We finally got a fully voiced Byleth but at what cost?

I've read fanfiction better than this. Not like I had much hope about the story in the first place since it's a warriors spin-off game with a completely new protagonist. It has some good scenes and fights of course. Especially SB. I actually kinda liked the route and more Edelgard content is always a win, but man ...all in all this game is really kind of a mess.

Some characters behave strangely in order to fulfil nothing more than pure fanservice and awful tropes (looking at you AG). And some of them are just irrelevant in general.

The secret chapters are a joke and just prove that the original characters are unnecessary and only exist because it's a warriors game. I guess that was to be expected but it's still disappointing to see. Welp, I'm glad this isn't canon.

The gameplay is fun for the first few hours then it's getting too grindy and tedious for me.

Overall Three Hopes is an alright game if you like the cast because the new supports and character interactions are fun to watch, but this game only made me appreciate Three Houses even more to be honest.

I know this is a fanservice spin-off "nobody dies" AU, but the circumstances surrounding the lords this time around are too convenient imo. There was simply no tension. Even the endings felt too abrupt and all routes lacked the emotional impact Three Houses offered. The routes were lacking in emotional investment, mostly due to odd pacing and lack of exposition in certain things and character interactions.

(The game leaked a few days ago, so I had the chance to play it early.)

I'd like to say this is a masterpiece, the next best thing since "Let Us Cling Together". Unfortunately, this game is so abusable that you can trivialize the hardest difficulty if you know what you're doing. The balance is simply all over the place, and so is the map design. The former suffers because you're afforded much better equipment than what enemies have access to and the latter suffers from open world syndrome, interspersing lengthy side quests with short battles that tend to have a particular gimmick. Not to mention the overworld, where you'll be relegated to gathering resources and making deliveries, enthralling.... The whole experience ends up playing out like your typical Ubisoft game, where quantity and tedium test your endurance. Each region is also very homogenous, with the same looking terrain, buildings, and enemies everywhere. Let's not even talk about the writing, it's unremarkable and bland, carrying the plot forward to the next land mass to conquer.

Where this game really shines is in its gambit-like system, where you can specify both the order and requirements for character actions, add actions through equipment, and synchronize them with unit formations. There's a lot of classes to choose from as well, with an adequate variety of type matchups and six slots to play with. During battles, valor points provide a good balancing act between deployment and valor actions, while the time limit encourages aggression. It's so mechanically sound and full of creative freedom that I've considered this a worthwhile experience, despite my problems with it.

I cannot lie, I'm genuinely very disappointed in this game, especially with a company as consistently strong an output as Vanillaware it pains me that this game really only has those good ass Vanillaware visuals going for it.

In terms of gameplay, the game has a lot of elements that I would generally enjoy on paper, the formations and the way tactics form together should be so much better than it actually is, there's just so many variables to the point that it largely becomes a numbers game since character building, for the purposes of beating the game (played on the second highest difficulty) is really easy and it's not super hard to make even an unoptimal formation just work through sheer force of will, which really harms the strategy layer. Also the real time Ogre Battle style strategy has a lot of problems on its own. The worst being a lot of quality of life issues, such as not being able to see how your formations will do out of deployment, and the battle forecast changing at the drop of a hat. There's so many variables to battles that you can send a battalion over to an enemy where it says it'll be a sure win, and despite seemingly no other circumstances changing it suddenly switches to a stalemate of a battle which is incredibly frustrating for planning purposes, on top of the fact that if you make mistakes there's no backing out. In many ways I can't help but compare this game to the neighbouring turn based tactics genre, where at least I can make an assessment of which move I can take that would be the most optimal, Unicorn Overlord forces you to throw shit out and if it doesn't work then tough shit, which leads to an incredibly unsatisfying tactical experience. Also there's way too many liberation missions, which I know is for controlling the level curve, but even then the level curve is fucking wacked out by the endgame, there's like a 5 level recommended level jump for no reason. Nearly every gameplay element in the game is something that could work but has a botched enough execution that frustrates me because, man, I really do want to love this game.

