After reaching 12:01 playtime, I decided to throw out a few first impressions I've had so far about this game. Some are good, some are bad, some are just meant to be silly, so here we go. The impressions marked as spoilers are either related to the plot, or things you need to figure out to progress through the game. Also, for the most part, unless memory doesn't serve too well, these will be listed in the order that they came to mind as I was playing the game.
Oh, how I wish I'd gotten to see the opening cinematic back in the day when the Saturn was one of the contending systems. By the standards back then, it would've been epic, as opposed to now where it just looks like crap.
*checks out everybody's starting stats, and notices how much EXP each character needs to level* Well, Forte's not going to be around for long. If there's one thing I've learned from RPGs (amongst the many other things I've learned), it's that characters who need obscene amounts of EXP are always doomed to leave your party, die, or some combination of the two.
Holy crap, the battle music! *head-bangs*
*is visited by the spirits* Ummm... Okay? This story is already gearing itself up to be really strange, and I've only been playing for about 10 minutes.
Llllllaaaaaaggggg (especially before I tweaked my Saturn to run better because of hardware issues, though the problematic lag never completely went away).
Level 1 attack magic sucks.
Yay! Searching for pixies happens automatically when you search an eligible spot! With how pain in the ass some people implied they are to find, I was worried that you'd have to actually click Search each time to actually locate them when searching a spot where they're hiding.
Leprechauns are buff.
Why does the armor shop lady always ask, "Didn't you already buy something?" when I want to buy stuff?
Sleep Level 1 is your best friend.
Searching for pixies in the forest is really annoying. I'm getting tired of random crap popping out and doing nothing. It was neat at first, but it quickly starts becoming obnoxious.
Dammit, Doyle! Stop appearing then disappearing, and join me already!
Dungeons in this game are LOOOONG.
*sees a blue puddle on the ground, and reminisces Shining in the Darkness* Noooo! I don't want to go that way! It's scary!
*continues finding various sorts of pixies* Where the hell are all the succubus ones? It's like those are the only ones I keep missing. I have three or four of the rest, and only two of them. They're also the only list that currently has a gap. PS: Don't tell me where they are. I'm actually enjoying the anticipation of the hunt, searching every suspicious nook and cranny with wonder of whether or not I'll find one.
What the hell am I supposed to do in this damn mansion? Every path is a dead end! I've searched everywhere, and checked everything! Gah! *in a fit of frustration, attempts to ram through one of the broken doors by dashing* ... ... ... Oh, there we go. Never mind.
And yes, that's actually how it happened.
Yay! New party member! And he's... 5 levels behind. Am I really that over leveled?
*fights Time Warrior* Never mind. I take back the over leveled remark. That guy's a beast.
In short, it's a great and exciting game with all sorts of moments along the adventure spanning various emotional levels. In the end, the most upsetting thing about the game is it reminds me of just how horrible modern games have become compared to the gems they used to be.