The RPG that Arrived Between Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII

I was a little disappointed but not at all surprised when my search for "Lufia" in the Library of AC yielded no results. After all, it is one of the most overlooked RPG (role-playing game) series of (dare I use such a cliché?) all time.

The particular game in the series I'm going to write about is Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals for the SNES (Super Nintendo). It came out in 1996, ten years ago, the year after the release of Chrono Trigger and a year before Final Fantasy VII. It was also the twilight of the SNES and the dawn of the PS (Playstation). At the time, RPGs like Suikoden and Wild Arms were keeping the entire country busy while we all waited for Final Fantasy VII. Thus, understandably, Lufia II came at quite a forgettable time. By the way, "SNES" is not an option for platform in the videogame review template, so I listed Lufia II under "PC." I'm sure you could find the game on either platform, the latter being slightly easier.

Somehow in 1996, I got my parents to shell out $79.99 for a videogame. That videogame was Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. By now, the graphics obviously won't be much (although I must say the colors were always bright and cheerful), but true RPGers play for two things: gameplay and story.

The gameplay is snappy and alluring, but it is the story that made me remember the game until now. The second installment of the series is actually a prequel to the original. Unless I'm too old to remember, Lufia II was a prequel before prequels were cool.

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals was an innovative RPG for its time. First off, there are no random battles unless you're on the world map. In dungeons, you see all your enemies (it was always funny seeing those little insects in the dungeons turn into massive scorpions once we swirled, and I use that word literally, to the battle screen).

The battle system has something called IP (I never did figure out what it stands for, but I guess "Internal Power" or something like that isn't a bad guess). Think of it as something similar to the Limit Break of Final Fantasy VII (and keep in mind that it came before Final Fantasy VII).Instead of the special techniques being character-based, however, the equipment you have on determines what powers you can unleash. About equipment, there are swords, helmets, armors, and accessories, before equipment got streamlined in later RPGs. The techniques range from sheer physical attacks to element-based spells to healing magic (there's an armor called "Magic Bikini" that performs exceptional healing). Spells you learn as you gain experience points. There's also the now-standard option of placing warriors in the front-offensive line or the back-defensive line.

The truly innovative aspect of battles in Lufia II is the capsule monsters. Think of them as pets (was 1996 when those giga pet things were all the rage?). You don't grow completely dependent on them as you do the GFs (Guardian Force) in Final Fantasy VIII, nor do they replace anyone in battle like in Final Fantasy X. They're there when they're still alive, and they can perish just like your human (okay, there's an elf in the mix) companions. They can level up just like you as you feed them weapons. You can't control them, but they're an asset to any battle, usually hitting the enemies that are about to die, seldom forgetting to heal you if they can. They even take hits for you sometimes. Think the purple Cover Materia from Final Fantasy VII.

There's one who starts out as a pile of foam and eventually grows into a snowman of foam (how cool is that?). Another is a dog, starts out small, eventually gets armor, then it grows wings. The one I always preferred, for his strength, is one that begins as a radish but ultimately transforms into a Stonehenge-looking thing.

Outside of battle, however, is where the game really shines. Back in the day, before the Internet ruled the world, videogame magazines all had walkthroughs for this game revolving around one feature: the puzzles.

This is a page the creators obviously took from Zelda, but who's complaining? With a variety of on-screen items at your disposal, including a grappling hook, a fire arrow, an extendable hammer, and a reset hourglass (which you use very often after you mess up irreversibly with a puzzle), you solve anything from how to burn all the weeds in a garden before they re-grow to getting to the other side of the room without falling through a pit. Some of these puzzles drove me crazy, but they are arguably the heart and soul of the gameplay.

Let's admit it. RPGs have a lot of text. But Lufia II makes the text fun! Instead of the standard box that you can toggle between the top and the bottom of the screen (we're talking mid-90's here, okay? I'm well aware that dialogue boxes have come a long way), the game has bubbles (that's right, like in comic books), and the text is huge. If you needed to put on glasses to get through the text in Xenogears, you could relax, sit back, and enjoy the text that's so big it almost jumps out at you.

Onto the story: in short, the story of Lufia II is a love story. You are Maxim, father of the hero of the first Lufia. (When you start Lufia & the Fortress of Doom, you actually name the protagonist yourself, so you never learn his real name until you play Lufia II). All Lufia games feature a love story between a red-haired hero and a blue-haired heroine (green comes close enough-in Japanese, it's actually the same word).

There's a love triangle, and the three learn what it means to love each other, to protect what they love, to let go, and to have confidence in one another. And to be able to shed tears (that scene in the ending is one of the most touching in the entire game). If you ever needed to step aside for another guy or girl, you'll appreciate this character drama. There's also friendship and sibling love. One guy (you will understand my particular use of the word "guy" if you play the game) delves into the quest to save his sister. Another does it out of honor for his country and a friendly rivalry with two of the other characters. If you like Biggs and Wedge from the Final Fantasy, you're going to love the two thieves who come back to annoy you. One of the sinister Sinistrals (very creative, huh?) learn from the humans what it means to love. A story about the triumph of humans over "super beings."

Without giving anything concrete away, let's just say the ending of Lufia II prepared me for what happens at the end of Disc 1 in Final Fantasy VII. And I didn't even know it at the time.