Final Fantasy II Part 12: Unsealing Forbidden Magic

Where Am I?


As if FF2 said, “Screw you; you don’t get to go to Mysidia Tower yet,” I am inside yet another dungeon, this time without Layla.

It’s as if I got teleported into the final level of Contra, or a level in Life Force, or the set of Aliens! 

I take a step into what I think is water, only to be greeted with a flashing screen, much like the Ice Cave or the Volcano in FF1.

Ack! We've gone to Game Boy mode!

Just like in FF1, it appears I lose HP with each step, but I don’t have to fight monsters while in the “water”.

What the heck? There are people here?

I find out that I am in the inside of Leviathan’s stomach! Apparently, Leviathan is so big in this game that he can eat and maintain an entire village. There is a man blocking my way. I try saying some phrases, but he gives me smarmy comebacks. When I say Hiryuus, he says, “They are almost extinct. Everyone knows that.” Instead of slapping him, I show him the Crystal Rod, and he starts spilling. He is Richard, a Dragoon who is also searching for Ultima. He tells me that he will help me fight the beast that is blocking our way out of Leviathan. Maria wonders whether Richard knows the fate of the Dragoons but decides to be cruel and say nothing directly to Richard about it.

Richard looks a lot like a Dark Knight in his character portrait. Hmmm...Dark Knight...Are you the Dark Knight who's been harassing me throughout my journey?

An old man tells me that Leviathan only swallows groups of people who bear a Crystal Rod (How many Crystal Rods have they made anyway?). Before I leave, I take a look around my surroundings.

This is the pool, where kids can swim in Leviathan's stomach acid!

Stay in one of Leviathan's five beds!

Need a place to store your stuff or read a book? Check out Leviathan's glorious storage room and library!

Disappointed that I can’t sleep in one of Leviathan’s comfortable-looking beds, I move on with my new comrade. 

Eww, the acid is green instead of orange now!

If a Sea Dragon is making waves in Leviathan's stomach, does that mean it is sending waves of stomach acid at them? Ouch!

Once I start seeing teeth, I realize that I am in Leviathan’s mouth. There is a worm guarding a ship, and the only way it’s going to move is if it dies. Bring it on!.


The Worm is terribly strong. If it hits critical, it almost does 1,000 damage against one party member! Things get desperate as Richard and Guy die, so while Maria tries to heal herself, Firion switches to the Blood Sword and attacks in an attempt to drain its HP. This results in 750 damage, finishing the Worm off! According to the FF Wiki, the Blood Sword does insane damage against enemies with a large amount of HP. While I’m glad I won this fight, I do not think I will plan to use the Blood Sword against bosses in the future because it feels like cheating. You can read more about the Blood Sword in the series at http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Sword. 


...although it can be fun to cheat!


In such a rush to get out of there, I get into a random encounter against five enemies, but it’s a pre-emptive strike! Firion flees the battle, and I take a trip to Altea to save and replenish my items before entering Mysidia Tower.

Leviathan Treasure Haul: Spiral Helmet, Power Armor, Power Gauntlets, Diamond Shield (guarded by monsters), and Earth Sword


The Mysidian Tower

Wow! All I did was walk up to the door. We've gone Game Boy again!!

The Mysidian Tower has new music that I can rock out to while I climb its many floors. I call the first floor the “Floor of the Canes” because almost every chest has a Cane in it. I throw them away from my inventory, hoping that I don’t need them later on. The next two floors make up the “Fire Floors” because I find flame equipment in the chests.

Even in the Mysidian Tower, there are doors that lead to nothing! Will this follow me to the end of the game?

This burns so much, but at least I can skip some random encounters, 1 HP per step!

When I turn the corner, I find a former foe.

Gigas! Let's see how much my characters have grown!

Sweet justice!

Among the enemies in Mysidia Tower, I battle with Imps, the Mysidian Tower's “screw you!” to quick victories. While they are easy to kill in one or two hits, an Imp can cast Charm 16, which confuses Guy and Richard often because 16 is the maximum level for spells. When a character is confused, he will attack himself or a party member, and unlike later entries in the series, hitting a confused person will not end it. I also find Large Malboros, which can poison and paralyze a character it hits.


When I reach the next room, I find a mage guarding the staircase. As if a regular Gigas wasn’t hard enough, now I have to fight the Fire Gigas! Check it out below.


