I feel like grinding levels. Looking for something NOT turn based, kind of hack and slash-y. For instance, I just tried out Valkyrie Profile 2, and found the combat kind of clunky with the whole party being controlled at once and limited by AP and weapon attack caps.
Im struggling to find more ways to describe what im looking for, so drop what you think fits and ill look it up and check some gameplay!
Brave Fencer Musashi - PSX - SquareSoft.
This is a very fun one from the late 90s. Awesome music, some of that awesome Square medieval fantasy style, night/day cycle (fatige system, higher difficult monsters at night, change of npc behaviour), platforms, minigames, etc.
Spent nights playing this one with my childhood friends.
I hope is the style you are looking for.