An interesting start to a spin off with flaws. I was especially annoyed with the early parts mainly because of the way the levels were designed. Lots of backtracking with frequent random encounters. The kind of backtracking where if you fail, you have to walk the same distance to get back where you were again. This does get better with the second half. Other flaws include the levels looking similar, especially the internet levels. That’s a different reason why you might backtrack too much. It’s also not possible to escape from battles properly. You can use an escape card, but what’s the chance of getting this card when you need it? Not much. What the game does right though is the battle system being novel and interesting for its time. The soundtrack kicks ass. The characters are distinct when it comes to design and I enjoy interacting with them even though there are no surprises. I do like the twist right before the last fight though. Overall, I’m glad to have given the game a chance to start with this spin off series and continue with the sequels but I’m not hooked enough to do the post game content or try to collect all the cards/upgrades. I’ll leave that for the sequels if they turn out better.