The gameplay is changed significantly in this one from the first, and unfortunately it doesn't really work for me. They attempted a more realistic leveling system where performing actions levels up the corresponding stat. In theory this would lead to your characters specializing in whatever they use most, but in practice it's tedious and you have to exploit it in unintended ways to level anything to high levels.

The story is far darker than the first, to the point where you can just assume everyone you meet is going to die shortly after they stop being useful. I do commend them for attempting a more serious plot and characters, and it does work for the most part.

Overall this is one of the weakest FF games, and I'd recommend skipping it if you're only interested in playing the good ones. It has a few good ideas, but the tedious gameplay really holds it back.

edit: killing the final boss and then going to hell and kicking his ass AGAIN was so funny I added .5 stars to my final score