the story is like reading a manga, watching an anime, the family sacrifices from Mina to Rands mom, to Valerie and the Church being evil (catholic conspiracy) man this needs a remake!
This was the game that got me into RPGs. I found chrono trigger and FF6 shortly after. That was a good series of game discoveries. I’ve played through BotF2 nearly once a year for the past 25 years. Despite knowing it inside and out, I still enjoy this game so much! There’s a few nearly game breaking moments for first time players, I remember almost rage quitting my first time through (playing solo as Sten…) but if you’ve prepared Sten it’s not that bad. You just don’t know to prepare him if it’s your first play through and since he sucks you likely weren’t using him much. Despite a few hiccups, the story and characters are fantastic here.
And cameo from the first game Karn Bo(Wolf) White winged Nina and hidden character Bleu Final Fantasy you get an airship BOF II you get a Flying Village
There's two places that you can get stuck if you don't use certain characters- the solo Sten section in Highfort, and the solo Rand battle in FarmTown. I don't use either, so the solo Rand battle is like an exercise in frustration...
@@rainfeather2997, Rand is one of the best characters. I prefer Bow as my healer cause his speed is good. But I definitely use Rand till Bow comes back. My final party is usually Ryu, Rand, Bow, Nina, but sometimes I might substitute another in Rand's place. When you say stuck, you actually mean at a disadvantage from low level. With Sten you can level up in the basement. With Rand you'll just have to lose and start again. Sten should have no trouble with his 1 on 1 boss fight if you're around level 18. Even at lower levels, it just becomes a battle where you go 2nd after the faster character. Rand is always going to go 2nd, unless you leveled up way too much.
God I loved watching this so much. BoF2 was the first game I've ever purchased with my own money and this franchise still holds alot of weight to me. I forgot just how messed up the main casts stories were until this video lol
Your videos are amazing, fun summaries I like to watch while doing housework. These old games are so good but were not easily accessible in my country growing up and now I'm too spoilt by new games to have the patience for old mechanics so this is ideal
Never got a chance to beat this game as a kid, and found out this video and your channel give me exactly what I’m looking for about old games! Very succinct and entertaining, thank you!
I was around 15 when this game released. The dark themes to the gray areas was mind stimulating and opened me to question what was taught in religions. For this, I'll always hold this game in a special place.
The takeaway: don't allow vicious people to twist the desire for spiritual healing against the masses and enslave their hearts and minds to their evil ends.
I seriously hope this means you'll be doing number 3 soon. It was the only BoF game I played but enjoyed the hell out of it. For me it was right up there with Final Fantasy 7.
@@mauricepritchardjr1574 I appreciate Oni for these synopses as I don't have the time or resources to spend playing decades old JRPGs I never got the chance to finish or even experience as a child.
@@bronsontolliver9027 emulate it Capcom already said they are not launching new games on the series since the JRPG market is too competitive these days, but that doesnt mean you cant just do it also the gba port of this game fix most of the translation errors from the snes and adds some flair to the game
@@obananagato Emulators will not make the day any longer. I've got a job, I've got family, I've got obligations that require much of me and leave me with little time to spend dozens of hours on games from decades ago. That's why I appreciate Oni for the work he does. This channel has brought me the stories of and closure to games I may not have the time to fully experience even with emulation or remakes on different systems (which I don't currently own).
Notifications turned on and I still missed this! Dang, I had some classic late nights with my sister and cousin just playing this and other games. Good times.
Excellent review, loved this game growing up and started replaying it earlier this month. It’s insane how bad the random encounter rate is, no clue how I made it through as a kid lol. Otherwise the music and character design still holds up to this day
You've reminded me how this is one of my fav rpgs of all time, after I'm done re-playing Skies of Arcadia I think I will have to do another playthrough. Great video!
Wow, you'd think a game like this would've sold a million copies in just the US alone. Sad it didn't even sell half a million worldwide. It deserves a PS5 remake.
Capcom probably didn't make them soon enough, with this coming out so late in SNES's lifecycle. They didn't market it all that much either. But yes, I think this series deserves that success, it's an absolutely killer concept with a ton of personality that always innovated in an interesting way.
Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that the OG Nina cost the Bird Clan their power of flight/"Big Bird" simply because she married outside the clan...? Like, I know the deities in the BoF franchise are petty and cruel af, but that's just beyond mean. EDIT: Also, having just watched the speedrun, I can't believe you showed the Switch Glitch. "Making necessary preparations," beats grinding
What an amazing video! Breath of Fire 2 is forever in my heart and is the game responsible for my love of jRPGS. Your video did it justice, and the way you told the story was perfect. Thank you!
