Topic: Tales of Vesperia - Definitive Edition

I've been making myself push through this game. I'm at around 20 hours, and it just isn't keeping me interested. Like it seems everyone said, the characters and story are the winning factor. I don't find combat interesting, and exploring the overworld map is cumbersome. I find myself taking screenshots often of when characters say what our next destination is because the game doesn't do great at telling you what is next. But Vesperia is so highly rated, and I want to know more about Estelle and Karol and other elements I won't spoil. I want to know the story, and maybe that's a good enough reason to keep pushing through.