A lot of the mechanics are cool, the creatures are interesting looking, not terrible graphics.

First: I did not play the original version. That said, I loved the game for its unique style and gameplay. The story is good and there is always a clear goal to achieve next, but there is also time for lots of exploring in the open world. On the downside, I was happy that I read through character development options beforehand, as the game does not explain a lot. And I really hated the mechanic that some items like keys are undroppable and further in the game more and more limit your inventory. A keychain functionality would have made the inventory handling so much better. I liked the dungeons mostly, except for the Shadow Ruins which had much too much teleporting for my liking. But that was only one of many. The monsters are cool and manyfold, the fighting quick and satisfying. This game is pure 2005 RPG action.