One of Enix's last games before the Square merger shows you why Square/Enix makes such great RPGs.
You play as the protagonist (whom you get to name at the start), the son of a fisherman who lives in a small village. Soon enough you and some friends find a ruin with puzzle piece portals that take you in the past to long lost lands, and your actions (generally defeating some minor evil) restore the lands in your time. All along the way, you collect more puzzle pieces to open, and restore, more lost lands. But once the world is restored, there is more yet to do as even greater evil is awakened, and the world needs a savior to vanquish it. Along the way you'll find some worthwhile, game-long side quests (such as filling a Monster Park and collecting hidden medals for a Medal King), meet tons of people, and fight a wide array of monsters that challenge your skills.
The story is king here, as it's well planned, and keeps you interested and invested with the characters, and makes you more willing to overlook the game's flaws. The turn-based battles flow smoothly, and the ability to have your companions fight via scripts, that work surprisingly well, can save time, though most will prefer to plan everything themselves as their number of skills to choose from increases. The wide variety of weapons/armor/items means there's always upgrading right around the corner, so your equipment is evolving right alongside your skill sets. Spells used to instantly warp to towns you've been before, and to sniff out treasure on a level, are a huge plus to the game, making any needed backtracking less of a chore. The character class system has a nice touch, as mastery of different basic classes lets you open up higher powered advanced classes, and you can build some very differently skilled characters. There's also a good bit of humor in some of the conversations, and some people say the most hilariouly ribald things.
The graphics, especially the in-battle monster images, are a low point, and while they don't detract from the game too much, they really should have been better. A big gripe is the ease with which one can miss an item vital to proceed, often simply by forgetting to talk to a random person in a town both before and after you saved it. The in-game map is also near worthless, as it merely has dots representing places of interest, with no labels as to what they are, leaving you to make a map or rely on memory. The need to level up for some bosses was also a bit disappointing, as I was woefully underpowered when I reached each of the game's two main bosses. A game that doesn't let you naturally have the power to tackle a boss just by playing the story has failed a bit. And the fact that a main companion leaves you without warning for an extended period, and practically taunts you that it will be tough without them, means planning the classes of your characters takes a wild left turn as you race to replace the skills now missing from your party.
Graphically, there was lots to be desired, as even PS1 launch titles greatly surpassed the quality found here. The sound was fair, and while different areas had their own anthems, repetitiveness sets in since the game is so long. The gameplay itself is very solid. The simple menu system is easily navigated/mastered, though an option to hold off faster characters until slower characters acted would've made for some better strategy in getting attacks off in the order you'd like, as even with agility scores to compare, your characters sometimes don't do the same attacks in the same order. The value could scarcely be higher. You'll easily get 100 hours in on the game, and there are some hidden bonus dungeons to conquer after the game. Like the Final Fantasy games of the company that DW VII's Enix joined up with, this is another RPG that's just worth everyone's time.