If you don't like playing games with lots of side quests then this game is not for you.
While the story line is pretty well thought out, i would not say it is very engaging. The main story itself would only take 5 minutes to explain. The reason the game takes so long to complete is because of the large amount of side quests in the game. In my opinion, most of the side quests are boring and totally pointless in terms of the main story. It won't be long before you find your quest log book swamped with totally pointless quests. The only annoying thing is that if you don't do the side quests then you will find yourself under leveled and not able to take on the later bosses. Gameplay:
One thing that i really liked about this game was the vast amount of skills available to you. The class of character you choose at the beginning of the game really has no effect on what type of character you will end up being. This really depends on the skills you choose, so you could end up being a bit of all the classes (warrior, wizard or thief). There are lots of weapons and armour to collect along the way. The game world is big and because of the vast amount of side quests you can replay the game and do many things that you missed out the first time through. Graphics:
As far as 2D games go, the graphics are not that bad. The landscape is shaded pretty well, and the few and very far between video cutscenes are pretty descent, but nothing that will make you go "wow". The graphics are not likely to put you off of the game unlike many older games.
Sound:
The soundtrack for this game is absolutely amazing! Seriously!!! You can dowload it for free from the soundtrack composer's own website. The music is very atmospheric and really pulls you into the game. All the sound effects are also meticulously well done.
Value:
I picked this game up for £3 (~$6) brand new, so it was pretty good value for me. I would not really say this game was worth more than £10. This game is huge, so you will be getting you moneys worth.
Summary:
If you are the type of person who likes an RPG with a great engaging story which flows smoothly then this game probably is not for you. There are a LOT of side quests which really stretch out the game and make it quite repetitive.