In reply to andyjohnson0:
Your kids were right I think
The game turns multiple tropes upside down is a key reason for it being so well received.
Unlike just about every game there ever has been - you are encouraged, and rewarded by NOT killing monsters in this one. If you do kill monsters - they're not just faceless goons that keep coming endlessly, but when you arrive at the next town in the game - it's empty, nobody is in the shops, nobody to talk to - they're all dead, because you've killed them all. As far as I'm concerned - that's brilliant. If you make friends with the monsters instead, they'll aid you, and that's how you get the good ending.
The battle system itself is actually interesting, and every battle requires you to think. There is no button mashing, there is no grinding, there is no relying on reflexes (well you need to develop them for the dodging phase, but even then every battle has a different type of attack to dodge), there is no uber powerful spell that wins everything once you've got it. It's figure out what makes the monster tick, and then do that every time.
The music is extremely well written, the likes of which I have not been seen since the 2000s IMO. The guy who wrote the game (all by himself except for artwork), also wrote all of the music.
The story writing is fresh. Lots of humour - again, haven't seen that for ages. I usually found myself laughing at something every few minutes. It doesn't take itself too seriously, except for when it does. The story unrolls unexpectedly, but fits together very neatly.
Overall, it's just a really good game
