One of the best original RPGs on a portable system to date. (Calculated Score = 9.25)
First of all, this game looks absolutely amazing. The art direction, the animations, the environments, it all just looks so magnificent and vibrant. Considering how limited the GBA hardware is, this game did a wonderful job of making a piece of beauty. The one problem I noticed is that a lot of the enemies are repeated with different colors, which seems to be a common problem in RPGs. On the bright side, the bosses are amazing and the summons are not only awesome to watch, but the scenes can be skipped if you wish. All-in-all, this is one GBA game that is not short on visual beauty.
As for the sound effects, they are not as great. They are very effective, but sound like an old SNES game, and I've heard better on the GBA. On the bright side, the music, though not as high quality as I would like, is wonderfully composed, and is some of the best music I have heard in a GBA game recently. Enough of all this, how does the game PLAY?
Well as far as controls, it is flawless. It is as simple as A for action and B for cancel. R and L are used creatively, and can each be programmed to a specific Psynergy (spell). That is one of the main gameplay elements that make the puzzles in this game interesting, and also keeps travelling interesting as well. How it works is basically you use a spell to do something in the world. For example, you can use Move to move heavy objects, or Reveal to see hidden pathways or switches. It gets much more interesting than that, but I don't want to spoil the fun. There are a decent amount of Psynergy to use outside of battle, and a ton more to use inside of battle. The main twist are Djinni. They are little creatures that you attach to a character, that not only raise his/her stats, but also add spells depending on the element. Each of the 4 main characters has a base element, and there are 7 Djinni for each element (making 28 total). You can mix and match them with each character to get a wide range of classes that receive exclusive spells. There is more though. Each Djinni has a special power assigned to it when summoned (like healing HP, or stunning an enemy). After you use it's power, you can then do an attack summon based on how many of each elemental Djinni you have used up (there are a total of 12 different summons), that are generally very powerful and raise the appropriate elemental power of the character who makes the summon. It all sounds complicated but in practice, it is simple, effective and adds a level of depth to the combat that always makes it interesting.
Between the Psynergy, Djinni and normal equipment/items, there are a lot of options for strategy within the extremely fun battles. The bosses (especially final boss) are very fun and challenging, and the enemies are generally reasonably manageable, and running away isn't too difficult in case you don't care for levelling up at the time. There are a good amount of dungeons and each has it's own theme, that requires you focus on using a new Psynergy you acquired, but also requires you creatively use your old powers as well. Each dungeon is cumulative, and you will find them to be very satisfying to complete.
The story in this game is top-notch, as should be in an RPG. Put into simple terms, you are trying to chase a group of people that are 'evil'. Seems simple enough, but each character is developed effectively throughout the game and because of certain plot twists, things get complicated fast. The story is always interesting and the ending, though kind of abrupt, at least leads directly into the sequel. This is one story you will not find dull, and it never lets you forget that you having a quest does not stop the world around you. You will see other problems arise that need to be solved, while still trying to chase down the villains.
As for extras, you can easily get through the game with only half of the Djinni, and the total amount is not difficult to get, though they do require you do some thinking and exploring. There is also a secret dungeon, that forces you to relive all of the past puzzles in interesting ways, that ends in an extremely challenging but immensely rewarding secret boss battle. There is also a password you can transfer to the sequel (upon completion of this) that allows you to continue with all the same stats, levels, Djinni and equipment. The password is a little long though, so if you have access to two GBAs, then you can link up and transfer the information like that. To top it off, there is a battle mode that you can participate in. You can battle an endless number of monsters until you lose, to see how good you are, or you can battle a friend. Battling a friend is never fun unless you are even levelled, but when that is the case, some interesting battles can turn out. There is also a music test that is accessible upon completion.
Overall, this is one jam-packed RPG that will likely leave you immensely satisfied. I spent about 20 hours on my most recent playthrough (of 6), so for your first time you can expect 25-30 hours out of this game, that is including the extras. That is a good amount of time, though for some reason the game will feel short. This is one RPG that you will NOT want to pass up on the GBA. We don't get many new IPs these days that are actually good, so enjoy the ones that are out there.
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Value: 9/10
OVERALL: 9.0/10 (9.25/10.0)