I first played this as a teen and was in love. It was a shoo-in for five stars and one of my favorite games I had played at that point of my life.
It still holds up in many ways: it's a damn beautiful game with fantastic spritework and smooth animations, the presentation is unbelievable, the characters have lots of personality and bounce off of each other very well, the class-change system and gradual unlocking of abilities as you meet new spirits gives the player a Pavlovian endorphin rush.
A few things didn't hold up so well. The hit detection isn't great (not as bad as Secret of Mana, but not great) and the game lags occasionally, forcing your character to walk in the same direction - often into enemies - for a couple of seconds after you release the D-pad. Many of the dungeons contain nothing of consequence besides the boss, making the branching paths and mazelike structures seem rather pointless. Then there is the absolutely mystifying decision of most enemies (and pretty much all bosses) auto-hard-countering your level 2/3 special attacks with powerful attacks of their own. The level 2/3 special attacks are part of what makes each class change special and unique, and there doesn't seem to be any reason at all for the game to punish the player for using them!
Is it still worth playing? Several times? Heck yes.
It still holds up in many ways: it's a damn beautiful game with fantastic spritework and smooth animations, the presentation is unbelievable, the characters have lots of personality and bounce off of each other very well, the class-change system and gradual unlocking of abilities as you meet new spirits gives the player a Pavlovian endorphin rush.
A few things didn't hold up so well. The hit detection isn't great (not as bad as Secret of Mana, but not great) and the game lags occasionally, forcing your character to walk in the same direction - often into enemies - for a couple of seconds after you release the D-pad. Many of the dungeons contain nothing of consequence besides the boss, making the branching paths and mazelike structures seem rather pointless. Then there is the absolutely mystifying decision of most enemies (and pretty much all bosses) auto-hard-countering your level 2/3 special attacks with powerful attacks of their own. The level 2/3 special attacks are part of what makes each class change special and unique, and there doesn't seem to be any reason at all for the game to punish the player for using them!
Is it still worth playing? Several times? Heck yes.