I can’t figure out if I should want to play this or not.
I mean, if you like old 16-32 bit era jrpgs then yes, you should. I'm about 40 hours in and 3/8 of the way done with everyone's final chapters, not counting any endgame shit I decide to do. (I've also unlocked all 4 secret jobs by beating some optional bosses.)
Things some people dislike about the game, some of which I recognize as valid criticisms but haven't really detracted from my enjoyment:
-Chapter 1 is very disjointed. It's basically 8 intros over and over again.
-There's not a lot of interaction with your party members. There's some optional 1 on 1 (and later 3 member in chapter 4) banter sessions you can listen to but it's all very light, fluffy stuff.
-OH NOES RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
Having said that:
1. You can speedrun through all of everyone's Chapter 1's in like an hour if you don't give a shit about the stories
2. Stories in games are dumb, who cares, your characters are collections of numbers and abilities, quit being an asshole
3. Very early on in the game you'll get a skill that will halve (at least) the random encounter rate
If you PERSIST in caring about stories in your weeb vidya, I will say that at the very least everyone's INDIVIDUAL stories are well done. There's definable arcs throughout the chapters, good characterization, etc etc. There does not seem to be a grand overarcing plot where it's all interconnected, tho, so if you want that go watch anime and play with yourself.
Things this game does well:
-old fashioned turn based combat
-job system
-pretty sprites
-solid 40+ hours of gameplay
If that's not enough for you, this game ain't for you. No worries, there's plenty of games, play something you know you'll like. (demi should just shut up, he plays everything and has no taste)
It's probably a solid B, 8/10, 80% ish kinda game. But it does something that doesn't get done much anymore.