>>37881
It doesn't dump the images on you.
You have to find them, and you get better options and freedom the more you progress and explore. You've basically unlocked the first "free" area but you don't really know it yet.
The beginning of the game is the casual filter so there's no CGs until you're shrunken, minus the "preview" ones you might find before that point, which may have been one of the ones you found since it usually takes longer to reach the point I refer to, or "the true beginning".
>typical RPGM mechanics
That's kinda what I refer to by "traditional JRPG". It doesn't reinvent the wheel, it instead is probably just one of the best damn wheels around. Its level of game design is absolutely top-notch and well-integrated with its premise.
Can you say what sort of equipment you have, or if you even beat the lion at the start and got the bronze key?
You haven't truly started the game unless you've gotten past the first dungeon that you're in after you get shrunk and explored the areas available to you after that point.
The mere fact that the game's overworld is deceptively much larger than one can initially understand despite having access to much of it at the start is a very novel concept that's not seen often at all in JRPGs, its map design is akin to a very well-made metroidvania style, is unique to the theme of the game, and its dungeons are well-made and challenging compared to the vast majority of JRPGs, also coming with some puzzles later on that can get fairly challenging.
What's more, the combat system is very well-handled.
The game gives you ridiculous challenges to overcome with extremely powerful, if not overpowered, bosses and even pretty challenging regular mobs and expects you to beat them, not through grinding, but through finding the best tools and using them appropriately, along with maintaining a good "battle rhythm" of sorts. Maintaining and balancing your party's health, MP, TP, statuses (on both you and your enemy), making sure not too many are KO'd or in KO range, guarding, item use and management, watching enemy patterns carefully, and using the right equipment to begin with before you enter the fight are all huge deals that cannot be ignored in the game.
This isn't the kind of game, even if you did cheese or grind your stats and level, that you can just auto-win without thining. If you didn't find a certain accessory that would be immensely helpful in taking down certain bosses for example, you might not be able to beat them at all unless you're very skilled or clever.
What's more, the game rewards the player with broken shit if they're thorough/intelligent enough, intending for the player to use them because that's the only feasible, intelligent way to overcome the busted challenges in this game, and in finding and using that broken shit, you get potential access to even more broken shit if you're thorough enough, and that in turn unlocks even further potential challenges which would have you make use of said broken shit because its the only feasible way to fight the bosses you've unlocked, which also unlocks new scenes, new CGs and types of scenarios, and more girls.
There's so many secrets its incredible.
Many JRPGs fall into the "too linear" trap, this one is linear of course because its driven by a plot of course, but it has a lot of explorations, secrets and shit riddled throughout the game that makes it more than just a romp through, and its challenging combat and everything (without being bullshit like most RPG Maker games that are """difficult""") together make it an excellent experience.
Plus the story and characters are quite enjoyable too in my opinion.
(1/2 because apparently post is getting too long)