But most frustrating of all is the story here, the only way I can describe is like bad Fire Emblem. There's a shitload of characters and they all interact with many others in the army but unlike Fire Emblem these characters offer the substance and flavour of white rice, these characters are truly bland in a way that seems almost alien to me compared to the characters in like Odin Sphere and 13 Sentinels. The story is also dead simple but still does a few things that really hurt its narrative, the villains in this game are fuckin terrible and their motivations never amount to anything interesting, meanwhile all the good guys are so generically good that even the bad guys that become good have some crutch excuse like mind control, hostage situation, or some other hackneyed out that prevents these characters from really flourishing. The rapport system is something I usually always like because it gives these characters that don't really interact in the main story a chance to be fleshed out as characters but all it can offer is the most shallow looks at these characters in their totality to the point that they're just functions to me, Armour guy, Horse guy, Bow guy they never offer anything more interesting than hating the evil empire because they're evil and it's just really surprising to see a game with so much love put into the production lean back so heavily on just being so consistently mid.

Just a really frustrating offering from Vanillaware from me, especially for a game that nearly bankrupted the company I expected so much better because this game really only has its visuals going for it, but I can get that from any other Vanillaware game and actually have a good game too.

Reload is a really conflicting experience for me. At its core, it's still Persona 3, one of the most important games of my life. The message is still the same, the core character arcs haven't changed, all of the broad strokes are there. But there's a lot of small tweaks to the experience that really drag the game down for me, things that I can understand others seeing as nitpicks but for me are notable enough to comment on.

My biggest issue with the game is the characterization. Yukari's new voice direction makes her feel a lot less grounded, her snark is gone and is replaced with a much friendlier persona despite her dialogue being mostly the same. Akihiko is another character subject to a change in voice direction that leads to a vastly different take on the character, but he and Mitsuru are subject to a bigger issue: Persona 4 Arenafication. Akihiko lost a lot of his charm and has had it replaced with being a gigantic meathead who shovels protein into his mouth nonstop, Mitsuru going from a somewhat aloof rich girl into a full on ice queen; both changes that have been character traits since Arena/Q that weren't anywhere near as prevalent in their original appearances. I don't take any issue with the new cast, I think they all do an excellent job (especially Junpei, I have some issues with him being a bit friendlier at the start as well but his voice actor is a perfect fit), but the direction does make them feel fairly different from the version of the cast that I hold so dear. I do think Ken is an overall upgrade though, his new voice makes him a lot more sympathetic and his link episodes feel like natural additions to his character.

Beyond my issues with the character writing there are also changes in regards to the game's identity and visual direction that detracted from the experience for me. The menus are very pretty, yes, but the lighting outside of Tartarus feels very flat and boring, which is an issue when you spend the majority of your time in these areas. The new anime cutscenes, despite having a more polished artstyle than those of the original game, lack any sort of interesting direction and are all fairly static and bland to look at. A lot of the bigger scenes in the story went from anime cutscenes to in-engine ones as well, making me wonder why they even bothered this time around. The first cutscene you see is a perfect example of this, gone is the intrigue and tense direction of the original, replaced with a boringly lit sequence that opted to keep Yukari's dialogue from Portable (as this game's script is largely based on that release as opposed to FES) which takes away a lot of the intensity from the sequence. It's not just the anime cutscenes though, some of the in-game ones also feel lacking in execution. Akihiko and Ken's resolutions both have worse camera angles and cut out the characters getting frustrated and punching their nearby scenery, very tiny changes but ones that make the scenes so much less impactful.

There are some changes I enjoyed. Social links being fully voiced also adds a lot to some of the less memorable ones, with Strength becoming a lot more compelling due to how good Yuko's voice actor is, with the best ones such as Sun becoming even greater thanks to the addition. Also, despite my issues with the writing in some link episodes, I do think it's nice being able to spend more time with the members of SEES. The gameplay as a whole is also a vast improvement, with Tartarus being a lot more enjoyable to explore and party members feeling all around more balanced (although Akihiko continues to get the short end of the stick in this game, being absolutely gutted compared to his original toolkit). Speaking of balance though, this is the easiest Persona game bar none. In an already easy franchise, Reload takes the cake due to theurgies absolutely breaking any semblance of strategy.

