The mouse cursor can't leave the game window when set in fullscreen mode, which is what I meant by "hijacking". I know this is not entirely uncommon, though I had a controller plugged in and for some reason expected that to take priority, allowing the mouse to interact with the OS or other applications.
I can't reproduce this. Can you provide more details about your setup?
I did see that status icons were displayed, I just wasn't sure how to easily identify what certain states did (especially the ones added by monster attacks). It's possible there was something I missed in the game guide or an NPC dialog.
The main menu during combat has a Status command. This will allow you to select any combatant and view details for all of their active status effects.
there are some points where I felt like there was a major disconnect between how our protagonists are framed, versus how they actually functioned in combat.
Can you give examples?
I don't think there's a problem necessarily with the support skills being less "gimmick" driven compared to melee and direct damage abilities. Though support skills often get used less when healing is a frequent need, and MP reserves are very limited. So it may be worth revisiting costs for some of the peripheral stuff, before increasing / tuning their effects.
I meant the passive skills that you choose during character creation. You said that some of these lack synergy, and I agree. I like this setup, but the choices could be more impactful or interesting.