Hey Chief! I'm as far as Rocket Town now, and on the way past Nibel I noticed that the Nibel wolves' "howling ability" is a lot of fun. Status effects like 'toad' still affect them when they revive, they are still "sense"d and (sadly) cannot be morphed for more tents. They do, however, give more EXP/AP for each KO, and so can be a nice way to grind a few levels if you are so cheesily inclined. With "haste" on the reviving buddy, the process approaches sonic speeds! Now I'm not sure how much of this was intentional, as monster-summoning battles are a staple of the series (for grinding), but I thought I'd share!
Really enjoying the changes, and I've been pleased with the number of battles that have caught me out a bit, but not actually killed me before I could adapt (like Powersoul Keeper), and I LOVE the Force Stealer! (Life steal is one of my most favourite effects ever- I love the Blood Sword)