The weapon system is probably the biggest change from the norm. Blade, the hugely powerful Grenade, the Wasp missle launcher, and even a few secret weapons I haven't unlocked yet. But by no means cheap. I've thought about cheating, just to see the rest, but trust me, no one should cheapen an experience as awesome as Einhander. I could dedicate a whole page to the simple perfection of boss battles in this game, but I will run out of room.
Graphics are typical Square quality.
Seriously, this is in the top 10 of best-looking psx games. Textures are as high-res as the psx can muster, backgrounds are hugely detailed, and best of all, bosses are designed with such care, and animated with such precision, its scary. Of course, transparencies and other special effects are out in full force. Weapon effects are tasty in the extreme. Light-sourcing runs rampant when all these effects collide.