Even the stories are "shallow" basic stuff as well. You have the good guys and the badguys who are trying to takeover/destroy the world because evil. Or in Count Bleck's case because sad. There is no real moral complexity, no deeper meanings, no intricate political or philosophical themes to be explored.
It's all simple and basic because these games were meant to be played by anyone of any age, including small children.
Also for somebody like you I'd probably recommend more action oriented rpgs like the Tales of series or the mana series. Those are pretty good places to start.