Somehow I managed to play through almost all of the Japanese version -- no translation guide or nothin'. It's a beautiful DS game, both graphically and cinematically. There's full voice work, and like any good Square-Enix game, the production values are as good as they get. The gameplay also is pretty fun, but it's a button masher, no doubt. It also ramps up something awful at the very end, and that's why I stopped playing. I just didn't have the patience to do the level grinding required. Most of the game was a breeze -- pretty much too easy -- and then bam, brutality! But I do intend on playing through it again. I look forward to understanding everything as I go. The ally AI can get stuck on stuff, and like I said, it can be pretty repetitive, but I'm a sucker for all that Square-Enix shininess. I would have to say, though, it isn't quite in the class of what I would consider an "awesome" RPG.