Oddly enough, the one thing I believe the game was in most dire need of improvements towards went completely untouched. The story's pacing is still garbage. The first 2/3s of the plot contain absolutely nothing of note, with very little happening until October besides your once-a-month Full Moon fights. Considering how they decided to stray from faithfulness in regards to the characterization, it really baffles me why they didn't put any focus into improving the most glaring flaw of the experience.

Overall, I think it's a disappointing remake from the perspective of somebody who holds the original in as high regard as I do. If you've never played any earlier versions of the game, this is a great game. You'll still get the core story and the themes are all still there and still excellent. Characters may have changed a bit but the cast is still largely the same and you get to spend more time with them than you could before. It's a much more accessible experience and I'm not crazy enough to tell you you have to play FES instead, I know it's dated. But the tiny things lost were important things to me and part of why I found the game so cool before. I wish I could love this version as much as I do FES or Portable. I'm happy it exists because it will give a lot more people the opportunity to enjoy a story that means a lot to me, I'm just disappointed that some of what resonated with me the most was lost in the polish.

A terrific sequel to one of my favorite games of all time. Just like its predecessor Last Window gives you the same feeling of reading a really good novel. Though the characters and story are not as captivating as in Hotel Dusk imo, they're still fantastically written. The writers of both games just know how to write their characters. Just like Hotel Dusk this game has flawed characters that still maintain reader sympathy and engagement. Flawed characters are essential to any good story and both games know how to handle them realistically, which leads to very intriguing and natural dialogues.

I wish Cing wouldn't have gone bankrupt, because I need more games like Last Window and Hotel Dusk. Both games are hidden gems that deserve way more love and attention.

I tried to like this game, I really did. But Morrowind just seems like a chore to get through rather than anything fun.

I don't like the story. I think the lore and setting are great. But the actual things you do as a character in the world are usually completely boring. Most of the side quests are fetch or escort quests, and most of the main quests are to do something irrelevant in exchange for information or support. There are a few standout moments, but the Nerevarine's story is mostly boring stuff.

I also dislike the awkward combination of dice-roll combat and real-time movement, the unintuitive journal system and the lifeless and forgettable NPCs.

I'm so glad that after all the years of waiting, the game ended up being great. In terms of JRPGs, Relink was honestly a refreshing experience. The game easily distinguishes itself from others in the genre, setting a new precedent in terms of polish, gameplay, aesthetics, and overall fluidity.

Every time I've played the original gacha game years ago, or any other gacha game for that matter, I've always imagined what it would be like if they were fully realized console games without the grindy and annoying f2p mechanics. And man, Relink is the answer to all these imaginations. If anything, Relink affirmed me in my belief that gachas will always be wasted potentials. Because look at what we could get instead! I'm also thankful that Djeeta is in the game. A game that lets me choose the gender of the protagonist will automatically always be a better game. ̶T̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶A̶t̶l̶u̶s̶

This is a followup to my original review, it's mostly just some thoughts and additions now that I've 'beat' the postgame.

1) Visual pollution is a bit of a massive problem. Almost every character has tons of attacks that coat the screen in particles or visual effects, and bosses aren't much better. Sandalphon, in his datamined state, covers half the screen in his wings when he's in powerup form, which will only make this worse. Don't get me started on Lucillius. Also, much like FFXIV (a comparison I made last time) sometimes it is near-impossible to see AoEs under all the effects. Which sucks! Schlatt loops won't kill me directly, but Paradise Lost will.

2) Somehow, in trying to make the game less grindy than its parent game, it actually feels grindier. Lacking the ability to slot a weapon in your grid temporarily until it can be uncapped means you're stuck with just one, and the grind to max it means looooooooooooooooooots of repetitive fighting. Unskippable intro/death cutscenes eat into the time something fierce, meaning "do some fast clears" is about 50x the length of the equivalent activity in GBF Mobile. Japanese players are still around to two-shot things for you though, shoutout to them.

