This game isn't perfect. In fact, there are several issues, and, if you're paying attention, it becomes painfully clear when they started running out of time and money. This was developed through Kickstarter promising a spiritual successor to a series of games that are revered and near-mythical. Many are upset because, in several respects, this failed to reach those heights.

But speaking as someone who plays roughly 50-100 JRPGs in a year: This is something special and it's most definitely worth your time.

I'll get my two biggest complaints out of the way right off:
The game is rated E for everyone, meaning a lot of the darker and more intense elements are completely offscreen. This feels rather inappropriate, and provides something of a tonal dissonance.
Additionally, the modern disdain for "missable content" had so impacted the development that there is a near-comical lack of consequences for various story developments, further undermining the tone and the sense that the world politics are a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Both these decisions are somewhat reasonable in the goal of reaching a broad audience, but they do somewhat cheapen the final product.

Additionally, tying in to the previous comments of budget and time constraints, there are several design elements which feel poorly calibrated. Not enough to ruin the experience, but enough to elicit a sigh of regret.

All the complaints out of the way, what makes it good, even special?

The visuals speak for themselves, as the designers have accomplished a pleasing blend of hand-drawn pixel art characters on rendered backgrounds.

I consider myself a poor judge of music quality, but this is a rare game where I chose to play unmuted, granted that this was in no small part due to an excellent case of voice actors. And the voice acting is definitely a place where you can clearly see a dedicated budget, as nearly every interaction beyond conversing with random NPCs is fully voiced, to include "peanut gallery comments" from party members otherwise uninvolved in the event.

Character customisation is a generally pleasing blend of limited freedom with enough restrictions to give each character their own distinct identity. A particularly nice touch is the unique skills held by some characters, as well as "union attacks" performed by characters who have some special relationship. Even when such skills aren't especially useful, they serve to convey a lot of personality, to the point where you begin to love and care for a significant portion of your loads and loads of characters.

Which brings up the roster. You recruit over 100 special people to contribute in your effort, be they farmers, merchants, or soldiers. Around 80 of them can serve some sort of combat role, as well. Not all fighters are created equally, but the game is generous enough that you can probably have a viable team by choosing the folks you like the most (no one likes a game where you have 100 options, but 95 are unusable).

You gather people to your side. You build a town. Your people spend down time together, playing card games or discussing beard grooming. It's a wonderfully cozy environment where you won't think twice about spending hours making your most socially awkward friends perform a train wreck of "Romeo and Juliet".

It's not the best game I've ever played, or even the best game I've played this year. But I can guarantee that it's one I'll remember for a long time, and likely revisit.

This game isn't perfect. In fact, there are several issues, and, if you're paying attention, it becomes painfully clear when they started running out of time and money. This was developed through Kickstarter promising a spiritual successor to a series of games that are revered and near-mythical. Many are upset because, in several respects, this failed to reach those heights. But speaking as someone who plays roughly 50-100 JRPGs in a year: This is something special and it's most definitely worth your time. I'll get my two biggest complaints out of the way right off: The game is rated E for everyone, meaning a lot of the darker and more intense elements are completely offscreen. This feels rather inappropriate, and provides something of a tonal dissonance. Additionally, the modern disdain for "missable content" had so impacted the development that there is a near-comical lack of consequences for various story developments, further undermining the tone and the sense that the world politics are a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Both these decisions are somewhat reasonable in the goal of reaching a broad audience, but they do somewhat cheapen the final product. Additionally, tying in to the previous comments of budget and time constraints, there are several design elements which feel poorly calibrated. Not enough to ruin the experience, but enough to elicit a sigh of regret. All the complaints out of the way, what makes it good, even special? The visuals speak for themselves, as the designers have accomplished a pleasing blend of hand-drawn pixel art characters on rendered backgrounds. I consider myself a poor judge of music quality, but this is a rare game where I chose to play unmuted, granted that this was in no small part due to an excellent case of voice actors. And the voice acting is definitely a place where you can clearly see a dedicated budget, as nearly every interaction beyond conversing with random NPCs is fully voiced, to include "peanut gallery comments" from party members otherwise uninvolved in the event. Character customisation is a generally pleasing blend of limited freedom with enough restrictions to give each character their own distinct identity. A particularly nice touch is the unique skills held by some characters, as well as "union attacks" performed by characters who have some special relationship. Even when such skills aren't especially useful, they serve to convey a lot of personality, to the point where you begin to love and care for a significant portion of your loads and loads of characters. Which brings up the roster. You recruit over 100 special people to contribute in your effort, be they farmers, merchants, or soldiers. Around 80 of them can serve some sort of combat role, as well. Not all fighters are created equally, but the game is generous enough that you can probably have a viable team by choosing the folks you like the most (no one likes a game where you have 100 options, but 95 are unusable). You gather people to your side. You build a town. Your people spend down time together, playing card games or discussing beard grooming. It's a wonderfully cozy environment where you won't think twice about spending hours making your most socially awkward friends perform a train wreck of "Romeo and Juliet". It's not the best game I've ever played, or even the best game I've played this year. But I can guarantee that it's one I'll remember for a long time, and likely revisit.