I agree, combat isn't fun. Excruciating even.. no upgrades in armor for the companions at least not in the first town, the optimize feature equips an axe for the wizard girl.. most annoying part for me was the hint system.. telling me to go on adventure.. check out the first 2 mission quests.. explore dungeon, buy chainmail.. wondering why I haven't leveled up yet.. no exp progression check out dungeon again.. only to be told on the 4th floor that I need to be level 2 and should slay the goblins and return with the leaders head..
I mean, either let me free roam, gain experience and explore.. or tell me what I need to do to be able to level up.. as it is now it is just frustrating.
Also, no idea what the fresh water is for can you actually get dehydrated? Simple ration/health potion/medical kit all revive k.o party members. a lot seems to be to intricate/complicated for its own good. trying too implement too many features/spells early on.. slowing level progression by having it locked to the hard mission quest. so you're stuck with low mp and health..