This was a fun game. It was sort of predictable but that's what happens when the game starts "this is the story of how one day you will defeat me". There's a bit of deviation but not much. The side quests are charming and add a lot of flavor to the story. Their final forms get you the best equipment in the game, too, so it's worthwhile to get on them early and aggressively. They tie in really well with the ending and I'm not sure you get to end the game like I did if you haven't gotten them completed. I sort of doubt it. Anyway. I really liked this. I had a strict time schedule to complete the game before I abandoned it for another one that's just coming out and I'm very pleased to have succeeded.
There are some freezing issues but if you wait them out they always resolve themselves. It's annoying though and is the main reason for the game losing a star. To me the story is of greatest importance and the gameplay is the background for it so my satisfaction may be greater than a more hard-core gamer. The game is very straightforward and uncomplicated. The one mechanic I didn't master didn't matter unless you're a completionist which I most assuredly am not. The only other reason I'd deduct a star is there's sort of a slog when you enter new areas, especially the final one but it gets you a ton of experience and levels so it's not pointless. When I played this there existed no guides, no walkthroughs, and no answers to any questions. I suppose this added a level of difficulty if only in that I had to figure everything out for myself with no way to get answers, even something as simple as "how many chapters are there in this game?" (7). If you go into this expecting a sweet story, cute as hell graphics, and an uncomplicated game you won't be disappointed.