>doesn't waste the player's time
Literally and I MEAN LITERALLY only fucking absolute mongoloid JRPG addicted retards could believe this.
>tells an actually meaningful story
Again, something only a JRPG addict would believe. Unironically get some actual media literacy. Your viewpoint is like someone reading elmo books all his life then reading goosebumps for the first time, of course you're going to think it's good because you have no fucking perspective.
>combat isn't a slogfest where you repeat the same move over and over
Yes it is. In fact it's even worse with gun focused builds.
>pictos system takes the poorly implemented materia system and perfects it
Shit with sprinkles on top is still shit
This game wastes the FUCK out of your time just like every other JRPG ever. You could cut down this game down to 10 hours total and literally and I mean LITERALLY nothing of value would be lost.