While many JRPGs rush to show you the end of the world, the game is content to let you walk through it's world, helping locals and watching the bond between Estelle and Joshua grow. Add in an excellent, in-depth combat system and a colourful cast of companions this should be a must play if you're a fan of the genre.
The game is full of personality. At first I was a bit indifferent about Estelle and Joshua, but I quickly grew to them. Especially Estelle, some might find her "anime-isms" annoying or off putting but I found them fun and this is perfectly balanced by Joshua being a more serious and calm character.
The Orbment system, which acts as the games skill system ,is addictive. Balancing your elemental values to unlock specific high-level skills feels like a rewarding puzzle. I found myself constantly chopping and changing what each character had equipped.
The combat is a blend of traditional turn-based RPG mechanics, tactical, grid-based movement and a slightly more action oriented mode. You can freely engage, attack and dodge enemies in the world and then quickly switch into the traditional turn-based battles. I often found myself initialising combat to get a quick stunt on an enemy and then switch to the turn based mode to finish the encounter off.
The only real complaint about the game is that I found the music to be disappointing, I don't think I could hum back any of music from memory, but perhaps I've been spoilt by the music in games such as Expedition 33 or Persona 3/4 and 5. Ultimately though it didn't really affect my enjoyment too much.
