An often overlooked RPG for the SNES that is definately worth a download on the Virtual Console.
BOF2's story is pretty good, and does a good job of keeping you interested throughout the game. You play as an orphan named Ryu (You can actually name him whatever you want, up to four characters) that travels on an adventure that takes many twists and turns. After losing his mother at a very young age and his father disappearing shortly after, Ryu and his thief sidekick Bow are out for answers. One thing that's unique about the story is how Capcom integrated religion into it. Don't worry, this is by no means a religion-focused game and the religious aspect never gets in the way, but how Capcom used religion in the game works out great. By worshiping at shrines you can save your game. But would you rather save at the Shrine of St. Eva, or the Shrine of the Dragon God? It doesn't really matter too much, but the story does raise some questions. Many people you meet throughout the story say that "Stealing is a petty crime but St. Eva will forgive you." Another thing unique about the story is that in an item called the Dragon's Tear is in Ryu's possession. Whenever Ryu comes along an important character, the Dragon's Tear appears in the upper-right hand corner of the dialogue box. Depending on the color of the gem, you can tell how much a character likes or hates you. It's pretty cool to be able to tell which characters are evil before you even talk to them, or which characters will support you until the end. Whatever… I like the story, but enough of that.
As far as gameplay goes, BOF2 is pretty basic. While it isn't special by any means, BOF2's gameplay works, and that's all that matters. You navigate Ryu and his party around the overworld, and if you walk into a town, obviously you then enter the town and walk around there. You can find generic shops that sell items, weapons, armor, etc. You'll also find banks that store coins and items and inns that let you rest up and restore your health and action points. If you push start, you may notice an odd little monster dancing around. While he may not seem like much, he's actually pretty useful. The more active this little guy is, the more random encounters you're likely to face in the area you're in. Also unique about BOF2 is that each character has a field ability that they can perform in the overworld. Whether it's fishing, hunting, or simply helping you move around the overworld faster, these field abilities help make navigating the large overworld more exciting and a lot easier.
The music in BOF2 is great, and everything you hear sets the right mood for wherever you are at. The organ-like music is fitting for churches, the town music is soothing and relaxing, and the battle music (especially the boss battle music) sounds in place. I never had a Super Nintendo, but I've played a few games on it at friend's houses, on online emulators, etc., and I have to say, BOF2 has some of my favorite music for the system.
The battle system, again is nothing special, but, like I said before, it works. You select an action for each character to perform, and depending on your and the enemies speed, take turns attacking. Each character has a special ability that helps them in battle and may be able to use magic as well. Sometimes when attacking you'll score a special hit that causes massive damage to your enemies, and sometimes upon receiving a hit you can counter attack and score an extra hit. At the pause menu you can change your formation for battles, but I don't really notice much of a difference it makes which formation you pick. That's really all there is to say about the battle system… Boss fights are challenging and require strategy, especially when you need to make a decision whether to attack or defend.
While all these aspects of the game are great, BOF2 definitely has its share of flaws. I don't think I'm doing anything wrong in the game, but it always seems I'm nowhere near ready for the next part of the game, therefore I have to level grind and fight countless battles, which is monotonous as hell and takes forever. I think one of the worst parts of the game oddly enough is the poor translation that was present when the game originally came out. While this may not seem like a big deal, if you really care about the story, it is an issue. Dialogue sequences feel lifeless and characters lack personality with constant grammar issues and words misspelled here and there. But even worse is when it comes to well… Everything else. I just have to ask, how do you misspell the word rod? Well apparently Capcom thinks it should be spelled lod… Or how about the item Gold? Its description: "Be used for fishing" I swear I'm not making any of this up, it's that bad. And when was the last time you used gold for fishing? Do fish like shiny things? What were they thinking? And the game won't even let me sell it… I guess Gold isn't used for selling, it "be used for fishing…" And some of the items are named so weird it's impossible to even begin to think of what the actual name is supposed to be. Let's try Van.ext… Wanna take a stab at what it's supposed to do? It obviously heals all your party members by 100 hit points… Makes sense, right? Or how about the battle command "Sweh"… Without an in-game explanation, take a wild guess at what that does in battle. I could go on forever with awful examples of bad localization, but by now I think you get the picture. I honestly haven't seen translation this bad since Metal Gear on the NES.
Now while I just complained about only two issues for the game's downsides, those two issues weigh the game down from perfection. Don't get me wrong, this game is great, but these issues get in the way a lot. If you're looking for a lengthy and entertaining classic RPG, look no further than BOF2. With a long quest that takes around 40 hours to complete, unique ideas implemented in the gameplay and many other great things about it, BOF2 is a great game. All I have left to say is: BOF2: "Be a good game".