Keeping in the same vein as Disgaea, this game does have a fun storyline, even if it does get slightly preachy at times. The gameplay is also solid, making easy beginning levels to help the player learn the system (if they've never played a game of this style before) while leading into the more challenging levels that require a high degree of strategy. If Disgaea, Makai Kingdom, or La Pucelle Tactics was fun, this game is a good addition.

I love this tactic style game.. one I will play over and over again.

I own them all for Playstation 2: Disgaea 1&2, La Pucelle, Makai Kingdom, even the bad Atlier Iris games distrubted by NIS America but really produced by Gust.

This is my favorite, even if I have to drop a star for no new game+.

I like it because it is hard, like a true stragic role-playing game should be. Your characters evaporate after a set amount of turns, forcing you to form a balanced party. The free movement system is innovative, including levels where you slide on surface ice for truly long range.

You get one weapon; just one. Though your title doubles as armor. Anything can be a weapon (my best weapon is a live floppy fish) including trees, swords, model trains, and boxes. You can combine weapons together, giving you access to any ability on any item. Ultimate customization.

As for the story, I found a bit sappy yet heartwarming. Plus when you consider how the special character attacks are parody, it actually becomes funny. I liked the large amount of bright colors in the backgrounds and stage levels.

Finally I liked the game because by her actions, Marona shows what it means to be Brave.

I have seen a lot of divergent reviews for this game, so I feel the need to set the record straight. This game is similar to a tactical simulation, however it uses an active movement and attack system somewhat similar to games like Vagrant Story or Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, however this game is mostly two-dimensional with sprites being used instead of 3d character models, on a 3d background. It plays a lot like its other Nippon Ichi predecessors, it is a turn-based strategy game, however without tile based movement and attacks. Because of that, you can end up spending a good deal of time lining up attacks carefully to ensure maximum coverage.

This game is quite diverse and gives your characters a very wide range of abilities to learn and use, so many that it may prove too much for most people to give every attribute and skill to even one character. This lends itself well to people who can invent and use unconventional tactics and open themselves up to creative thinking when playing the game. The art is cutesy and nice, which is expected of a Nippon Ichi game. The music while not great is easily acceptable. In typically Japanese fashion, most of this game lacks the kind of censorship Americans expect, seeing as there is no such thing as verbal censorship as a part of morality in Japan; Japanese explicatives are only considered rude when used as insults, and are not considered immoral. Therefore, while the art and music seem childlike, and the game genre and some of the dialog seem mature, the truth is that the game itself was originally intended for all video game playing audiences.

One complaint heard a lot is about the confinement system. Instead of having your party with you at all times, battles always start with just Marona (the main character), and you must confine the phantoms who compose your party inside of material objects (such as rocks, trees, flowers, and items) scattered around the battlefield. Party members remain so confined and able to act and do battle until their confinement period ends, usually five turns or less, at which time they will disappear and the objects will revert back into their previous state. The complaint is that not enough turns are given to complete the battle, this is a straw man argument against the game. The purpose of the confinement system is to make you recruit and train enough phantoms to last through a battle instead of making the game easy to defeat with just two or three characters like Disgaea.

Overall, the game is very good and unique. Some parts like the music could use a little polish, however nothing in the game really detracts from the overall experience. The biggest complaint I have really is that the game can be slightly repetative, especially if you've played other strategy games for long stretches of time. As with all things, strategy games require moderation!

I'm not sure who this game was supposed to target, but it certainly wasn't me. While the graphics are ok for the genre, the music is repetitive and immature, and the voice-overs will make your ears bleed. I did however admire that they allow the player to choose between English & Japanese spoken dialogue; unfortunately, the Japanese dialogue is only slightly less annoying. Some of the concepts are new and interesting, but nothing ground breaking. I highly recommend spending your money on a better line of games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, or Advance Wars.