The final member of your party will only join you if you find her home and then find her. Her name is Bleu, and when she meets you, she is reminded of the young hero she helped a hundred years ago. This is why she joins your team. Her magic is awesome and can make your quest a lot easier. I will give you a hint, you can find Bleu's home after you gain control of Grandpa, the whale, try searching a desert. Bleu herself is brushing up on her magic skills at a well-known magic school.
This concludes the cast of playable characters that will join you, the hero, in your quest.