Originally Posted by
yanazake
1: Well, not sure about the difference, but about exploration, if you get back to older areas, sometimes under special conditions, new things may happen.
2: The KA-CHING! [seriously, this is the best name for money I ever saw in a game] You use it to make new units and make some items in the newer versions if I remember well. You had to gather items most of the time and use them with the money.
3: there are secret bosses, mostly related to the first part.
4: The plot as far as I remember is that they're searching for "World's end". in the meanwhile, all sort of stuff happens. A rival tribe tries to stop them, their shaman is kidnaped, they learn how to draw powers from old spirits [a sort of special attack], and when they think they reached the end of their quest, ... ok this is a spoiler, but links the first game to the second. The story goes on, they find an ancient hero to help them go on, a new rival tribe appears... The story IS simple, I admit, but it's not lacking. There are scenes between set stages.