I was playing through the second game before Kiwami 2 came out and I gotta say it's been great! The first PS4 game is VERY, VERY slow (even slower than Cold Steel 1..) but man does it pick up at the end.
I was a fan of Tears to Tiara II, but this definitely has more of the VN aspect than even that one.
Still, solid series -- if you liked Tears to Tiara II, I'd recommend the strat-RPG ones. Although I'd suggest watching the first anime at some point to give things a bit more context.