Boss fights showcase another of
Jikandia: The Timeless Land's strengths, character customization. Boss fights are mostly about pattern recognition, though you'll need to find the right combination of kids if you want to defeat it. Each kid has a different attack pattern, though you're only allowed to take two into the dungeon with you at any one time. This opens up numerous strategic opportunities. If a certain attack combo doesn't work, you can always grab another pair of kids and try again. Even better, there's no one "ultimate" combo, opening up the opportunity for multiple combinations.
Another interesting bit of customization involves magic quartz crystals. Quartz crystals impart stat boost and other magic abilities. As with the combinations of kids, you're encouraged to experiment with different load outs in each level. There's no one win-all combination, so it's impossible to make it through the entire game with the same set of kids, weapons and quartz. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock more slots, upping the range of possible combinations.
Weapons add another point to customization options, though it is the weakest one. Spending more time in each dungeon is supposed to offer bigger and better awards for your time. However, this really isn't the case since the game is a bit of a tightwad when it comes to offering the better gear. Even after spending the full thirty minutes tooling around levels, I was always rewarded with crummy weapons.
I loved the level of strategic depth afforded by the system, but couldn't bring myself to replay missions or stay in dungeons longer than a few minutes. Jikandia: The Timeless Land offers a lot of neat possibilities, but trips up where it counts the most. Levels are repetitive and dull, which wouldn't be horrible if it at least made good on its reward system. It doesn't and as a result, Jikandia: The Timeless Land isn't as fun as it initially looks.