:edit 2019-02-18: Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King (2005 PS2; later mobile) is a beautiful and massive 3D single-player RPG. The art style is consistent and uses saturated colors, with slightly more realism used in the environments than in the anime-style 3D characters. Despite the game’s size, it always kept my interest. I played all the way through the game, and even started over once (at around Pickham or so), to use my skill points differently. The game has a great battle system, engaging story, beautiful world, and excellent orchestral sound track that matches and compliments the atmosphere of each area and cutscene perfectly. Back when I was still playing through the game, I posted the video below on my old gaming channel (contains MID-GAME SPOILERS). I highly recommend this game to any fan of turn-based RPGs. It is now available on 3DS, Android, and iOS.
“Great Argon Lizard in Two Hits: Dragon Quest VIII pwnage”: Skip to 2:45 to see where it gets interesting.