New player here! I initially had a really difficult time getting into this but I'm glad I stuck with it

I just got the Delphinus which seems to be about the halfway point and I'm really enjoying it! (I'm playing Legends on the GC)

The initial experience is pretty bad though. The world map navigation is really clunky and confusing. The first dungeon has to be one of the worst introductions to an RPG I've seen. What an RPG should generally do is first explain the combat system to you and then make you go through an easy dungeon so you can get a handle on the mechanics. In this however the first dungeon is by far the hardest dungeon in the entire game. Literally the very first random encounter I had was against these robot enemies that easily wiped my entire part out in a few hits, then one of the next fights I got into was against this giant fish enemy that felt like a boss fight since it had a lot of HP and had a multi target attack. Have mercy on a new player! At this point you have only 2 party members, almost no useful skills and are new to the combat system. After that you go to the Valuan Capital and it got better, but I still wasn't that invested. I was considering dropping the game since I didn't want to continue playing a 50 hour RPG that didn't seem like my thing. It's when I got to Nasr that it all suddenly clicked with me and it felt like the game really started with everything before then being the intro.

This game just screams adventure! Sailing through the skies exploring different continents. The story is fairly simple: Good guys, bad guys, evil empire, collect the mcguffins. But I like that, the game is clearly going for a more classic adventure story with highly expressive characters and optimistic main characters who don't have time for moping around. The adventurous music only reinforces that vibe, I especially enjoy the theme music of Horteka. Actually all the villages are fun to explore. The characters are fun, I love Vyse's and Aika's friendship. The dungeons are progressively getting more complex, gotta love puzzle dungeons. The gigas are cool, I like how Grendel is just straight up a God Warrior from Nausicaa. Just a great adventure all around, not sure how else to say it. I'm excited to see where the game takes me next, especially now that with the Delphinus it seems like another chapter has started.

The combat system is still the weakest point though. Magic seems kinda useless compared to the far superior S Moves. The elemental system feels tacked on, it doesn't add to the strategic depth at all and nothing would have changed if it hadn't been included. Juggling focus points can be fun though.

You guys seem to enjoy it when a new person discovers on of your favourite niche games so I figured I'd make a post here sharing my thoughts from the perspective of someone who has no history with this game whatsoever. Anyway, back to playing the game!