A great Sleeper Hit!!!
Graphics: A 2d RPG when 3d was already starting to become standard, but don't let that fool you, the graphics are great, good attention for details in the sprites of characters, and simply breathtaking backgrounds.
Gameplay:
And interesting mix of turn based RPG and real-time. The game circle turns between you and your enemies, one time is your turn, and other is your opponent’s turn, but when it’s your turn, the attacks must be done with timing, in order to create combos and enable specials.
Aside from battles, the dungeon exploration is done using a simplified platform game, which is very refreshing from the usual RPG.
The only point of concern is the time constrain, but is not as restrictive as GameSpot put it, and after all, you're on a race against the end of the world, I found this a nice touch, instead the usual RPG.
Story:
Great story, but sometimes punish distracted players, in order to make the best ending, you have to play at least 2 or 3 times, paying attention to the story in order to uncover the elements that will lead to it (ok, you can always use a faq, but where’s the fun in that?)