3) They did keep Zero for Lucillius' fight.

4) Sigils are ostensibly meant to replace grids (3x3 weapon slots + one mainhand) from the mobile game but they're subject to RNG in the same ways Monster Hunter's decos/talismans are which is a problem because they're basically essential for gameplay. Most of your survivability and/or damage comes from them. Which leads into...

5) The Damage Cap is a good system for GBF Mobile and its systems, but it's not so great for an Action RPG where there's already a noticeable grind to even get damage. Sticking on some Damage Cap sigils and finding out you've arbitrarily been fucked out of thousands upon thousands of damage kinda sucks for this game? Again, it's fine in the mobile game because of the ways in which damage and damage cap increases are acquired, but not so much here.
The complaints about sigils really manifest here in all the worst ways, because sigil slots are incredibly limited despite how many you appear to have, and this is a game that encourages speedy kills. Which, again, leads into...

6) There is a lot of variety on display with the cast, but this is a pretty significant case of 'all characters are created equally, but some are more equal than others'. Characters like Rackam, Narmaya, Siegfried, Yodarha and Zeta excel while Ferry, Eugen, Cagliostro, Percival and Charlotta don't. You can absolutely clear Lucillius (at the time, the hardest content) with anyone, but there's a significant gap in both effectiveness and also... Fun. God, Percival is so miserable. I hate eternal Schlatt loops.

7) Pyet-A is such a hilarious pick for a penultimate boss. Hey man, you remember that unremarkable event raid from one of the Society side stories in GBF Mobile? Yeah sure let's just make it one of the coolest fights in the game. It'd be like if FFXIV added a new raid boss from FF7 and it was fucking Staniv.

8) I'm actually a bit sad that the Captain is very rigidly a sword/wind unit. In the mobile game they have a lot of classes, can be any element, and use basically any weapon type. Of every playable Gacha MC, they're easily the strongest and most useful. Here they're... They're good, yeah? But boring. Where's my fist moveset, Okubo.

9) I can't believe they're adding Seofon because the Captain's ultimate weapon is the Seven-Star Sword. That's so fucking funny.

10) No male Erune representation sucks. Where's Eustace or Seox?

11) Not to hop on the mobile game comparisons again, but I'm not sure how to feel about Refinium (uncap material) and Fortitude Crystal (level up material). I think the need to grind them out, again, makes the actual grind feel more intense. In GBF Mobile you can just feed a lot of the trash/dupes you get from grinding other stuff into your gear, which doesn't remove the grind but does in fact allow you to ~passively~ grind some things. Refinium and FCs don't.

12) I almost always play JP games dubbed just for the sake of being able to process what's being said better, but I had to play this game subbed. GBF has a lot of utterly legendary performances in it, so hearing how unenthusiastic and joyless the crew are soiled it for me. The VAs for the game-original characters are great, so are most of the optional recruits, but holy shit. Rosetta, baby, they ruined you.

Ultimately it's probably telling that despite all these issues, the rating only went down by 0.5 stars. It helps that they only appear deeper into postgame, and the story + early-mid postgame are fine.

Please add Vira.

I cannot put into words how much I fucking adore the mature and gritty tone permeating the entire game being paired with such incredibly earnest youthful optimism. People are undoubtedly gonna call it "kingdom hearts" or "too anime" with smug grins (tl note: "too japanese") but it genuinely moves me to tears seeing how much hope and soul and overwhelming love they stuffed into this grimdark mega-budget blockbuster.

Main downside to the game, which is reaaaaallly glaring, is how horribly handled Jill is. She's the main heroine but stands around saying and doing nothing for most of the game, like she has no agency whatsoever. I'm not usually one to harp on stuff like this but her writing is just blatantly misogynistic which is really weird coming from the team that gave us characters like Ysayle and Alisaie.