Actually gameplay is just the way you want to play it. do you want an easy win you just keep on levelling in the first world, if you want more risk you head-on. So also depends an your gamestyle rather then the diffuculty of the NPC's.

If a JRPG has a good story along with good characters and music, then I'll buy it (battle system isn't a really big factor for me since the JRPG genre isn't my all time favorite). Art style is a plus though. I usually perfer my JRPGs' to be dark even if they do have happy endings

never been to fond of the battle systems in RPG's, it has always been about the story and the leveling.  To me, RPG's are more like interactive novels, not games.

^^
to me they are AWESOME games, and i am one of the rare people who like leveling up and/or grinding.
just not the MMO one where i have to be online and waste alot of time just traveling and searching

Grinding is the greatest joy in a JRPG...* happy sigh*

It just easy when you know how to play. It could get really complex, however you just have to learn the mechanics.
For example water defeats fire. The only thing that makes you want to play is story espesially for sequals. Ofcourse you have to like the repetitive battle system. But the same goes for a shooter you have to like killing over and over again.

That its fun

i love grinding in a jrpg, i recently put around 103 hrs into star ocean:the last hope. :) and i enjoyed every minute of it too.

How much and how many hours of exploration I can get out of the game. Also battle system.

i also prefer a lot of sidequests and extra crap, like ff7. it had a crap load of extras