@Lucina I think my biggest surprising take-away was actually that combat has a good challenging edge to it and isn't just hammering on an attack button repeatedly. The smaller enemies are easy and don't require much concentration, but you really do need to think about when you attack and when to wait (and block) against the bigger enemies. Counter-attacking is key.
@Noctis Strife I think the interactions on a story level are really great; there's a fun sense of comradeship and a nice dynamic in the group. The way the AI works outside of combat to point things out to you in the environment works brilliantly. In combat I find them to be flashy but not really distracting in a problematic or an exciting way... they're just sort of there. The one time they really matter is when you get a counter attack and whoever is nearest joins you for a combo attack. Otherwise they handle themselves and are just not a concern at all, at least when I played.
Slight niggling complaint: repeating voice clips in battle.
More on all this in a podcast I've done with
@Kagari, too, coming soon. Will get to more question soon...