The TL;DR of it is, the game is a masterpiece and my new fave in the series surpassing even Ys VIII.

Now for my full detailed review.

Story: Ys VIII laid the groundwork for a more story driven Ys and Monstrum Nox just amplified it by 11. This is the most detailed and narrative driven Ys game to date and it's a fantastic one at that. It has a much darker, oppressive and mature tone than any other Ys game and it works incredibly well with the setting.

The basic premise is Adol and Dogi arrive in the prison city of Balduq, Adol immediately gets detained for suspicious activity due to his past adventures, Adol escapes the prison and on his way out he meets a mysterious woman name Aprilis who shoots him with a magical bullet turning him into a Monstrum. A cursed superhuman being with paranormal powers who is bound to fight demons in a parallel dimension called the Grimwald Nox, oh and they can't leave the city. So now Adol must break his curse to escape the city and be able to set off on his next adventure.

The story honestly blew me away in this game. I see people say it's inferior to VIII, but while Ys VIII had a solid story it wasn't the story that made that game incredible, it was that feeling of adventure. Ys IX doesn't have as much of that feeling because the whole point of the game is Adol is trapped from going on his next big adventure, he has to break this curse so he can be free to go on another adventure basically, but what it lacks in that tone and feeling it makes up for with a much more personal story with some incredible plot-twists and mysteries to unravel and the underlying themes of self-discovery and embracing the future while not letting your past define you felt more like something you'd see explored in the Persona or Trails series than it did Ys, but it was executed incredibly well and told a story just as captivating, emotional and memorable as those series are known for.

World-building: It's no secret Falcom are masters of world-building and Ys IX proves that once again. All throughout my playthrough I never got tired of learning about the massive history of Balduq. Between the legends of the ancient Hundred Years War and Saint Rosvita, the Nors mythology and gods (Even if it is just basically Norse mythology lol) to the political struggles of the Romun Empire or something as simple as the business practices of the Pendleton Trading Company, the city of Balduq always felt lively and realistic and easy to be immersed in. Another thing to note is the many mentions and references of Adol's previous adventures by various characters really enhances enjoyment if you've witnessed those older games for yourself.

Characters: I loved every single character in this game. From all 6 major party members to every single NPC that joins as a collaborator for your home base at the Dandelion Bar. They were all fantastically written, with so much depth, detail and development that when I finished the game and played the epilogue saying my goodbyes to every one made me cry because how much I came to love everyone. Even minor NPCs you talk to around the world like Jeannette and Reno have so much personality I know I'll fondly look back on my memories of the people I met in Balduq for years to come. I also have to mention I love the formula of the first 6 chapters being dedicated to learning all about a character of the main party, while slowly unravelling the greater mystery at hand as well.

Combat: This is what Ys has always been known for and Ys IX, simply put, has the best and most fluid combat in the series yet. It takes the same system Ys VIII had with the 3 character party member swapping system, each character having their own attack type of slash, strike or pierce due to different enemies being weak to different types and learning new skills as you level up to assign to various button combinations and execute combos, but polishes and refines to absolute perfection. Also bringing back the Boost gauge from the old Ys games like Origin/Felghana was a really nice touch.

Side Note: Raid battles from Ys VIII are also back, but this time their entire purpose ties into the actual plotline of the game and work much better for it.

Level Design/Exploration: It takes some real balls to have your game take place in 90% one area and it takes even more to actually be able to pull it off. Ys IX most definitely pulls it off. The prison city of Balduq and the outskirts surrounding it are both packed to the brim with secret areas and collectibles to find by utilizing all of the Monstrum's Gift abilities like a wall run, a glide or grapple hook which made the movement and exploration of Ys IX some of the most enjoyable and satisfying of any game I've ever played. All the dungeons were very well designed and fun to explore as well. Yes the visual representation is much more subdued compared to VIII or most other Ys games, but I really couldn't picture this story being told any other way, it wouldn't have kept the same kind of oppressive and claustrophobic tone if you enjoyed being imprisoned in the city because it looks beautiful, not to mention I think the grey, dark and dreary color scheme and gothic scenery helps to contrast the vibrantly colorful and almost visual-kei looking designs of the Monstrums and make them stick out that much more.

