I beat the game.

Here's a short run-down of goods and bads. I'll edit this when I'm more awake:


Very very good
It's what an rpg is SUPPOSED to be
Epic battles, great plot, very memorable characters

This game is unique in that no levelling is required

It's catered in America around kids and young teens, so I found the battles very easy to figure out. The boss battles and ship battles are the exception - cause they were so epic and thought-provoking

Legends (a director's cut version of the first SoA) has sidequests as well that rule.

Warning:

The battle frequency has no mercy until later in the game. You'll get into a battle every two steps. Hence why no leveling is required. At first it was challanging, then 1/3rd through the game it gets really repetative cause you can end most battles with 1 hit. Thing is, though, that you can run from battles just as easy, they make the dungeons more interesting, you can equip stuff to slow down battle frequency, and once the story progresses 2/3rd through, you can fly out of range of battles.

I hated the battles for a while until I realized that they actually made your pirate title improve or fall depending on if you fight or escape from battles. So that's no longer a downside.


The controls are a little clunky, but it's one one of the first rpgs with a full 3d platform, so it's understandible.

The only real ACTUAL downside is varience in music. People and moments have themes, but no themes change through the game. Ie, you get the same battle theme for the entire game. They tried to make this okay by changing the battle theme slightly midbattle if your outcome is loosing or winning.


That's about it. Characters are awesome. Plot is unique and very good. It pulls you completely into the environment and acts like a great rpg needs to. I wish they were as good as this.