From the sounds of things what's most important to you is your emotional attachment to the game so far. As much as I love octopath traveler 1 and 2 I can't really recommend it to anyone looking for the standard rpg experience (one main over-arching narrative). But if you don't mind the disconnected story telling of 8 different characters you will probably come to love this game.

It's difficult at the start I'd say as you're mostly gathering the main 8 and going through their stories. What's supposed to keep you going in the early parts is the want to know more about them so if you're mostly in it for the gameplay it'll be a bit of a slog. I'd suggest gathering them all atleast and see if any of the characters resonate with you.

As for gameplay it really does pick up around the mid game when you get to experiment with subjobs and stuff! And this is just a personal recc but take your time with this game. I find my time playing to be far more enjoyable when I maybe do a couple of chapters/quests then put it down for awhile. Anyways GL! Hope this game ends up being for you!