Bosses: All the bosses were excellently designed with a lot of later bosses even implementing the use of the various Monstrum gifts in battle in clever ways. The final boss was one of the most epic I've fought in both the whole Ys series and just any video game in general.

Music: Ys is known for having OSTs that are equally as amazing and heart racing as it's fast paced gameplay and Monstrum Nox continues this trend. Sure there's some more variety than usual with more orchestral tracks and melancholic piano pieces for mood setting, but the intense, shreddy neo-classical metal tracks are just as prevalent and you'll hear not only some jaw dropping guitar work, but lots of baroque instruments like harpsichord as well which fit perfectly with the gothic aesthetics.

All in all Ys IX: Monstrum Nox was everything I could've ever wanted and more. Taking all the best things Ys VIII laid the groundwork for and amplifying them to 11, adding an even greater emphasis on story, world-building and character development while staying true to the series lightning fast gameplay and infectiously catchy music along with incredible metroidvania-like exploration makes Ys IX not only the strongest entry in the Ys series to me, but an instant classic, an all time favorite and even a strong contender for Game of the Year, despite the Year just starting. The time I spent in the prison city of Balduq with Adol and friends is not something I'll be forgetting any time soon and I'm already greatly anticipating Adol's next big adventure.

"We fight. We survive. We endure. We don't need a reason. We are imperfect creatures. When we stumble, we reach for a shoulder to lean on. When we fall, we stand back up. We see the horizon ever out of reach and still we march on...certain the answers lie just beyond it. Because that is our way."

Final Fantasy XVI is one of the most divisive games in the franchise to date, but is also one of the absolute best as well. A game that on the surface looks like it has almost nothing in common with Final Fantasy of old due to its "M" rating, graphic violence, Game of Thrones influenced dark fantasy setting and Devil May Cry styled action combat, but as you advance deeper into the game, peeling these layers away, you reach the heart of Final Fantasy XVI which is one of the purest Final Fantasy experiences in over 2 decades that in many ways captures the soul of the SNES era of Final Fantasy (Especially IV and VI) and feels like a massive love letter to the series roots while adding its own modern and mature flair to it as well.

Let's start with the narrative and while I can't go too in-depth because of spoilers, I'll just say there's a LOT here. FF XVI is arguably the most narrative driven and cinematic FF title yet (featuring over 20 hours of cut-scenes) and that says a lot when considering that narrative has been this series biggest strength for decades. XVI tells an epic, dark, mature and emotional tale of brotherhood and family bonds, of living up to and fulfilling a legacy, of betrayal and revenge, of love and loss and most importantly of the power of freewill and the insurmountable spirit of humanity and it's all drenched in philosophical, religious and sociopolitical commentary as well. One of the most thought-provoking games I've played in a good while and though many will consider the 3rd act lackluster, I personally love it because I'm the type who is just as big a fan of shounen anime as I am Game of Thrones styled dark fantasy. So I'll happily consider XVI's among one of the best narratives I've ever experienced while playing a video game.

The quality and scale of world-building in XVI is also not to be understated because it is insanely impressive. The world of Valisthea is so dense featuring two massive continents, one known as Ash to the east and one called Storm to the west. Valisthea has many nations and kingdoms with their own various cultures, histories, religious beliefs and governments and that isn't even mentioning all the fantastical elements of the world like the complex lore behind magick or the godlike beasts known as Eikons and the special people known as Dominants which are born with the power to host said Eikons or the ancient civilization known as the Fallen or the many secrets and mysteries this world has to uncover. One of the most detailed and immersive worlds I've experienced in years. Valisthea has so much more that there's even a loremaster character who's entire purpose is to keep track of all the lore of the world (which you can read key notes of at anytime). Hell, I would compare it to that of my fave video game series the Legend of Heroes: Trails series world of Zemuria and it's especially impressive FF XVI was able to achieve such a level of world-building with merely one game compared to Trails' 12 games.

