Hi Lumen,
Well, I have just finished the game and had a great time. I did download the demo a while ago and started it but couldn't quite get into it with the different game play from the games I was playing then (i.e., not being able to go into shops and inns). However, when I recently finished Fantasy Heroes 1, I got used to it so decided to re-try. And it was worth it
The game took me around 19 hours (as I like to savour the story and different areas). The characters reached the following levels - Valentin (32) - great sensible logical thinker but still unclear why he went silent at the end as noted by Dante several times; Anais (31) - earnest young knight with great skills and magic; Dominique (31) - a bit sanctimonious and annoying but did have very useful skills and magic; Mona Luna (30) - terrific little witch who would not put up with Dominique's nonsense, and her claw skills were epic; and finally, of course, Dante (31) Master Warlock and outright powerhouse.
I am glad I purchased the guide as I would not have known about needing to use Valentin's Gunblast minimum 20 times to get his ultimate weapon, nor Mona Luna's Claw skills minimum 35 times to get her ultimate weapon, or how to navigate those rotten yellow buttons.
Not mentioned in the guide - I found I had to step on the yellow button in the optional area bottom/left to open the door to the first yellow button in Old Coven Area 3
The gameplay and battles were excellent - lots of different enemies needing some strategic thinking. And the dialogue was great - particularly liked the dry humour and creative insults which left me laughing at times. The story and character development kept me engrossed.
A couple of minor things I didn't like was the low rate of earning gold - either that or I was a bit of a spendthrift

I could only afford one set of wings for Dominique in the final shop and just couldn't earn enough to get another set for Dante. Nevertheless, I managed to wipe out the final boss handily
I also found the music too loud as others have mentioned and had to lower the volume on my computer as it was a bit jarring, and the other thing that I found jarring was the depiction of Agathe (an NPC) - Anais' 12-year old younger sister. All the other art work was fantastic but Agathe just seemed awkward (which is probably the point for a young pre-pubescent girl with terrible dress sense, a bit pudgy with gangly arms). I suspect you meant it to be this way but it was "unfortunate" to say the least
So overall, great game and I would recommend it. It is a stand alone from Fantasy Heroes 1 - and in my opinion, I enjoyed it more (still lots of fighting with more story and character development!)
Many thanks for a great game,
MerryX