This is honestly the the first video game i ever played I adore this slept on gem wonky English translation and all lol here's to hoping the franchise gets revitalized one day
I always referred to Bow as bo, thinking it was like the wolf of the 1st game but spelled different, and possibly representing his weapon. Why would it be bow as in bow down?
No matter the ending there is tragedy. In this "good" ending Ryu's little sister Yua/Patty was last seen beyond the gate with the dragon clan down below. It is all but confirmed that she will spend the rest of her life separated from her father and brother.
I grew up calling him "Bow" because his main weapon is a Cross Bow... I was thinking that was the Japanese Pun they were doing... Not because he's a Dog.... If that was the case would not his name be " Wof"? ;-P
I can add them to the queue; I still have my copy of Magna Carta: Trails of Blood (and young dumb me tore the poster inside)... dunno about Tears to Tiara but I have Tear to Tiara 2
I remembered playing and passing this game back in the 90s. A lot of the story don't remember. Guess I need to play Breath of Fire 1 and then 2 again when I have a chance :)
Hulk sees the Mania running wild on him
Hahahaha
One of my favorite RPGs of all time. This storyline was before it's time.
Literally a jrpg where it starts with rescuing a pet and ends with defeating God
"Hulk sees the mania running wild on him"
Had to genuinely pause and get snapped back into reality after hearing that lmao
Jean being an actual frog is such a good setup
Loved the references to the DK rap with Sten!
this is my second favorite game in the series, the characters' designs are charming, especially Ryu and Nina.
What is your first?
BOF 4
the story is like reading a manga, watching an anime, the family sacrifices from Mina to Rands mom, to Valerie and the Church being evil (catholic conspiracy) man this needs a remake!
You were the Number 1 Breath of Fire video last year. And this year I'd bet It's be the same
What really?! That's awesome! I LOVE this dudes channel and still come back to it to re-watch some recaps.
@@wiseguise5960 Same!
This was the game that got me into RPGs. I found chrono trigger and FF6 shortly after. That was a good series of game discoveries.
I’ve played through BotF2 nearly once a year for the past 25 years. Despite knowing it inside and out, I still enjoy this game so much! There’s a few nearly game breaking moments for first time players, I remember almost rage quitting my first time through (playing solo as Sten…) but if you’ve prepared Sten it’s not that bad. You just don’t know to prepare him if it’s your first play through and since he sucks you likely weren’t using him much.
Despite a few hiccups, the story and characters are fantastic here.
Tales of phantasy. Terranigma..
And cameo from the first game Karn Bo(Wolf) White winged Nina and hidden character Bleu Final Fantasy you get an airship BOF II you get a Flying Village
There's two places that you can get stuck if you don't use certain characters- the solo Sten section in Highfort, and the solo Rand battle in FarmTown. I don't use either, so the solo Rand battle is like an exercise in frustration...
@@rainfeather2997,
Rand is one of the best characters.
I prefer Bow as my healer cause his speed is good. But I definitely use Rand till Bow comes back.
My final party is usually
Ryu, Rand, Bow, Nina,
but sometimes I might substitute another in Rand's place.
When you say stuck, you actually mean at a disadvantage from low level.
With Sten you can level up in the basement. With Rand you'll just have to lose and start again.
Sten should have no trouble with his 1 on 1 boss fight if you're around level 18. Even at lower levels, it just becomes a battle where you go 2nd after the faster character.
Rand is always going to go 2nd, unless you leveled up way too much.
Try Suikoden 2 if you haven't =)
Bof3 and bof2 are my favorite in the franchise. Also have my favorite incarnations of Nina, who is my favorite character.
Shes so cute in 3 , fascinating in 1 but 2 has my favorite Nina
God I loved watching this so much. BoF2 was the first game I've ever purchased with my own money and this franchise still holds alot of weight to me. I forgot just how messed up the main casts stories were until this video lol
Your videos are amazing, fun summaries I like to watch while doing housework. These old games are so good but were not easily accessible in my country growing up and now I'm too spoilt by new games to have the patience for old mechanics so this is ideal
On a good emulator you can speed everything up heaps. Unfortunately they dont leave that in when they remake them.
Never got a chance to beat this game as a kid, and found out this video and your channel give me exactly what I’m looking for about old games! Very succinct and entertaining, thank you!
I was around 15 when this game released. The dark themes to the gray areas was mind stimulating and opened me to question what was taught in religions. For this, I'll always hold this game in a special place.
"Hulk sees the mania running wild on him" .... I just spit my drink everywhere lmao
I’ve been playing this on Switch, and I’m about half way through. Holy shit so many people die! Certainly way more than the first game 😓
Great recapitation! Ive really fallen in love with these games stories.
