So first off, just wanted to say thanks very much to Connor for providing me with a copy of the game, I loved the aesthetics and feel of the mini-prequel and am massively grateful for getting the chance to play the full Towards The Pantheon experience!
Right, now that's out of the way let me get this right off my chest. This game is amazing! From the very second you start playing it it feels like you've played it before. It's got a very cosy and welcoming feel to it, just like any classic RPG should! There's no steep learning curves and no million-hour long tutorial. You get straight into the story and the action. Which is awesome!
The battle system is also something that feels warmly familiar, but still has unique properties (such as some characters needing to use their HP to use attacks), and these properties make it vital to get your battle strategies right (which I failed at an immense amount of times, but that's normal for me). The leveling system is great too, slightly reminiscent of the sphere grid from FFX, where each level you gain allows you to give your characters a specific boost. I managed to beat the game and still not be anywhere near completing the grids, so I may well have to go into that final battle fully cocked (heehee) someday!
Finally, let's move on to what I feel is the most important part of any RPG: the story. And this one is a corker! You take the role of Freyja, a mute warrior from a small town who has been chosen by her grandpoop to be the one who goes and defeats the evil scourge threatening their world, known as The Sworn Light. Along the way you pick up three other kooky characters (a mischievous kitty called Bam, an insecure cyborg called Mishima and a mysterious floaty ex-human called Phenez), and you travel and learn about each other and built a strong bond and I could honestly rant and rave about how amazing the character development is all day! I don't think I've felt as much camaraderie between a bunch of RPG characters in any other game I've played! I laughed, I cried, I felt feelings! And the story all comes together wonderfully in a masterfully told yarn.
In short, for what you get this game is well worth the money! Plenty of sidequests, plenty of grinding to do, plenty of places to explore and a New Game+ mode which I cannot wait to dive into at some point. If you're a fan of classic RPGs you have to have this in your collection, an absolute must buy!