As for all Breath of Fire games, you play Ryu, a boy with (dormant, as you start the game) dragon powers living in the town of Gate. Since your father Ganer asked, you go look for your sister Yua in the back mountain. She goes there because, apparently, she can see your mother (who died a few years ago) when she sleeps there. You do too, but when coming back to the village, no ones remembers you, and the priest in your home claims to be Father Hulk. He nevertheless welcomes you, since St.Eva is a merciful God. That night, another orphan, Bow, invites you to quit the village because "there is nothing to steal". While walking in the cavern leading out of Gate, you encounter a powerful monster that says "You are the child for the mission". What mission?
The story then continues 10 years later, when you and Bow are rangers in Hometown. After completing your first mission, Bow gets caught in a story of thievery. While you are looking for the real culprit, you hear people talking about a God, whose reign is coming. Should you worry about it? Will you catch the thief and prove Bow's innocence?
Breath of Fire II is another great RPG masterpiece. The graphics are above-average for the time. Enemies are well drawn and do move and attack, although they don't go directly to you as in Breath of Fire I. Higher level magics push the SNES graph capacity to its limits.
I'm a little ambivalent towards the music. Although there are amazing tracks (White Wings, God of Decadence, A Crisis), many of them loop too quickly and sound a little too synthesized (Something's Frozen, Find the Truth). But they do have a realistic feel, especially "church" music (God of Decadence, Please God).
The story is the greatest strength in this game. There are 3 possible endings, all main characters play a part in the story (and you even learn a little about their past when they play their part), there are many surprises in the plot and many more surprises that will keep you awaken for long hours. I think only Breath of Fire III beats II with respect to the number of surprises.
The gameplay is the second strength of this game. The sidequests in this game are numerous : shaman hunting, allowing you to build much stronger characters, village building, where you can hire tenants that will sell you exclusive weaponry, a secret character and many secret weapons. Fishing and hunting are more elaborate; some of the strongest weapons can only be accessed through fishing.
Of course, as it is the case with many RPG, level grinding is an essential, especially when attacking the last dungeon. Fortunately, somewhere on the planet, there is a "Monster Island" where the monsters, while indeed very strong, are worth many, many experience points.
In conclusion, Breath of Fire II is a must try for any RPG fan. It has excellent graphs, good music, addictive gameplay and incredible story. Just remember to explore everywhere you can and be merciful at times