I have played A LOT of turn based RPGs in my time, but when it comes to my absolute favorite, I always come back to this gem. It was perfect, and exactly what I was looking for, and I can not recommend it enough.
There’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said 100 times already, but to address some of the common criticisms:
No, not every single story segment is amazing. But they are all at least decent, and honestly, who plays TB-RPGs for the story?
Anyone who says the stories don’t connect has never played the game all the way through. There’s an optional final boss, and in that dungeon you find a series of journals that connects any remaining dots.
No, characters don’t talk to each other during their cutscenes. But there is optional travel banter (press + when it tells you) both during story segments, and in bars. Maybe they just to give their companions some space so they can handle their personal business? All 8 story lines involve rather personal stuff. And a lot of the questions like “why wouldn’t this character have helped during this” are answered through travel banter.
The only other thing I really want to add is DON’T SLEEP ON THE 4 SECRET JOBS! Some people seem to be under the impression that you need to beat the game first to get them, but NO, that defeats the entire purpose. Get them as early as you can, which will probably be at the end of chapter 3.