Advanced
It's an anime pilgrimage story that goes the tedious plot route of old RPG stories where it tries to get the protagonists to fix problems along their pilgrimage. Though the story isn't always like that, one thing I do like is when they subvert these expectations at times, so it's not all just cheesy "Save everyone you come across" journey while you're pilgrimaging. Though I should mention the story's voice acting can be bothersome at times, it really shines in the battles.
So the biggest selling points of this game: three things: It's combat, bosses and class system.
The combat system is a toned down version of Kingdom Hearts. Less action pack and freedom, but it makes up for it by having a well tuned elemental system. As you play the game, you'll encounter more party members who fit a branch of fighting styles you might like. however, this changes based on their class system which i'll get into later on.
Fighting monsters can be a little repetitive sometimes, but they have their quirks. Mostly taking some inspiration from Secret of Mana, the monsters in this game may seem like simple reskins, but they have other elemental properties that can make it tricky depending on what part of the game you're on. one monster might've been a fire wolf who occassionally burned you by biting, but then you meet the ones that chain stun you with ice, leading to a game over. However, the part of the game that instantly sold me over how good this game was undoubtfully the boss battles. These guys are not just simple scripted boss battles. While regular monsters follow a passive combat system, the boss battles kick up the animation and arena effects spectacularly out of nowhewre and suddenly you get what is essentially a movie quality boss battle. I went through the boss battles a few times just to eye the details of how one boss responded to certain magic and how he tracked the party as he fought. It definitely left a lasting impression of how good Square could push the graphics system these days. Especially with simple things like snow, water, fire and dirt.
Last but not least, the class system. I think honestly Square has always been good with class systems in every game they made and this is no exception. However, what makes the class system so good in this is not just the elemental properties and power, but the party members are not as cut and clean as you would initially expect as you choose their classes. with eight elementals and a full party, you'll be pleasantly surprised as you see the list of classes and elemental powers that the game displays - all with the anime flair that comes with it. (And the transformation sequences are kick ass the first around, too)
If i had an honest critique about the game, it's that the game follow tried and true repetitive JRPG tactics like in the old days, but thanks to the classes and bosses, you'll be enjoying experimenting to your heart's content with a game like this and I personally enjoyed toying around with the classes and bosses thanks to it. I hope to see some more cool Mana series games like this.
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"Hey! I'm a nerd!" - Fenneko, Aggretsuko