Out of all the BOF series i think this one would make the best anime.
I searched in the comment section if one of them thinking making anime the bof2 lol we have the same idea.
Thank you for bringing theae characters back to life. Such rich story... Your recaps bring me back to my childhood as a mother's embrace
The takeaway: don't allow vicious people to twist the desire for spiritual healing against the masses and enslave their hearts and minds to their evil ends.
I knew you would work on this masterpiece of a game. You're the best, have an awesome holiday
I seriously hope this means you'll be doing number 3 soon. It was the only BoF game I played but enjoyed the hell out of it. For me it was right up there with Final Fantasy 7.
The adventure of Warrior Ryu
i love Breath of Fire 2 story , my favorite among the series 🥰 anyway i got the sad ending on my first gameplay
Same here, "I'm Sorry Dad!" 😭
Don't worry, that's the better ending.
Anyone who has the good ending on the first play through, without looking up guides, is lying.
You did everything right =).
You should make an “awfully suspicious” compilation.
Love this video. Back again
You have saved me countless hours of grinding through so many games with these recaps.
He saves you nothing, these games are worth playing 1 way or another
It's the exact opposite for me. Seeing this short video of a fantastic classic makes me want to play it for myself.
@@mauricepritchardjr1574 I appreciate Oni for these synopses as I don't have the time or resources to spend playing decades old JRPGs I never got the chance to finish or even experience as a child.
@@bronsontolliver9027 emulate it
Capcom already said they are not launching new games on the series since the JRPG market is too competitive these days, but that doesnt mean you cant just do it
also the gba port of this game fix most of the translation errors from the snes and adds some flair to the game
@@obananagato Emulators will not make the day any longer. I've got a job, I've got family, I've got obligations that require much of me and leave me with little time to spend dozens of hours on games from decades ago. That's why I appreciate Oni for the work he does. This channel has brought me the stories of and closure to games I may not have the time to fully experience even with emulation or remakes on different systems (which I don't currently own).
This was the first full rpg I ever finished as a kid (outside of maybe Pokemon) and it's stuck with me all these years. Love this series!
Great recap, I love this game so much. Its my favorite in the series and one of my favorite games period.
Great job ONI!!! We chatted a little when you were grinding and recording this recapitation, waiting for BOF III!!!
oh hey you finally got around to making it. Watching the playthough was a lot of fun
Love this game. Made me rethink about religion at an early age.
Notifications turned on and I still missed this! Dang, I had some classic late nights with my sister and cousin just playing this and other games. Good times.
Haven't played this since Jr High school so many years ago. Ty!!
So many Dk64 puns
Excellent review, loved this game growing up and started replaying it earlier this month. It’s insane how bad the random encounter rate is, no clue how I made it through as a kid lol. Otherwise the music and character design still holds up to this day
So glad you posted this, literally was thinking about it a few days ago!
Thank you for still making videos! I love your work!!
"Hulk sees the mania running wild on him" ...You are a gentleman of culture and taste.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this game! Wished RPG's were like this one these days. This was a gem.
Back then Story was quite a lot more important.
Nice! I love the Donkey Kong 64 references you made.
This is one of those games where I got lost near the end and never finished... kids have it so easy these days :p
Growing up, I loved this series. This video is a great reminder of why... with all these "remasters" coming out, this game would be a great candidate.
Man, it's like if I asked for this video since I came back to play BoF II a week ago. Great video, thanks.
Another great Breath of Fire Recap, only III and Dragon Quarter are left to recap on.
Brilliant series! Thank you Oni Black mage
You've reminded me how this is one of my fav rpgs of all time, after I'm done re-playing Skies of Arcadia I think I will have to do another playthrough. Great video!
3:12 Love the Metal Gear reference.
Wow, you'd think a game like this would've sold a million copies in just the US alone. Sad it didn't even sell half a million worldwide. It deserves a PS5 remake.
Capcom probably didn't make them soon enough, with this coming out so late in SNES's lifecycle. They didn't market it all that much either. But yes, I think this series deserves that success, it's an absolutely killer concept with a ton of personality that always innovated in an interesting way.
@@hitkid2456 Aye, it's a good RPG released at a bad time with poor marketing.
BOF2 had so many cool mechanics.
Just started playing this game on the switch I love it so far
Great video man. I loved this game back in d day
“Hulk sees the mania running wild on him” haha
BoF 2's translation is often considered the game's worst aspect. I _highly_ recommend the retranslation patch, it's brilliant.
Try gba version
What is breath of fire 2?
