Decent RPG which takes to heart many of the great aspects of the genre.
Gameplay in this game is mostly enjoyable. Combat, however, can become extremely repetitive and usually is only sought out to gain levels. Notice I said "sought out" because for the most part combat can be avoided, except in story related sequences of course, or at least disposed of quickly (one of your characters abilities). The combat uses a chain-attack system, which while it basically boils down to a single-button rhythm game, it can be surprisingly rewarding. After a while though, you will become so good at this that most of the normal enemies will die without ever taking a single swing at you.
Equipping your characters is something this game does well. It has a system that lets your characters to be equipped with a full array of armor and accessories. Something I think most RPGs could learn from besides just allowing the one to two different types of equipment.
You'll also find this game contains tons of sidequest. In fact, completing this game without completing its sidequest is basically losing some of the fun of the game. These things can be extremely satisfying with some of the rewards they offer.
Graphics in this game are subpar even for a PS2 launch title. They are passable however. The overall musical theme is decent, using mostly an ambient soundtrack for its different locales instead of the usual tune-per-town format. Voice acting is done solely by a narrator who, whenever he does speak, does a good job.
I played through this game twice and spent 70 hours on it the first time through and about 55 the second. So it is fairly long. The story is decent through most of the game. So you will find yourself wanting to know what happens next, but overall it isn't the greatest.
This game is really a good game and well worth a play if you're a RPG fan. However, a lack of innovation and a bit of tedious gameplay keep it from being anything more.