I agree that I had mixed feelings on the game, but I think I grinded more than I needed to. I beat the game on Officer with Ace at level 36 and everyone else was at level 30 or below. They really shouldn't have revealed the "average mission levels" because they make you think you need to be that level and I didn't realize until halfway through that being several levels below was more than doable. You still do pretty much need to grind a little to keep at least 8 or so of the party members in fightable condition. You really don't need all 14 trained. I beat the game with characters at level 11, 17, and 18. I never even used Machina.
Spoilers:
For me the biggest flaw in the game was final chapter. It was just flat out bad. Just a lot of bad puzzle-based fights and a final boss that was pure window dressing.
Spoilers:
For me the biggest flaw in the game was final chapter. It was just flat out bad. Just a lot of bad puzzle-based fights and a final boss that was pure window dressing.
_
