marisamage
(written by someone who has 1cc'd this game on lunatic, both routes)
an amazingly competent game considering it's ZUN's very first entry! this game can be very frustrating at first but becomes a lot of fun the more you play and the better you get! for a very simple concept it feels great to truly get a grasp on the game, and the bosses are pretty cool too! they progress from being very telegraphed to testing out how well you can manage the orb and dodging at the same time. Also, the music and the background art make the game is in my opinion a very cool aesthetic that I can't really find in other games. Only real complaint are the awful flashing lights on bombs.
an amazingly competent game considering it's ZUN's very first entry! this game can be very frustrating at first but becomes a lot of fun the more you play and the better you get! for a very simple concept it feels great to truly get a grasp on the game, and the bosses are pretty cool too! they progress from being very telegraphed to testing out how well you can manage the orb and dodging at the same time. Also, the music and the background art make the game is in my opinion a very cool aesthetic that I can't really find in other games. Only real complaint are the awful flashing lights on bombs.
if you're looking to get into this franchise, start with this entry! solid difficulty curve, introduction to the complete cast of the franchise, no grinding needed (unless you want the true ending), tells a nice story, GREAT ost even in comparison to the other entries of the series, and is all around a great JRPG. give it a shot if you think the characters look cute and you want a new jrpg to play!
would be 4 stars if it wasn't an eroge