I only got this game as a kid because they bundled in a copy of the Final Fantasy XII demo with every purchase. My brother and I are big fans of the Final Fantasy series, so we were hyped to try out the next-numbered title. Surprisingly though we never really tried the demo out, and that is because we were both enthralled by the world, characters, gameplay, graphics, and overall feeling of this game.

This game is dense, there is just so much to do and discover and explore in this world. From the different cities and dungeons to find, to the items and equipment to discover and create through alchemy, and the characters you control and customize.

The story is also very well told, it's simple like most Dragon Quest games but extremely effective with its storytelling. I would even say it's one of the best stories in the whole series. This game is also stunning, even after all this time the game looks and plays smoothly, and it is genuinely timeless.

My only gripe with the game is that it is excessively long and has some pretty big difficulty spikes. The team could have cut out a few of the character moments and still had an effective story, but at the same time, it adds so much to the characters you play with. I recommend this game to every JRPG fan out there, this is a true classic and deserves to be experienced.