An extremely well-done RPG that is undoubtedly one the best games ever made.
The battle system here won't appeal to everyone. It's pretty basic; attack, defend, magic, etc. It just fails to stand out, but it works nonetheless. Each character has the option to "Psych Up". This raises the character's tension level. The higher the tension level, the more damage your spells and attacks will deal. It's a neat twist, but won't make the battle system as memorable as those of other RPGs.
The graphics are cel-shaded, which isn't a bad thing. They do look good and add to the game's charm. All character and monster designs were done by Akira Toriyama (of Dragon Ball fame), all of which look great. The soundtrack is truly outstanding. Its fully orchestrated and is put together beautifully. From the minimalist dungeon theme to the memorable overworld theme, the soundtrack truly deserves the title of perfect.
The story is seemingly basic, but very well done, with plenty of twists and drama thrown in. The early plot in a nutshell is you're a silent protagonist traveling with your cursed king and bandit friend trying to lift the king's curse and stop an evil jester/wizard who stole some powerful and evil scepter and decides to wreak havoc. During your journey, you'll meet plenty of unique characters with top notch voice acting that rarely ever comes off as cheesy or annoying.
There's plenty of rewarding side quests and fun extras including the Pokemon-esque Monster Arena were you can recruit "infamous" monsters to battle other monsters for special prizes, like rare armor and weapons. Scattered across the world are Mini-medals, which can be traded for more rare items. Then you can get the alchemy pot near the beginning of the game. By combining specific items, you can get better items. Some which can only be obtained by alchemy.
The sheer size of the game is amazing. However, a huge overworld and high enemy encounter rate don't really make for a winning combination. If you want to beat the game 100%, it will probably take you 80+ hours. Despite it's hard difficulty and simple battle system, the game's size, presentation, soundtrack, story, extras, and overall quality make Dragon Quest VIII one of the greatest games in history.