it looks like you’d wail on one enemy for 3 minutes until it gives out.
Oh you’ll wail a lot longer than that in some cases. Some of the summon boss fights took like 30~45 mins of wailing. And yes. The RPG elements are non existent, and the side quests are incredibly shallow and boring. You are spot on. No status effects, no elemental affinities, absolutely minimal equipment and weapon systems which amount to basically making a single number go up. It was honestly embarrassing as far as gameplay goes.
I guess I don’t mind it. The side quests aren’t the most exciting of activities, but they lead to a lot of great things. Like extra transmuter options, and party level increases for synergy abilities. unique accessories, and unique conversations with party members you wouldn’t see otherwise. Plus some of the best materia is only accessible from chadley. So I haven’t been minding it all that much. As you unlock life springs, you unlock more info about the environments you’re in. For me the rewards outweigh the monotony.