formative rpg for me, hit at the right time. i don't think the "twist" is that egregious . we were post matrix, post mmo rpgs, its no surprise this type of story made its way into fantasy jrpgs. it doesn't cheapen the moody planet stuff at all in my opinion . the combat is engaging for a jrpg, sure by end game you're just spamming the strongest moves, but its still fun, if you decide to grind its not even that bad. besides the weird end game stuff it feels similar to second story, similar plot points. mid 2000s anime va so prepare for that, i don't mind, i have nostalgia for that era. music is awesome, that synthy-prog rockish instrumental rock. always wish the space travel bits were a bit more fleshed out and more integral but otherwise this is a personal canon fav.