An odd combination of genres creating a highly addictive must-have game!
I wasn't really sure if I would like this game. The mesh of bejeweled-like puzzle gameplay with an RPG-like fantasy story seemed to be an unusual combination and I doubted it would work. But it got great reviews and seemed to be very popular so I decided to pick it up. And I'm very glad I did :).
While the combination seems strange it actually works very well. Think of it as an RPG but the turn-based combat system has been replaced by a turn-based puzzle-combat game. Basically there are 7 different symbols in the battle system, blue, red, green and yellow gems, a purple star, skulls (some of which have a 5X multiplier) and a wild card which has a multiplier and can be used to match any of the four gems. During combat you switch two adjoining symbols with each other either horizontally or vertically in order to make a row of three or more. Gems are used to use special abilites, stars gain you experience which in turn levels you up and skulls deal damage to the opponent.
It is a very fun system, doesn't get old (at least nearly as quickly as normal turn-based battle systems) and is also very challenging. The enemy AI is very good and some opponent will be very difficult to beat. However if you do happen to lose, you don't lose any progress (you may even gain a little experience), you just have to try again.
The game also has a pretty good story. It is pretty standard fantasy fare but the dialogue is excellent, really fits the game and compared to normal RPG fare it really is excellent. You won't really find characters that you care a great deal about which I guess is a bit of a weakness but still I feel the dialogue is above the norm even if the over-arcing story isn't. There is no voice acting which I like, I usually hate the voices in JRPGs.
There is no real exploration in the game, you basically move across a map in straight-lines which join points of interest. However dialogue sequences, story progression, battles and new and interesting characters keep your interest peaked.
The game is perfect for quick sessions and for longer ones. The combat system is interesting and pretty easy to get the hang of but can be hard to master. And the dialogue is excellent with a good enough overall story. It's also really really addicitive. I'd recommend it to everyone but especially those who enjoy or are good at puzzle games.