Final Fantasy II Part 5: The Assault on the Warship

Bofsk and the Sewers

When I enter Bofsk, I find a barren town. Even the grass is dead. I’m impressed because in the first game, everything was bright and green. Now I have been in a town full of snow and another town that was barren along with the normal green towns. I find out that the Dark Knight is away, and while he is in the capital city, Borgan continues to force the townspeople to work and build the Warship. I walk around to find a suspicious soldier on the side.

What are you doing over there by yourself?

When I utter Wild Rose, I find out that he is a rebel spy who has spotted a staircase. The stairs will take me to a sewer that connects Bofsk to the Warship, but I still have one question for the spy.

Couldn't I have just walked around the outside of town to get here?

Down the stairs, I find a series of water channels I have to navigate through. It is very mazelike, and I get memories of some of Final Fantasy’s dungeons.

Seriously, Minh. Why can't we use the canoe here?

Side effects of sewers--unsanitary conditions that lead to becoming a zombie. Does the Empire use bath salts?

Along the way, I fight several of the same monsters I fought before, including soldiers and balloons (the original bombs of the series; although I wonder why they are so weak to Fire!). Not much happens with stat growth, but at least I accumulate money for my trouble.

However, I still don’t understand poison! Sometimes my characters are able to stand right back up and shake it off, and at other times, they retain it over multiple rounds and carry it after battle. I also notice that sometimes they are poisoned and at other times they are envenomed. Thankfully, Minh knows Heal and patches up Guy.

Before the reach the Warship, I decide to exit the sewers to heal and save, but I'm met with an awful in-game device.

That's cheap!! 

Unable to leave the dungeon with Exit (even though I know I can just walk right out), I heal up and move on. I walk down a long tunnel and find an enemy blocking my path.

Uh oh!

 It's the Dark Knight! I guess it's boss time, so I set up my recording. Then, just for Square to tell me I'm stupid for wasting my time, he and Borgan run for it. On his way out, Borgan says a familiar line:

Did we do something that implies that we are an amorous bunch?

Bofsk Sewer Treasure Haul: a long sword, a long bow (really glad I didn’t go buy any new equipment yet!), and Pass

The Key to Destroying the Warship

I find out the ship is moving to Poft. I hurry my way back to find just about everyone in town gone. Cid tells me that the Warship requires the Sun Flame to operate but that it can also overload and destroy it (I guess gasoline probably works that way too. Don't you love combustion engines?). 

With this news in hand, I hurry back to Altea, where Hilda takes Minh back (Good thing I took his ether and Ice Scythe items away.) to care for the King. Hilda asks me to stop the Warship (like I should; she took Minh away from me!), and Minh tells me that the Sun Flame can be found at Kashuon, home of the Fire Festival. All I have to do is find the Egil Torch. Something tells me that without Minh, things are going to get tough, so I decide to buy Heal for Maria.

I guess not everybody thinks I can do it! 

Like leave my party? I blame this on you, Maria!

On the way out of the base, I go and visit Minh with the king. I find that laying wounded in bed has made the king a rather sorry sack:

Those are fighting words, your Majesty!

I learn that I need the Goddess Bell (This is starting to turn into a huge fetch quest!) to open the gate to Kashuon, but where can I find it?

Still unable to afford Mithril, I head back to Poft to see if Cid has any more information for me. He tells me nothing new. Without the Goddess Bell, I can't get into Kashuon, so I use the process of elimination to head back to Salmando and see if there are any clues there.

Guess saving the world isn't payment enough...

I remember Josef telling me that he would repay me for rescuing his daughter, so I tell him about the Goddess Bell and find out that it is hidden in a cave to the north. I can’t get in without Josef’s ice sled, and he joins my party (This game is all about keeping the full party!). Just to be safe, I swipe the garlic that is sitting in his inventory (I’m a terrible person!) and head on my way back to the Semite Cave.

Next time someone owes you for lunch or moving their furniture, request that they join your party!

No spells, but it looks like he fights with his fists. He looks strong enough!

The Hunt for the Ice Sled

Here’s something odd about Final Fantasy II: Even when there are only two enemies left, if one of them is hanging out in the back, I can’t harm him! When that happens, I use some magic to make him feel the pain.

Hey! You're not far behind that goblin. Come here, you wimp!

When I reach the Semite Cave, I head towards the blue stone, convinced that's where Josef is hiding the ice sled.

Still nothing here? I was convinced that would be what Josef was talking about!

While I make my return trip through Semite Cave, Josef shows me how cool he is in combat.

He wears a cape, has male pattern baldness, and can punch really hard! I wonder if he's upset about his hair? He may be weak to Hair Club for Men...

The best fights are the ones where I select which skills I want to use and build up, and then Josef automatically takes the initiative against a single enemy because he’s so much faster than my party. He takes the enemy out with one strike, and my characters gain the benefits of using the skills without actually consuming MP!

No Firion! You're supposed to let Josef attack first!

I can’t find the entrance anywhere, and I suspect that when Josef said ground floor, he meant the bottom of the cave. There’s only one way to find out, so I head down the stairs. I approach some familiar looking doors.

Thank God I've been documenting my playthrough! Time to look back at my notes...

I travel all the way down to find absolutely nothing, which convinces me that Josef really did mean ground floor as in the first floor, so I cast Exit and investigate the ice block after reading a FAQ.*

How long would I have taken to figure this out without a guide?

Well, it took way too long, but at least I got the ice sled and some money for  the fights.

With my money, I decide that I’d rather outfit my three party members (Josef seems strong enough) with bronze armors and helmets. I even buy Firion a bronze shield. I figure that things may get more difficult, and I’d rather have the defense up than another Life spell. Let’s hope that doesn’t screw me over! Time to head (further) north.

*You can find AKishan’s FAQ for Final Fantasy II at http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563414-final-fantasy-ii/faqs/10175. Thanks for being there when I had no clue what to do!

Coming next time! The Assault on the Warship Episode 2: Through the Ice to Get Some Fire?

Thanks for reading, and leave your comments below!