So, the first thing I want to say about this game is that the package is one of the most stellar experiences. Since I love Final Fantasy 5, I believe that this game is right up my alley, and I was right in that. Although this game is naturally different from Final Fantasy, its new battle system adds a new layer of strategy. I think that the fact that I can do four things in a row kinds of become a sort of "addiction", so to speak, because later on I enlisted the help of the Singing's BP up moves and Hasten World to make sure I can do as many things as I need. Another thing I liked to do is to keep my buffs, so I used Buff Up to sort of permanently make my characters have max stats.
Anyway, enough about the game's system. Let's talk about other things. The voice acting is, while I am not going to say I love it, I must say that it is serviceable. Most of them are alright, though I do find Agnes to be somewhat high-pitched sometimes. I do think it's fun to hear her declaration of "Unacceptable" during Airy's battle. Using Event Viewer, I got to hear a glimpse on the Japanese voices too. I know that it's a vocal opinion that Japanese voices are better, but I think I prefer the English ones better for the comprehension. Not only that, I think some sounded more natural in English. For one, I am used to Ringabel's smooth speeches compared to his oddly deep one in the Japanese version. On the other hand, one exception I could make out is Kikyo's voice, which sounded natural in the Japanese due to how fast (and hard to catch) she speaks.
My first contact with this game is through its music. It sounded really majestic and pleasing to the ears, but for every theme I hear, I formed an impression on what the place or scenario looks like before I see where it's used. For example, before I went to Ancheim, I thought the music used there would be for a desert dungeon. Baby Bird sounded like a theme associated with flying on the map with some flight-related thing, but it's actually Edea's theme in battle.
The designs of the jobs are pretty creative takes from the established ones in Final Fantasy, and I loved to see them. For example, the Red Mage has a flamenco dancer design compared to the wizard-like designs in the original (I seriously thought this was a Dancer job), while the White Mage has distinct designs between the male and female ones. New takes on established jobs are also pretty cool to see. The Valkyrie is essentially a stand-in for Dragoons, except it has a more female air to it due to being introduced from a female character. A Vampire is essentially a Blue Mage except it's a Physical job, making them more of a Physical Blue Mage.
The naming of the characters being more pun-based is something I quite enjoyed, since you can get the gist on how their name comes into play with their character. The fact that their names were rarely made fun of for its puns (one I could think of is Barras in Ringabel's journal) made it more enjoyable since it's like their names are just there to be observed, and not there to just be made fun of. Even the main characters have punny names, which made it even more amazing.
If you played this game (or read some words on it), then I am sure you are aware that there's travelling between worlds. To be honest, I did not expect this, since I never read about this game's details until later. I do know for sure that it would be handy to have Genome skills (this game's Blue Magic, if you are familiar with Final Fantasy), because the skill set is pretty useful based on what I see. Certainly, it was pretty difficult to get the Vampire, but I managed, and it's worth the trouble since from this point, Vampirism is essential. Anyway, going through the routine in Chapter 5 was not bad, I thought, but I could feel a sense of fatigue in Chapter 6 due to my need to fight the Jobmasters every time. I think that it's a relief that Chapter 7 provided some interesting team-ups, because it makes this quest so much more exciting! Yes, there were difficult ones, but in hindsight, it's better than the boring routine of facing one or two Jobmasters at a time (as it was from the first world).
What really made the journey more meaningful is re-battling the Jobmasters. Although they get tougher with each subsequent battle, they also provided some interesting insights to their characters. Some are more sympathetic, but some are weird. For example, if you saw the aftermath of Barras and Holly in Chapter 6, you might know what they're up to after the battle ends. Essentially, there is an implication that they made out, which I can't help but find funny. The Praline scenario in Chapter 7 is rather fun, and although it looked like Praline is vanquished, it surprised me to see that she survived, which makes her one of the few Jobmasters to survive in every world. Even the Lord DeRosso one in Chapter 8 is funny because he teamed up with Yulyana, who entered the battle in the beginning (but isn't present in the dungeon map).
I have beaten the game and gotten the proper ending, and to see the aftermath of the characters in a positive light is rather enlightening. The only thing I didn't get is Tiz collapsing in the end, because I wonder what's up with that. I have also seen the other ending, which is not as conclusive, but I got the feeling of warmth seeing the characters returning to their peaceful lives. In the end of the proper ending, the interactive movie is kind of neat, and I would like to see more of it, especially what's in store in the next game, and what's up with Tiz.
I won't say I fully completed this game, mainly because of the Nemesis fights and one Vampirism skill, but I would say that it's as 100% as I could hope for, given that the optional content could be tough (yes, I have even beaten the super boss in Dimension's Hasp too).
So that's my long essay on this game. It's such a fantastic experience and I am glad to have the opportunity to experience it. What else can I say about it? Oh yeah: consider me as one who's in anticipation of Bravely Second!