Decided to play this game to scratch a JRPG itch I had after playing Zelda. However, despite putting 60+ hours on this game, it still took me a longer while to actually sit down and finish it. Though it's not a bad game by any means. Before playing I decided to check what people thought of it, and nearly everyone mentioned a terrible "Endless 8" moment in the game that really drags it down. Despite this I decided to try out the game anyways to see for myself, if it is as bad as they say.
Firstly, I find the gameplay really unique, and a really nice change of pace from a slower turn based RPG. The brave system rewards "High Risk" gameplay and I absolutely loved it the most for the first couple of chapters. Later on though, when you've grown strong enough with a semi-/broken build, you'll find yourselves braving 4x every encounter for an instant win, which makes random encounters pretty weak. This also works with bosses early on, but later bosses will punish you for braving recklessly which is good unless you're running 3/4 DK with drain, then nothing's changed.
The story is where it's really at. It has one of, if not the best iteration of the "Warrior of Light/4 Crystal" storyline in any FF type games. It managed to turn a generic tale as old as time to a dark/epic/multiversal storyline. I thought it has a really fantastic start to it, with OK pacing, until I've reached the beginning of CH.5.
I do understand the need for the repetition plotline, In fact if done right It would've made the game incredibly good.
Though in defense of the game, I find people's complain about CH.5-8 somewhat exaggerated. Firstly, it's not exactly the same, with CH.6 and CH.7 lore dumping you with a really major revelation about the story. And secondly, it's not that long, especially if you don't play the side quests (which is mostly the same sidequests as the previous chapters, just slightly altered), CH.5-8 can be done in 45-50 min each, if you go straight to each objectives every time. Upon reaching CH.5 you're already around 70% of the game.
SPOILERS
My problem with this part lies in the fact that we can already know or at least have a clue of the major plot twist about the game as early as CH.4 If we've done the vampire subquest (which I did), and was later hinted more in CH.6 and outright shoved to your face in CH.7 even the title screen literally changed to spell it out for you. This means that as early as CH.4 you can already tell that what you've been doing is a mistake. But unfortunately, what has been lore dumped to your party fell to deaf ears, apart from their discussion when they're being lore dumped, it's not really acknowledged by the party at all outside of it. Even after reaching CH.7 Where the game outright tells you, that what you've been doing all this time is bad and one of you is a traitor, even Ringabel outright said who the traitor is, our objective (that would doom the whole multiverse) is still the same with little mention of doubt as we are awakening the crystals. I think the whole party has only acknowledged their mistake once outside of being lore dumped in the end of CH.7 where Agnes apologizes and the whole party said that they must "tough it out to reveal the true evil", at this point I thought "Finally, they do acknowledge it" and due to this, I also thought that the reason they still continued to follow the traitor's scheme is to root out the real evil in the end. Then CH.9 comes rolling and when the traitor finally outright betrayed them, they've all got the "surprised Pikachu face" reaction. As if the thought never once crossed their mind. In the end, they really outdid the whole repetition plotline, I feel like the only reason CH.8 even exist is so the numbers of crystal you've awakened is rounded up to the nearest ten (20), this is the part where there's nothing new in the story and the plot would still be the same regardless if it exists.
Nevertheless, I feel like the True Final Chapter somewhat made up for it. The whole chapter, apart from the mid dungeon, is fantastic. Especially the True Final Boss Fight. I love how crazy and epic the whole sequence is. Not to mention, upon getting the true ending, you're rewarded with an actually important and touching end credit scenes accompanied by a masterpiece of a song. If it weren't for the well done finale, I would've gave this game a way lower score.
Overall, Characters are alright, Ringabel and Edea is my favourite. Music is definitely top tier, and I don't mean this lightly. It was a fantastic journey in the beginning with a really steep landslide in the middle but managed to come back in it's full glory in the end. This was a rollercoaster of storytelling.
Firstly, I find the gameplay really unique, and a really nice change of pace from a slower turn based RPG. The brave system rewards "High Risk" gameplay and I absolutely loved it the most for the first couple of chapters. Later on though, when you've grown strong enough with a semi-/broken build, you'll find yourselves braving 4x every encounter for an instant win, which makes random encounters pretty weak. This also works with bosses early on, but later bosses will punish you for braving recklessly which is good unless you're running 3/4 DK with drain, then nothing's changed.
The story is where it's really at. It has one of, if not the best iteration of the "Warrior of Light/4 Crystal" storyline in any FF type games. It managed to turn a generic tale as old as time to a dark/epic/multiversal storyline. I thought it has a really fantastic start to it, with OK pacing, until I've reached the beginning of CH.5.
I do understand the need for the repetition plotline, In fact if done right It would've made the game incredibly good.
Though in defense of the game, I find people's complain about CH.5-8 somewhat exaggerated. Firstly, it's not exactly the same, with CH.6 and CH.7 lore dumping you with a really major revelation about the story. And secondly, it's not that long, especially if you don't play the side quests (which is mostly the same sidequests as the previous chapters, just slightly altered), CH.5-8 can be done in 45-50 min each, if you go straight to each objectives every time. Upon reaching CH.5 you're already around 70% of the game.
SPOILERS
My problem with this part lies in the fact that we can already know or at least have a clue of the major plot twist about the game as early as CH.4 If we've done the vampire subquest (which I did), and was later hinted more in CH.6 and outright shoved to your face in CH.7 even the title screen literally changed to spell it out for you. This means that as early as CH.4 you can already tell that what you've been doing is a mistake. But unfortunately, what has been lore dumped to your party fell to deaf ears, apart from their discussion when they're being lore dumped, it's not really acknowledged by the party at all outside of it. Even after reaching CH.7 Where the game outright tells you, that what you've been doing all this time is bad and one of you is a traitor, even Ringabel outright said who the traitor is, our objective (that would doom the whole multiverse) is still the same with little mention of doubt as we are awakening the crystals. I think the whole party has only acknowledged their mistake once outside of being lore dumped in the end of CH.7 where Agnes apologizes and the whole party said that they must "tough it out to reveal the true evil", at this point I thought "Finally, they do acknowledge it" and due to this, I also thought that the reason they still continued to follow the traitor's scheme is to root out the real evil in the end. Then CH.9 comes rolling and when the traitor finally outright betrayed them, they've all got the "surprised Pikachu face" reaction. As if the thought never once crossed their mind. In the end, they really outdid the whole repetition plotline, I feel like the only reason CH.8 even exist is so the numbers of crystal you've awakened is rounded up to the nearest ten (20), this is the part where there's nothing new in the story and the plot would still be the same regardless if it exists.
Nevertheless, I feel like the True Final Chapter somewhat made up for it. The whole chapter, apart from the mid dungeon, is fantastic. Especially the True Final Boss Fight. I love how crazy and epic the whole sequence is. Not to mention, upon getting the true ending, you're rewarded with an actually important and touching end credit scenes accompanied by a masterpiece of a song. If it weren't for the well done finale, I would've gave this game a way lower score.
Overall, Characters are alright, Ringabel and Edea is my favourite. Music is definitely top tier, and I don't mean this lightly. It was a fantastic journey in the beginning with a really steep landslide in the middle but managed to come back in it's full glory in the end. This was a rollercoaster of storytelling.