i actually really like this game's story and how it plays out (the coliseum makes for a really strikingly unique opening and i kind of love how bleak it is) but the combat and encounter rate and general jrpg-isms in its design are keeping me from feeling really hooked in by it. if you're interested in shudous novels and dont speak japanese its either this or the ova which is a pretty high batting average for this sort of thing. solid effort yall.