Here via ff_press and I quite enjoyed this essay! II is one of my favorites in the series. It really does lay the groundwork for a lot of elements that make an FF game recognizable. And I agree with the person above me that while no, it doesn't have the intricacies of later games, it is still quite charming and has interesting characters in its own right.

I also think it has a lot of depth and emotional impact, if you're willing to look for it, and you can really see the toll that the Emperor takes on the world. When you explore the towns and they get further destroyed as you go on is bad enough. But after the Cyclone, it's so incredibly chilling to see only little rubble squares in the place of nearly every inhabited place you've been.