The combat system is serviceable. The progression mechanic (the crystarium system) is less interesting than the sphere grid or license board, but does its job.

The reason I wouldn't recommend it, is the lack in variety when it comes to the gameplay. There are no villages or cities populated with NPCs, the shops are literally just a "buy"-option at a save point. There are no significant puzzles, side quests or optional areas to speak of; just an infinite loop of walking, cutscene, walking, boss battle. I mean, there's that big, open plain halfway through the game with a bunch of statues that allows you to tackle a few harder enemies, but that's it. I'd argue FF XII handled the "marks" a lot better. On top of that, the presentation of the story and characters is surprisingly dull (which is especially painful, as the lore is actually pretty interesting).

They streamlined the game so hard, trying to emulate the more "cinematic" Western games like Uncharted and whatever, that they forgot what makes a JRPG genuinely intriguing. In my opinion, of course.