I started playing right from the release, just by noticing it in the PS store subscription. Finished it in 17 days (spending 31 hours on it).
For me, this was the first game in this genre; before that, I had somehow avoided this genre. As the first game in this genre, it suited me relatively well. But there are also all sorts of buts...
If we talk about the visual style and the musical component, then everything here is at the highest level. Although I don’t have many pixel games, I liked the art and animation.
Regarding the combat - again, for me this is the first game with such combat, so I have nothing to compare with. But I can say that the first 5-10 hours were interesting in terms of battles, then they became very boring. The bosses, on the contrary, were interesting from the very beginning to the very end, each boss needed its own approach and tactics, especially when by the middle of the game you have more playable characters at your disposal. But I will say that I passed all the bosses the first time, without having any big problems with them, while in some battles with ordinary mobs I could have lost. Somewhere because of my wrong decisions, somewhere because of the overly (as it seems to me) complex abilities of the mobs.
There were a couple of interesting, but not at all difficult puzzles that gave access to either unnecessary equipment (simply because at the time of completing these puzzles there was already better equipment), or to new combo abilities of the characters (which in the end I I haven’t even tried everything).
As for the plot - as for me - it is too drawn out. Speaking without spoilers (I think those who have completed the game will still understand me), there is one moment in the plot that becomes such a turning point, a little sad, and it already seems that this is the denouement, right now there is still a maximum of 3-5 hours of preparation - and it will be final boss.... (at that time I had already played it for 18 hours). Then it turns out that even more places to explore open up for us, new mobs, a new playable character, and so on... and then I already realized that there was still about the same amount of time left to play (in the end, that’s almost what happened).
I haven’t completed the game for platinum (and I don’t plan to), and in my opinion it’s not worth it, nor is it worth buying it. Now, if you take the option that the game is included in the subscription, then yes, go through the purely storyline, sometimes being distracted by puzzles. I think if you go through the pure story, without puzzles, and a little more quickly than me, you can forgive it + - in 25 hours, I was just not in a hurry.
In short, as for me, the game is not worth the money, and I’m definitely not going to buy it.