Unchecked maximalism leading to a game that's very much less than the sum of its parts. With insane boss design, fantastic combat, pretty fun exploration bits it should've been a slam dunk. But for me it ended up ringing hollow due to game's unwillingness to restrain itself — be it from sending you on yet another McGuffin hunt, introducing unnecessary traversal mechanic, or throwing a new location with subpar gimmicks. Many parts of the game are great, and the marriage of extrinsically and intrinsically motivated gameplay to a point worked so well I was ready to proclaim that GemaYue invented digital crack. But somebody should have stopped him before stepping on rakes.

The other side of the coin is the story that's so earnest, sensational and... bad in ways that's consonant with Tevi as a whole, putting you through the wringer of non-established conflicts, unearned drama and neverpresent characters. It's easy to feel writer's excitement and how invested they are in their world, but with so many story bits flopping once the initial charm of adventure evaporates, you've yet again left to reflect on the virtue of moderation.