This game was brutal and punishing. I really wanted to give this game 4 stars, but having multiple party wipes in the final missions of the game after spending dozens of hours building up a roster was incredibly demoralizing. I ended up googling guides for the final missions because I was so averse to the thought of losing more party members and having to fully remake a roster. And on that note, the gameplay, while fun at first when you're still seeing new enemy types and experimenting with different party compositions, quickly became incredibly grindy and more of a chore than anything.

But on the same token though, the game was in fact very fun in the beginning. The alure of honing in on and perfecting your idea of the ideal party composition and build amidst the adversity and hardship that the game so proudly touts and shoves in your face was satisfying enough to make me want to see this game to its end. The art style was a treat, the narrator was charming, and the game nailed the atmosphere it was going for, grim and foreboding.

After my fourth party wipe in the last few levels and losing over half my roster, I was on the verge of just dropping the game completely, but I'm glad I saw it through. Expect an engaging, but grindy experience that has the potential to destroy your resolve.