A very strange game, it plays around with historical figures like kids with with their dolls. Imagine Joan of Arc in a magical girl anime. The more you know about these people the more tickled/flabbergasted you become. But at the same time it's pretty fun. It's pretty straightforward if you've played games like Tactic Ogre: Reborn (and arguably has a better story than TO:R). Grinding is likely necessary but I don't remember it feeling like a slog to get through. Save often because you're given a couple choices that affect the story and your team line-up. The cut-scenes are great too.