And what would a compelling narrative and world be without equally compelling characters? Well, luckily XVI has one of the strongest casts in the series entire history from our protagonist Clive Rosfield who we watch slowly and subtly change, grow and develop as he goes on a life-changing journey that spans decades of his life. However Clive is far from the only incredible character because there's also the likes of the charming, roguish outlaw leader Cid to the leaders of various nations like prince Dion Lesage of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque or Barnabas Tharmr the king of Waloed. Even Clive's trusty wolf companion Torgal has amazing characterization. However I'd say the one character that felt much less developed was Clive's childhood friend Jill Warrick mostly due to her character arc ending much earlier in the game than everyone else's and her character stagnating a bit because of it. However even if Jill by herself is a bit lackluster, I adore every single interaction with Clive and Jill together.

I also have to mention another reason the cast of characters is so strong in my opinion is thanks to the incredible voice acting from both the main and supporting characters alike which all have such strong performances and truly breathe even more life into them. English was surprisingly the original language for the game and the one that the game was lip synced to as well and it shows because I think this game has some of the best voice acting performances both of legitimately any game I've ever played. Clive, Cid and Barnabas were the ones that stole every single scene they were in, but there wasn't a single week or lackluster voice to be found.

That's just some of the main cast too which isn't even mentioning the supporting cast like Byron, Mid, Gav or even the blacksmith Blackthorne, the shop keeper Charon, the physician Tarja and the tactician Vivian have so much realistic depth to the characters thanks to both interactions with them in the main story and completely optional side quests that help flesh their characters out even more.

Speaking of side quests XVI is the type of game that reminds why I am such a strong advocate for doing every single piece of side content and side quest that a game offers because the side quests in XVI add so much depth to both the world as a whole, but both the main and supporting characters revealing many details about their personalities, backstories and struggles which you would never learn otherwise. On top of that you can get valuable crafting materials to make better equipment and items to increase the capacity or potency of your potions. Even unlocking the ability to ride a Chocobo is tied to a side quest so while most side quests are typical "go here and fight x thing" or "go here and collect x item", the stories they tell and the rewards they offer are more than worth it.

So for the past 1000 words of this review I've just been going on about the story elements of this game and while I could easily do so for another 1000 words if I wanted to I figured it is time to talk about the gameplay now.

Combat of XVI can effectively be described as Devil May Cry V-lite which isn't a bad thing because even a more simplified version of the DMC V combat is still leagues beyond most action combat systems, but I would still call it the weakest part of the game. It's flashy, it's fast, it's fluid and most importantly it is fun and never gets boring. While Clive's basic sword combat is very limited with only a couple combos you can do the variation and diversity in the combat comes from all the different Eikon powers you slowly unlock (Nearly 40) and there's all kinds of combinations you can try with them since the game allows you the ability to refund any skill you purchase at any given time and you can have a total of 3 Eikons with 2 powers each equipped, even being able to master said powers and equip them to other Eikons besides the main Eikon they are originally attached to adding even more versatility and variety to the combat. The combat might not have the depth of DMC V, but it still kept me fully entertained for over 70 hours.

However as fun as the base combat system of XVI is, where the combat truly shines is in the Eikon fights. These fights have so much build-up behind them and there's only a handful of them across the whole game, but when they happen they're heavens shattering battles between two godlike titans and they're some of the most grandiose spectacles I've seen in any game ever basically being the equivalent to if something like Asura's Wrath or God of War III came out nowadays. These Eikon fights are more than just cut-scenes and QTEs as well. There is always a legitimate boss fight alongside the over-the-top cinematics and it's all so perfectly executed and somehow every single one of these fights and their set-pieces just manage to get even more insane being more grandiose and bigger spectacles than the last even when you think there's no way that could possibly happen, it somehow does. I would happily consider at least 3 of these fights among some of my all time favorite boss fights now.

As a matter of fact all the production values of FF XVI are just phenomenal from the crisp, beautiful graphics to the remarkable sound design just adds so much more to the sheer godlike scale of the game making all the environments that much more vibrant and detailed and the battles even more intense and epic. Speaking of the environments it's so nice to have legitimate towns with NPCs and shops back in Final Fantasy again.

