A true gem in every sense of the word, this game feels ahead of its time, and in some ways is still relevant to our current political and environmental climate. The gameplay is a sophisticated evolution of Final Fantasy Tactics-style role-playing games with pre-set arenas and unique challenges, with many encounters tailored to suit the story as it unfolds. The story is also deceptively long and in-depth, covering two different sides in a racial conflict over the limited resources of the earth, and how the individual sides are more complex, understandable, and disunited than the other seems to believe, which eventually comes to a head as our protagonists follow different goals, follow similar leads, and clash as their heritages both separate and shared are brought into the open. The music is among the greatest the genre has seen, with a unique soundscape for non-combat scenarios, and a wide variety of combat themes to suit the mood of the story. And this is without mentioning the star-studded celebrity voice cast in the early stages of their careers, putting their talents to work in this intelligent and incredibly over-the-top story.
Despite what the world map would indicate, the story and its beats are easy to follow up on when the player is ready, without too much fluff in between the important and satisfying parts that makes this game so special, not to say there aren't optional combat encounters to simply enjoy the system, or beef up your characters' stats or equipment with fabulous prizes.
I believe this game would be a definite feather in the cap of GOG and an absolute joy to any first-time players, and however many veterans of the franchise there are. It went criminally under-noticed at the time, probably due to a lack of franchise recognition in favour of other, more established titles from Japan. I feel like the themes of this game have only gotten more relevant as time has passed. Get it twisted, you will become a more just person by playing this game.