Not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. DQ2 is a solid upgrade from the first game, introducing RPG staples such as party members, sailing, and multiple enemies per battle. While the addition of multiple enemies and party members is nice, the battle system still retains most of its simplicity from the original DQ. This causes battles to feel longer and more drawn out in DQ2 rather than more interesting or complex. On the topic of battles, what is up with this encounter rate? It's so inconsistent, usually with random encounters in RPGs you have an idea of when a battle might start but in DQ2 it could be a single step from your last battle, or 2 dungeon floors later. Sailing in DQ2 opens up the entire world, and gives players the freedom to go where ever they desire. Sailing isn't perfect though, since the game doesn't restrict where you can go, every corner of the sea is filled with the same exact enemies. You are meant to fight these enemies for the rest of the adventure, so naturally, these enemies are much stronger than you when you first start sailing causing your ass handed to you. Overall as a sequel, Dragon Quest 2 feels like a natural expansion of the original Dragon Quest. It's ambitious at the cost of refinement but at the end of the day, I enjoyed myself.