Summon Night is a unique and enjoyable RPG, with some flaws.
Summon Night takes place in a realm called Lynbaum, and mostly in the city of Wystern (aka The City of Swords). You are the son/daughter (depending on how you choose in the beginning of th game) of a Craftlord, members of an order that is charged with protecting Parista, the Holy Spirit of Flames from evil. After three years, a tournament is created to compete apprentices (called Craftknights) against each other for a couple of Craftlord spots.
If that sounds confusing, don't worry, it's just the beginning.
While competeing in the tournament, you also go to other parts of Lyndbaum, fighting corruption among the Craftlords, war with apposing countries, and destroying a veil of lies that explain random earthquakes and renegade spirits.
Now it's sounding like an RPG.
The battle system isn't unique, it takes quite a few hints from Tales of Phantasia, but adds a weapon changing system and a flawed magic system. The magic would be much easier to use IF YOU COULD ACTUALLY BLOCK SOME OF IT, however, it is also very hard to find a lull in the action to cast a simple healing spell, for instance. There needs to be at least some sort of middle ground between not enough warning to plenty of casting time.
BUT, it is not you casting the magic (for once in an RPG). It's your Guardian Beast, who accompanies every Craftknight. These things are maybe the most enjoyable supporting character since Moogles (kupo!). They vary from robots, to demons, to huggable dog-like things with long ears, to some fairy (who is madly in love with you, regardless of what gender you are XD). They take a large part in the story, along with the many other characters you'll meet.
They also represent the large number of choices you can make. Choosing the Beasts involves answering a few questions, which will spur different questions depending on your answer. It's quite fun, and changes the experience every time you play through.
You can also choose which of 5 classes of weapons to forge. Each one changes your strategy, for instance, a sword is a good all around weapon, while drills can break weapons easily. You can also choose which part of your character to upgrade after you level up, whether it's defense, attack or agility.
You will very rarely have any trouble playing this game. If you complete all the sidequests and spend some time leveling up, you can beat the game at level 42 or 43. You'll also have A LOT OF MONEY. You get money everytime you win a battle, regardless of how small the battle is. I'm saying A LOT OF MONEY. Like... loads.
Anyway, you'll spend maybe 19 hours to 22 hours, depending on which weapon you use. A sword user will breeze through, while knuckles will take exceptionally long to complete.
Summon Night is a very fun game, and a sequel is coming soo, so watch for it.