Hack.. Slash.. Hack.. Slash.. *insert frustrated sound here*
Yes it's a dungeon crawler.. don't expect a wide variety of activity but it is rather fun (I say this because I enjoy mana games in general). As in most games leveling up and earning money gets very tedious. The storyline is descent and the gem system makes the character customizable to a certain extent.. but after a few quests per area to earn enough money for the expensive gems it does get tiring. It would have been a much better game if there were more areas to explore rather than having the additional quests almost identical to the original storyline play-through.. Not only are the levels tedious but often you will find yourself needing to restart a level because you chose the wrong type of magic to bring with you. Unlike in sword of mana you cannot switch your equipment or magic at a whim, you need to plan ahead and bring the right things into each level. If you find yourself facing a wall of ice and have not brought a fire spell tough luck for you because you will need to go back to town to switch up. Each monster also has a weakness and if you haven't set yourself up correctly you will find that it's impossible to fight. Value:
I definately cannot see any replay value with this game because by the time you have finished all of the dungeons once I doubt you have any desire to play them again. There are multiple main characters though, so if you do find yourself enjoying the gameplay there is opportunity for you to hear slightly different stories.
Sound:
A few of the levels have annoying tracks accompanying them, at which point I generally play without sound.. I think the music should enhance the experience rather than being just as annoying and repetitive as the levels themselves.
Graphics:
Although this game is on the DS it is virtually indestinguishable from Sword of Mana on GBA. There are a few small cutscenes, but nothing too impressive. Overall, I'd have to suggest playing Sword of Mana or Legend of Mana because they have more interesting gameplay elements, and do not feel as tedious. I had descent expectations because I enjoyed those two games so much, but for me playing this game was a letdown.