I had a good time with this one, as it managed to scratch that old-school jRPG itch I was having. With fantastic visuals and a great story, it managed to impress me. After a slow start, the plot really picked up and I found myself really invested in the story.

However, it has also quite a few shortcomings. Combat is fine, but there is really no reason to use different characters other than for the situational lock-breaking. Levels are linear and despite there not being too many enemies, the level layouts are often designed to slow you down (filled with ropes and uneccesary climbing sections, etc...). Puzzles are scarce and all of them really uninterestingly easy to solve. The list goes on.

However, the game is short enough that its strenghts managed to keep my motivation to continue up, though I have no interest in going back to find all treasures or complete all sidequests I missed.

Fantastic game. It took me a long time to get around to playing this one, and I am glad I finally did.

This game is known for its incredible aesthetics, and man is it gorgeous. The added DLC shines in this department as well, with incredibly well animated bosses that are just gorgeous to look at.

In terms of gameplay, I didn't really care for the running levels, but the boss fights are all fantastic. I ended up S-ranking all base game bosses, which unfortunately was a much easier feat than I thought it would be. Probably due to the DLC charms and weapons, which make some of the requirements much easier to get.