I grew up hearing the stories about how FF2 was the worst entry in the series my a long shot. Knowing that I tempered my expectations as I dove into the Pixel Remaster for the sake of trying it anyway. And maybe it was because I expected the game to be so bad that I ended up enjoying the game the way I did.
Gameplay:
The game is an experiment on removing the classic leveling system with a reactive stat bonus system that raises the stats you use, and for the most part it gets the job done. Your attacker gets more strength, your caster gets more intelligence and your healer gets more spirit, whoever you choose them to be and they all get more weapon experience based on what they have equipped.
Where it fails is in the magic system that also relies on you using a spell to level it up. This has the disadvantage of causing every spell you learn to start at rank 1. It's the end of the game and you just learned Flare. This would normally be a great boon, but instead as a rank 1 spell, it does minimal damage until you rank it up through use. Weapons/Armor also provide penalties to your magic damage that the game does not communicate to you about.
Story:
The game does a good job of sending you to every corner of the map as the story progresses with some entertaining developments, though it will constantly make you backtrack to the main town to report to the princess. This is good in that it helps you form a bond with her as a supporting character, but is bad in that the constant backtracking after every story moment is annoying, and even when you know where to go next, the plot will refuse to advance until you report your progress.
Overall, I think this game is worth playing as a novelty. Just to see how such a game once existed. Don't go in expecting a great game and you may just have a good time.
Gameplay:
The game is an experiment on removing the classic leveling system with a reactive stat bonus system that raises the stats you use, and for the most part it gets the job done. Your attacker gets more strength, your caster gets more intelligence and your healer gets more spirit, whoever you choose them to be and they all get more weapon experience based on what they have equipped.
Where it fails is in the magic system that also relies on you using a spell to level it up. This has the disadvantage of causing every spell you learn to start at rank 1. It's the end of the game and you just learned Flare. This would normally be a great boon, but instead as a rank 1 spell, it does minimal damage until you rank it up through use. Weapons/Armor also provide penalties to your magic damage that the game does not communicate to you about.
Story:
The game does a good job of sending you to every corner of the map as the story progresses with some entertaining developments, though it will constantly make you backtrack to the main town to report to the princess. This is good in that it helps you form a bond with her as a supporting character, but is bad in that the constant backtracking after every story moment is annoying, and even when you know where to go next, the plot will refuse to advance until you report your progress.
Overall, I think this game is worth playing as a novelty. Just to see how such a game once existed. Don't go in expecting a great game and you may just have a good time.