Why is this game so hard to figure out? And why is it so much fun?

I recently picked up a copy of Yggdra Union and have been putting in an hour or two here and there, and so far I like it. It’s supposed to be an SRPG… but it unlike any other one that I’ve played. The presentation is very nice and is reminiscent of Rivera (it’s made by the same people). The story seems pretty generic so far… but I pretty much expected that. You know, fallen empire, runaway princess, theif with a heart of gold, blah blah blah. You know the drill.

The battle system is complicated; to attack you form unions, which will be different depending on whether you picked a male or female to lead the “union.” And yes, unlike in Georgia, male-male unions are permissible, as long as they’re standing diagonally across from one another. There’s the whole axe-sword-spear triangle similar to the Fire Emblem series. There are also cards which you use to move. I still haven’t figured out how to use any of the special powers or what any of the stats on the cards mean… I really don’t know what I am doing and have been getting my asses kicked in battles.

Like I said earlier, it’s a very pretty game and I really just enjoy watching the battles. The art is great… but I just hope it doesn’t turn into one of those “card capture” games. So far it hasn’t inspired any Fire Emblem-esque frustation… but I am still way early in the game. For more info, check out the wiki entry.