It is a final fantasy game. The vast majority of people who play FF games know that leveling is what you do, and there's an ability on the first class you have access to that basically says "This helps you level up faster." I'm not saying that if you had -no- idea about rpgs in general and went through the game it would be easy, but it literally gives you an ability to make the game substantially easier within the first three battles of the game. And not just easier; it gives you an ability that makes learning every other skill in the game twice as fast.
You don't even have to engage in other battles if you put two and two together; there's enough chance to earn JP at absurd levels in storyline battles. The first chapter is -by far- the hardest, with only the Weigraf/Belias fight being on par. The game gets incredibly easy before you unlock Orlandu, if you actually just look at the abilities. I'd say the moment Mustadio becomes a character you can play is the turning point for even newblars. Orlandu is just OP icing on an already baked cake of ease.