Great for veterans of the first Symphonia as well as anime fanbois/grrls. Not so much for anyone else
Now don't get me wrong, the game does have its strong points, the soundtrack is quite good, the combat system is an improvement over the original, and the nostalgia factor was wonderful. Unfortunately, so much of this game annoyed me, that I will likely never play it through again.
Without spoiling anything major, I will do my best at outlining the main events of the game:
First 2 hours: Listening to the most annoying, wussy, meek main character you have EVER seen in an RPG. An non-immersive and slow paced tutorial. Follow this up with with drawn out, unnecessary flashbacks of events that literally happened five minutes earlier and add in an otaku's wet dream of a support character who hits on your from the moment she meets you.
Middle 18 Hours: Rinse and repeat the following events about 6-7 times. Your main characters are looking for someone. You meet up with a character from the first Symphonia game who joins you for an hour or two. You run through a dungeon and find the equivalent of a summon monster. You find the person you were originally looking for but they run off. Your party member from the first Symphonia game leaves the party. Move on to the next town, and repeat.
Last 6-8 Hours: 90% of the game's plot progression takes place within this time frame. This is the only time during the game I can say I wholeheartedly enjoyed.
Ending: The games ending is short, boring, and non-climactic, and yes, just like my first time having sex, I cried for 2 hours afterwards. Only 1 of the 3 final battles was actually worthwhile, fun, and/or challenging.
Long story short, if your not a veteran of the first Symphonia game or a rabid anime junkie, this game is not for you.
To everyone who disagrees with this review, let me just say:
Marta has left the party, formation has changed. Marta has joined the party, formation has changed. Marta has left the party, formation has changed. Marta has joined the party, formation has changed. Marta has left the party, formation has changed. Marta has joined the party, formation has changed. Marta has left the party, formation has changed. Marta has joined the party, formation has changed. Marta has left the party, formation has changed. Marta has joined the party, formation has changed.
Cheers