It has been while since I played a proper console JRPG, and for years FF was the only JRPG that I played and enjoyed so after the downfall of FF, I was left with a void in my heart, a void that finally has been filled with ToX.
I wasn't really hyped for the game, the graphics are nice, but imo they aren't suited for creating an engaging JRPG ( As I said FF was my only JRPG ) so I kinda didn't like it at first, but the game is the sum of its parts and this is where the game excels.
GFX: The graphics are cool cel shaded, they look great, not super. My only criticism is the very poor texture quality.
Gameplay: Simple, yet complicated at the same time. I won't get into many details, but you can't really excel in it on the go, you need to play the game for so long to grasp it. You attack by simply mashing X and perform special attacks "Arts" by pressing O and a specific direction in the analouge stick. The game gives you many arts to utilize which is cool but the problem is you need to remember which direction on the stick for which art, and since there are many arts, you will need to change the configuration continuously which in return will require you to remember the new configuration.
This will bug you for a very long time till you figure out a scheme or something. But the intensity of battles and how cool the arts look will make it worthty to learn and eventually enjoy the game.
Outside combat, there are literally tons of side quests to finish, I won't talk much, but you will be amazed by how many things and secret bosses there are in the game.
Story: Again, I was skeptical about it, but it's decent and in some parts will surprise you. The thing is, in order to know and understand the story fully, you need to watch optional scenes and finish optional quests. When you do you will appreciate how great the story is and how well everything come together.
Final verdict: I really enjoyed the game, spent around 100 hrs with it so it has plenty to offer including a harder mode and many quests to finish. The game should score higher but the learning curve was really annoying in the begining but once you master it, you will be hooked.