The kind of SMRPG nostalgia trip this gives me with timed hits is impeccable.

Story? Linear. But that's not a bad thing.
Progression of areas? Linear. But that's not a bad thing.
Obtaining items Linear. But that's not a bad thing.
and abilities?

A lot of the ways this game handles how you interact with it is fairly linear, but introduces segments where you're (somewhat) free to explore each and every map, but must do the objective in a straight line.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It streamlines things for the player; it makes a lot of abilities, key items, ingredients very easy to find, and it's an enjoyable romp from start to (almost) finish.

I will say, the ending does feel a bit like a cop-out for a boss fight. I won't spoil, but it could have been done with a bit more of a bombastic finish. If they plan to make a sequel, I'd gladly support it.

The kind of SMRPG nostalgia trip this gives me with timed hits is impeccable. Story? Linear. But that's not a bad thing. Progression of areas? Linear. But that's not a bad thing. Obtaining items Linear. But that's not a bad thing. and abilities? A lot of the ways this game handles how you interact with it is fairly linear, but introduces segments where you're (somewhat) free to explore each and every map, but must do the objective in a straight line. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It streamlines things for the player; it makes a lot of abilities, key items, ingredients very easy to find, and it's an enjoyable romp from start to (almost) finish. I will say, the ending does feel a bit like a cop-out for a boss fight. I won't spoil, but it could have been done with a bit more of a bombastic finish. If they plan to make a sequel, I'd gladly support it.