Similar story for me. I bounced off this game several times, going back to it repeatedly because (to this day) Matsuno’s games are some of my all-time favorites. Then maybe 15 years after release, I realized I’d stopped just short of the crafting station which was such a strong hook for me I ended up with multiple spreadsheets!

Unfortunately, as I began to realize as I delved into the game, it had a lot in common with looter ARPGs, a genre that ages so rapidly. I probably would have loved the game back in 2000 but didn’t give it enough of a chance back then. By the time I did, it was just too dated.