It's a bit tricky to give a review to this game, because it has so many small things that I just straight up dislike. But at the same time it has strong positives that can't be brushed off.
+ Great main story.
+ Tons of side quests that is satisfying to finish.
+ Fun combat system.
+ Mostly decent writings with likeable and memorable characters.
+ Has an in-depth character building and might be really fun for some type of players.
- Rough scaling towards endgame. Everything become a chore as normal enemies becoming too tanky and you'd feel like that you are trapped in a perpetual underpowered state.
- The in-depth character building can become too much and too complicated for its own good.
- The game constantly change your teams, which makes the point above very painful process to go over and over again.
- The game seems to be built with the idea of multiple playthroughs, but the outdated game design might impact the replayablitiy value for some players.
Considering this game is practically a 2004 game, moreover since this game is also the first in the series with a very interesting story to it that gave birth to one of the most popular game series, it's hard to not recommend this game. Try to bear with the downside of the game. Worth the time investments to enjoy the following sequels.