Finally what would a Final Fantasy title be without its music? I've never played FF XIV so I had no real opinion on Masayoshi Soken until playing this game, but after experiencing his musical talents in XVI I'll say this man is a genius. XVI's music has so much variety to it which really enhances every single scene just as much as the visuals and voice acting does. Each individual Eikon fight has their own unique theme from bombastic choral music or heroic swashbuckling adventurous themes to industrial electronic music, there's plenty of calming ambient music as you're exploring the forests and caves of Valisathea alongside some more folky music in towns and somber piano music during more emotional scenes, among many other musical styles as well and plenty of nods to classic Final Fantasy music pieces including a bombastic chanting version of the iconic FF Fanfare when beating a tough battle which is perfectly composed to fit the setting. With the score of FF XVI Soken proved to me that he deserves to be heralded right up there with the greats of J-RPG composers like Uematsu, Sakuraba and Falcom Sound Team JDK.

I essentially just typed up an essay on why this game is a masterpiece however I won't pretend like it is flawless because I do have some (minor) problems with it, granted they're all very minor nitpicks that don't detract from the overall experience, but they do still exist and maybe they'll bother other people more than they bother me personally.

First and foremost the game is kind of a technical mess right now having trouble keeping stable frame rates and resolutions on PS5 even on performance mode. I'm far from a framerate guy and that usually doesn't bother me, but even I noticed it in certain areas. Thankfully it is mostly stable during combat though. The game is also apparently making PS5s overheat and shutdown especially during the Eikon boss fights, but I personally never had that experience (Remember to clean your PS5 regularly and you too won't have this problem)

Now maybe I'm just too old fashioned, but the itemization in XVI is just very limited. I miss when it was common in J-RPGs for you to find new equipment like weapons or armor in chests in dungeons and on the over-world because in Final Fantasy XVI (and many other modern games as well) you can only obtain new gear by crafting and 99% of the chests you find in the world just contain crafting materials. So the loop is basically "do main story mission, go back to hub area, unlock new crafting recipe and make new sword and armor, use said equipment for a few hours. Rinse and repeat" and there's really no other way to obtain new gear aside from a couple special side quests.

When all is said and done Final Fantasy XVI is truly an epic journey from start to finish in every sense of the word, excelling in every single possible element the game has to offer providing one of the best narratives I've ever experienced in a video game with an incredibly detailed and immersive world to learn about starring a rich cast of well written and realistic characters in no small part thanks to its incredible side quests and masterclass voice acting performances. All topped off with an enjoyable combat system and mind-blowing boss fights which is all only enhanced thanks to the truly next-gen visuals, sound and production values overall alongside a masterfully composed OST too. Some people say XVI isn't a true Final Fantasy and to that I will just say that Final Fantasy XVI reminded me what a mainline Final Fantasy at its best has always been about. A mind-blowing, generation defining experience that will stick with you for life.

This game was the game. this is one of the greatest pieces of media I've ever experienced. every chapter was like a final chapter for a trails game. this game said no bullshit, we getting straight to the point. my love for this series was already insane but this game made it even more insane. having played all the trails games from sky to haji was one of the biggest, if not, the biggest payoff to a series that I've experienced. hajimari was just plain amazing and also an amazing way to finish the first half of this story. I'm honestly excited about what the next half has in store for us.

Trails into Reverie review (PS5 - English Version)

This is my second time playing the game. First time was with the Zerofield spreadsheet and this time was the official English localization.

Reverie is one of my favorite games of all time from the story, to the characters, to the great gameplay, and the amount of fun end game content. My thoughts on the game itself have not changed but TLDR: C route goated and C is the best protagonist until Van Arkride. The story pacing is incredible, the route system is amazing and needs to be utilized more in the future, and the gameplay is top notch accompanied by some of the best end game and post game content I've ever seen.

I'm happy to say the English localization is fantastic and this is probably the best localization, casting choices, and performance so far in the whole series. I think I only had two character performances I wasn't crazy about but thankfully, they nailed all the main characters. Sean Chiplock and C's voice actor popped off in this game and it made the already incredible moments even better. The localization of this game has made me more excited for the official localization of Kuro no Kiseki and I will be there day one.

PS5 version is also great. There are lots of new settings including turbo mode speed and button remapping (for certain actions). The game runs well and the loading screens seem to be faster compared to the JP PS4 version. Only bugs in the game are some text bugs in the items section. Some quartz and ability text is incorrect but its very few and far between.

Overall, my GOTY so far and this will be very hard to knock down for me.