I went back recently and played this small over looked gem of this generation called Arc Rise Fantasia. Crappy dub and a few clunky issues aside, I really really really enjoyed this game. It takes typical turn-based ideas and fuses it into something somewhat unique and the difficulty of the bosses make it an enjoyable experience from the beginning. I don't think I've played something quite like Arc Rise Fantasia. The battles are extremely fluid when using moves and it's really cool to see characters use special moves. There's not a lot of mechanics that go into battle but there's a lot of resource management and awareness of surroundings that normal games don't really implement such as crystal usage and the action points.
I also have to give a shoutout to the awesome plot. It's one of the few JRPG plots that adhered to tropes of the genre but still managed to feel unique and give twists and turns that were genuinely interesting. Characters come and go and much of your actions feel like they have consequences despite no choice system being invovled. It's an extremely cohesive narrative with a lot of worldbuilding that makes for a compelling and dynamic experience. Also, dat ending song.
I also have to give a shoutout to the awesome plot. It's one of the few JRPG plots that adhered to tropes of the genre but still managed to feel unique and give twists and turns that were genuinely interesting. Characters come and go and much of your actions feel like they have consequences despite no choice system being invovled. It's an extremely cohesive narrative with a lot of worldbuilding that makes for a compelling and dynamic experience. Also, dat ending song.