This game was super pretty. The busts and animated sprites were really well done.
I don't know if playing the other games were a requirement, but the characters were hard to get to know and it was hard to isolate the small issue that was solved in the story from the big picture. I was taken by surprise by how sudden the ending seemed. I hesitated in writing this review, because I am also creating a large world and I am facing the same struggles. I am still having trouble with this problem myself, so pointing it out to another seemed weird, I guess. I could also be totally off base here and my ADHD brain just couldn't handle everything.
I was committed enough to the big picture to be sad it ended when it did, so it is still very interesting and has so much potential.
As for the gameplay, while the animations for the skills were neat and the battle system was more unique, I did not have full control of the whole party. I understand they would probably come and go normally, but in this game they were in every battle and that made it odd to not have control.
Some randoms would have been a fun way to see more of the skill animations without worrying about death too much like in a tougher forced fights. If you would rather stay in a more visual novel format, it would be nice to have choices sometimes. I know time was probably a factor here, so please just take these as ideas.
I wish they had two separate categories for creativity. I can never tell to judge it on art, music, or adding some kind of technical unique touch. I usually see it as interactive features, but the style and consistency of the art and sprites was very well done here. That's where I put those points, because I thought presentation wasn't enough. Honestly, I'm not very good at pixel art or animating spites, so it looks like magic to me! Thank you for making this cute game.