A Masterpiece
The Breath of Fire series is one of my most beloved JRPGs. I liked it more than FF and DQ at the time.
What an amazing recap. Thank you for your work!!
I played this game before and beat it but I got the ending with Ryu turning into the dragon to seal the doors by himself.
Personally, I think that's the better ending.
Long awaited ... took you forever
My favorite Breath of Fire game. Good video!
Nice. This makes me want to start this again and actually beat it this time. lol
Ok you get a like just for the tactical espionage tactics line. That one was hilarious.
I honestly feel these videos will continue to be poignant on the UA-cam landscape for years and years to come.
Aye. The consistency and subject matter is top notch
I've beaten this 6-7 times and I still didn't remember so many of these details. Thanks for the breakdown!
Oni you are the BEST! Thanks for your hard work 👍
Love this game, playing through it again on my old SNES; the cartridge battery kept my save state from almost 25 years ago.
The dude boiling the pet pig always make me laugh
Since there wasn't any clips of what beast race Bleu was, I thought her below waist section was actually a green sleeping bag
Hehe
Monkeys together strong
The story is so good and emotional. A shame they didn't continue this series.
one my favorite games, flaws and all
I do like the Breath of Fire series, you know what else I like, The Star Ocean series
I didn't get notified of this video, I'm subbed with the bell on all, just letting you know.
Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that the OG Nina cost the Bird Clan their power of flight/"Big Bird" simply because she married outside the clan...?
Like, I know the deities in the BoF franchise are petty and cruel af, but that's just beyond mean.
EDIT: Also, having just watched the speedrun, I can't believe you showed the Switch Glitch.
"Making necessary preparations," beats grinding
Yes, but it's not really mean,
it's a matter of genetics.
Actually a plot device.
Deus Ex Alis
Yes, but the Hapsburgs and a quarter of Appalachia would like a word with you.
“Tactical espionage action.” Hilarious
I use your channel for games that I put down and pick back up to play again
I watch this everyday
What an amazing video! Breath of Fire 2 is forever in my heart and is the game responsible for my love of jRPGS. Your video did it justice, and the way you told the story was perfect. Thank you!
🤦♂️😹🤷♂️
if you noticed a lot of the demon bosses represented a seven deadly sin
This is honestly the the first video game i ever played I adore this slept on gem wonky English translation and all lol here's to hoping the franchise gets revitalized one day
best RPG ever, wish there could be more like it
I always referred to Bow as bo,
thinking it was like the wolf of the 1st game but spelled different, and possibly representing his weapon.
Why would it be bow as in bow down?
Great job!! Breath of fire 5 next plz👊🏾
No matter the ending there is tragedy. In this "good" ending Ryu's little sister Yua/Patty was last seen beyond the gate with the dragon clan down below. It is all but confirmed that she will spend the rest of her life separated from her father and brother.
That's not tragedy
Yeah, I wish they had did something more with Patty after that.
It is sort of hinted at that she is in Dolhogany, but never clearly said.
Bow is pronounced Bo, just like the grassrunner archer Bo from the first game
That alone made me dislike this video.
Another great video. I hope this means BOF3 will happen soon in the future
Can't wait for BoF III's recap.
Breath of Fire III next, my favorite!
Man I love this game
I grew up calling him "Bow" because his main weapon is a Cross Bow... I was thinking that was the Japanese Pun they were doing... Not because he's a Dog.... If that was the case would not his name be " Wof"? ;-P
How about " Cain-eye"...
His name is Bosch Doggie in Japan.
@@vladv5126 Thanks for sharing that insight Buddy!
@@oonegro82 no worries, I'm a big fan of the BoF series and number 2 was my first one 😁
@@vladv5126 Indubitably! Same here Guy!!
Finally number 2! :D
Thank you very much for this recap. I tried playing this game as a kid but I always got stuck after getting the whale 😅
Hello, can you do Tears to Tiara or Magna Carta trails of blood? Theres not a single recap in the whole internet.
I can add them to the queue; I still have my copy of Magna Carta: Trails of Blood (and young dumb me tore the poster inside)... dunno about Tears to Tiara but I have Tear to Tiara 2
I remembered playing and passing this game back in the 90s. A lot of the story don't remember. Guess I need to play Breath of Fire 1 and then 2 again when I have a chance :)
Honestly better to skip BOF1.
The story isn't as good.
It doesn't tell you any back story to this game that you won't hear in this game.
"Hulk sees the mania running wild on him... "
BOOO
I can't wait for 3.
Jesus Christ. So many twists you'd think Shamalamdingdong learned his craft from this game.
yo cant wait for ur BOF3 recapitation!
One of the best game ever!!!