7 hours in, at Sapstrath Deepwood, still rocking Hard mode. There's something oddly addicting about running from shining/sparkling item/bag to the next while slowly stalking huge enemies for preemptive strikes on these barren fields. I was enjoying the cast/story until Teepo and Elize got involved. My god, obligatory "I'm sorry" girl with weird creature partner. While not NEARLY offensive, can't say that I didn't think about Lymle from Star Ocean 4! =0
Also, have I been out of the loop with Tales games or have names/terms like Maxwell and Aifread not been used since Tales of Eternia? That was the last time I've seen/heard those words, hah! With that said, still enjoying this game more than Graces f despite its apparent "shortcomings" in the sub-system/progression/combat department.