I'm over an hour into the game, and it doesn't let me create my character, let alone proceed to the actual game. I've tried leaving the character's appearance as is, but no dice. I know the game's practically dead, but I still wish I could experience it for myself.

Modern developers need to stop doing this. Remember that game you played during the pandemic that was incredibly fun and engaging moments before it was terminated with nearly no warning despite its record high popularity? That game no longer exists. Everything that was challenging about the game previously is now null as you can defeat bosses with the press of a single button thanks to all of the new player events and full set of Akasha records. It completely ruins the pacing as the game is now built to be streamlined and accessible as possible to burn through the main story as quickly as possible in order to reach the ending. No need in particular to explore the game's systems or develop your skill. Also, the character creator does not tell you your character name is taken. You CAN create a character but the game does not tell you why you aren't able to. Incredible disappointment for any returning players looking to recapture the original experience. New players are bored within an hour and move onto another game. Not to mention all of the typographical errors and lack of proofreading. I'm not saying don't give this a try but it's not engaging and there's more challenging games out there. The original experience much like Vindictus circa 2016 is non-existent and replaced with something that is completely watered down and overly accessible.