For very personal reasons I was kinda in the right mindset to be blown away by the first one, like the conditions were perfect for it to just
hit me. And I prefer the characters, lore, and overall world and story BUT, I cannot deny how much better the actual environments and music are in 2, and environments and music are a big, big deal to me in games. Plus
the big reveal at the end is a huge treat for me, being a fan of the first game. So I think they kinda even out for me, too? I
love the first game, but 2's highs are friggin
high.
And one of 2's highs is Mitsuda, soooo