This game needs to be 10 hours shorter, and then it's a very easy recommendation. The pacing is what does this game in, otherwise as far as anime adaptations go this is one of the better ones, especially from the time of it's release. The characters are basic but enjoyable. The plot's easy to follow while still being captivating enough to stay on the relatively linear path. It's pretty and the soundtrack doesn't get in the way of the experience.
But, this goes on for 30~40 hours, with weird difficulty jumps. There also isn't a ton of customization of the party in the way other SRPGs from the time allowed for. The fights are also slow and if you do play this, emulation would be preferable just to speed up the fights so it doesn't take 10 min for a full turn of every character. There's a ton here to like, and if I played it at the time of its release or was the target audience, this game would have been great instead of "above average".
But, this goes on for 30~40 hours, with weird difficulty jumps. There also isn't a ton of customization of the party in the way other SRPGs from the time allowed for. The fights are also slow and if you do play this, emulation would be preferable just to speed up the fights so it doesn't take 10 min for a full turn of every character. There's a ton here to like, and if I played it at the time of its release or was the target audience, this game would have been great instead of "above average".