I reached the limits of what I could do with the equipment I have and no will to grind more in this game so let's review it!
Ragnarok Odyssey Ace is the expansion/follow up to Ragnarok Odyssey. Published on the PS3 and Playstation Vita, this was Gungho's attempt at a hunting RPG (also known as a Monster Hunter clone). You are a mercenary recently stationed at Fort Farthest, the front lines of the Sundered Lands. You are to help keep the enemy forces from getting too strong and overtaking the capital. In the game there are 5 classes: Swordmaster, Hammersmith, Assassin, Cleric, and Hunter. I played them all but did my playthrough as Cleric which gave me an early game boost with some decent healing spells allowing me to save money on potions.
The game follows the typical Monster Hunter grind: Talk to some people to advance any story the game has, accept a mission, kill monsters, get parts. Those parts are used to make clothes, accessories (hats basically), and potions! But the clothes don't boost your stats, they're just there to look good.... so how do you boost your stats? WITH TRADING CARDS! Every monster has cards they can drop that have different effects and your clothes have a limit on equipping those cards. You can (literally) expand that limit by upgrading your clothes at the tailor up to Level 10.
The quests themselves start off pretty simple with you fighting slimes, but eventually you'll be taking on the Giants themselves, including Fenia, Menia, Grendel, Surt, Hrungnir, and eventually Utgarda Loki. While being the standard loop, it's still surprisingly fun. The game has a beautiful look to the world and great music. My only gripe with the game is how easy it is to get over powered early on and then struggle to get new equipment later as a result. I ended up using one weapon for about 70% of the game because none of the new weapons even came close to matching it in strength until I beat the final boss of the Ace chapters and got his weapon.
Honestly though the game is fantastic and I wish more people knew about it. I can't say it's for everyone but anyone who wants to play a hunting RPG with a unique style, I say this is for you. I give the game an 8.5 out of 10 and am disappointed in every critic on Metacritic for getting it an average of 61.