So here's the gist of this game. You control only one character at a time, but you have the "Magic Circle" around you, which is basically an arrangement of NPCs who are acting as invisible meat shields for you. That's all they do when they're in the Magic Circle, but they still level up, even if they give their lives so you can make it to the end of the dungeon.
Here's where it gets bizarre. The main character that is being used gets a strong boost in HP when he levels up. The sub characters get a stronger boost in attack, defense, and speed when they level up. So in effect, when the sub characters are in their meat-shield role, they're actually becoming better main character material.. and while the main character is leveling up, he's becoming a better meat shield. Kooky, huh?
Like other Nippon Ichi games, though, there's nothing permanent here. Creating a new character, complete with class selection and everything, takes 5 seconds and costs you nothing. You only need to worry about one set of equipment at any given time, and it's stripped automatically if you change characters. Even better, after you reach level 10, you can reset to level 1, but change your job and keep most of your abilities. It wouldn't be an NIS game without that...
