Please, please, please, don't buy this game. Trust me.
I ridiciously got this game last year from america (which means i can't trade it in or return it), beleiving it was just what i wanted. How wrong i was.
When i first turned it, i couldn't put it down. I choose the wanderer (the fat-cat for those without the game, he is good in combat and defence but the worst in magic), as my main character and went ahead.
The other characters are:
Farik
The boy hero, fairly strong and quite good at magic but thats about it.
Poppen
(who looks like a boy in a turben but is actually a girl)
very good at magic and quick.
Tamber
The older girl of the group. Quite good at magic, nimble and ok at close combat.
Wanderer
The fat-cat. close combet, defence good, slow bad at magic.
Turning it on and after completing the first section (the tower of mana) u sort of notice that it seems fairly simple what you need to do, and you hope it might have a bit more in depth gameplay other than attacking by button mashing X and healing with Y. Also the gems, in my point of view, seem to be at least one good thing with the game.
But, alas, it was not to be. Next section pretty much the same but new weapons. So in you go moving forward attacking with TWO different weapons and healing with gum drops (the most common healing item).
And the next area is the same, except you can use another weapon, and the next one, where you get the final weapon.
This whole game consists of you just walking and button mashing whilst being horrendisly outnumbered half of the time.
so trust me and don't buy this game.