First, the title screen is done nicely.
This is my favorite game (so far), I havn't played them all.
However, the battles in the woods are WAY TOO MUCH, and they take too long to finish for beginning of the game - as much as I love the game it made me want to quit playing.
The game design and mechanics are very good and a key point in design that makes me want to play the game. The way you get items after battle is cool, and the custom fonts, custom GUIs and other custom things makes the game more original with personality.
There are a lot of good points in the designs, but I think it needs custom graphics and better music and balance for the battles and it will be really good. The save point heal was fun and the skill abilities to upgrade is another +. My favorite -so far-.