1. And I know this is just the Dragon Quest style of games, but it's a little less "mature" than I typically like in JRPGs. Maybe mature is the wrong word. Not sure how to describe what I'm talking about really. Like, I'm not expecting any themes where people have been kidnapped and experimented on or towns slaughtered by a mad man with trails of blood like happened in some FF games even. I've never felt like there's a ton at stake. But I get it, that's Dragon Quest.
I mean it has a vibrant art style, but Dragon Quest games are known among fans for a lot of their darker and sadder moments, 11 has its fair share but I won't spoil any. However this is more of what I call a gameplay oriented experience much like the older Final Fantasies like 3 or 5, so if you go in expecting a linear more anime/cinematic experience like Kingdom Hearts or Persona, then its going to seem "simplistic".
2. Every character looks like they're out of Dragon Ball Z. Not a huge deal, but whatever.
The artist is the creator of Dragon Ball, which I don't mind since he can design heroes that look more like heroes rather than the typical asymmetrically dressed J-Pop stars we get in JRPGs.
3. This is the only thing I genuinely actively loathe about the game: the music. It's fucking terrible. Worst soundtrack I've ever heard in a game. I have to turn the volume all the way down when I'm out in the fields or towns and listen to other music or podcasts to keep me sane. Not only are the melodies bad, but they're short, so it makes the fact that they repeat over and over more quickly even worse. Just the worst towns and field themes I've ever heard in an RPG.
Id agree that the soundtrack doesn't have much variety, but this complaint seems way over exaggerated to the point of nitpicking. I just tune out a boring song, its not like Hydlide on the NES where it sounds like a wound up music box melody composed of nothing but shrieking high notes.