Tales of Symphonia.... well, Fire Emblem

[A Black Falcon]

How can conversations be that fun if it really doesn't offer much, gameplay-wise?

... huh? Umm... no point? I don't understand. But talking to people, hearing about the world, responding and sometimes doing quests... that IS much of the gameplay! As I said, conversation is a much bigger part of this game than most RPGs, and combat a much smaller one. You'll fight a decent amount, but it's not as vital, or as challenging, as it is in other games. But fighting isn't really the point of the game so that's fine. Lots of people you meet have a lot to say... even the random civilians say more than in other games, and there are more people who aren't just random civilians to talk to. And many of them have big branching dialogue trees. :)

Your character starts the game knowing nothing. You explore this world and learn about it while trying to learn about yourself. And slowly you learn more about both of those things, as you progress. But that's not to say that early on you don't learn much -- quite the opposite, in the early parts you get quite a lot of information. But not all the answers, and the game's quest keeps you moving on to learn about yourself and exactly what you are and what your past choices were that brought you to wake up on a slab in a mortuary (with a talking skull as a companion)...

What I was saying with the comparison to KotOR is that this game's story isn't as branching as that and that no matter how you act it'll head to the same conclusion, or close to it. But it's got a lot of story. But even more than the story about you, probably, is the story of the world... Planescape is AD&D's most unique world, I'd certainly say, and the process of understanding this place is a huge part of the game. Those conversations with people aren't all about you, after all, in a large part they're about the place you're currently in...