I had just made it to the end of chapter 1 when my computer went down and I lost my saves. Even in chap. 1 it definitely gets better the further you go. I've tried all 3 characters and the girl is the best imo. Before even acquiring any special skills I have discovered that I can set up a 15 hit combo with her just by alternating a couple of kicks with a couple of slashes over and over. In fact if she is fighting a group she will go on to over 40 hits in a row on multiple enemies. The game is really cool. I read one review which didn't like it in which the reviewer said a lot of things that showed he really didn't understand how the controls work. As far as the graphics are concerned, they are not great. But the Oriental setting is different and its good enough for me. Compare the game with Dungaeon Siege which has superior graphics to D2, Div Div or Blade & Sword, but turns out to be boring.
Btw oBosch, is it better to imbed gems as soon as I make perfect ones and upgrade them later, or better to wait until I have some really super ones before embedding? Same question on the sorcery bag.