As you can see, the Fire Gigas has two main attacks: Fire 16 and Rock, a strong physical attack. Thankfully, none of his attacks can really kill me, so I take my time and finish him off. Before continuing, Firion casts Exit so I can save my game and sell off some extra treasures. So far, I haven’t had to use a single Ether thanks to Aspil!

Seriously? You should have heard about this by now!

That's 11 key items filling up my inventory! Can't I store them somewhere?

Must be the Ice Floors.

Predictably so, I call the next few floors the “Ice Floors”. Just like in FF1, I find water so cold that it burns me (turning Game Boy on me) with each step, 1 HP at a time.  The only threat in this area is the Basilisk, yet another enemy that can petrify me! I hope that Maria learns a version of Heal that cures stone soon.


Then I reach a mage in blue, and I already know it’s Ice Gigas time. Firion equips the Flame Sword, and Maria equips the Flame Bow, although I wonder whether her Fire 6 will be stronger. Check it out below.


Like his fiery cousin, the Ice Gigas has a strong physical attack. However, he chooses to spread out his magic attack, giving me a chance to buff the party before my assault. Maria casts Fire 6, and the damage is so high that I stick with it instead of trying out the Flame Bow. All in all, Ice Gigas is easy, and although it is getting repetitive, I leave and save because I’d rather be safe than make it all the way to the top and get a game over.

The Purple Floor! Josef would have loved it...

Strange. Shouldn't there be an elemental Gigas here too?

I pass through the "Purple Floor" and enter a white room with several pillars and doors leading to empty rooms. In the next room, I find the mage that I was expecting to find in the purple floor. When I speak with him, he becomes the Thunder Gigas. Check it out below.




Unlike his two elemental cousins, the Thunder Gigas is not to be trifled with! I quickly realize that if I don't get a move on, he can very easily take out my party. Thankfully, just like with the Commander Gotus battle, the Thunder Gigas is not smart enough to focus on one character at a time. I manage to win with only one casualty, Guy. Instead of exiting and saving, I decide that I am going for the top. I heal and begin what I hope is the final climb.


In the next floor, I find a hallway with long corridors that branch into several doors. All of them except for one are empty, and the one that isn't empty leads to the next floor. However, at the end of the corridor, I find the Flare spell, which is guarded by an Evil Flower and Commander Gotus.

Wait, Commander Gotus? I killed him! How did he end up in a treasure chest?

Thankfully, Commander Gotus is easier than before, as he only attacks me this time. He drops a Bacchus item, which raises my attack power for one battle. Then on the next floor, I find the Black Robe, which is being guarded by a Dragon in a treasure box. Surprise boss battle!




The sudden change to the boss music freaks me out, and at first, I feel completely out of my element. However, once the Dragon misses the first time and then uses Ice 16 the subsequent rounds to underwhelming results, I realize that I have this fight in the bag. Maria uses ElderIQ, which raises her Intelligence, and casts Fire 7, which tears the Dragon to pieces. In case you are wondering why Maria does not have her bow equipped, it's because I read that while bows are good, she should not have it equipped or in the item slot when casting magic so there is less of a penalty. The jury is still out on this one, but it sounds like conventional wisdom from multiple sources.

At the top of the Tower, you pull this stunt again?

I head into the door with the stairs and find Minh waiting for me at the top.

Minh! You're a sight for sore eyes!

He tells me that he is going to focus all of his power on the door. 

The doors's been...thunderstruck!

After his amazing display of power, Minh falls to the ground. 

If it's a concussion, Minh really shouldn't fall aslee--oh...Thanks you sweet fool!

I found the ORBS!! Just kidding...

I step inside of the sealed chamber and find five orbs. I gain strength, speed, intelligence, soul, and the Ultima spell. Without question, Maria learns the forbidden spell, and I make my way to Altea to heal and celebrate.


Mysidia Tower Treasure Haul: 3 Canes, White Robe, Flame Bow, Flame Spear, Flame Shield, Flame Sword, Flame Armor, Flame Helmet, Ice Shield, Ice Gauntlets, Ice Armor, Ice Spear, Ice Sword, Potion, Evil Cane, Unicorn, Shoes, Thread, Flare spell, Eggtimer, Crucifix, Black Robe, Ultima spell!

What the...?

Coming next time! Impending Destruction!

Thanks for reading, and leave your comments below!