I bought the game in a bundle of smaller games when I got myself the SteamDeck.
The game is just perfect for it. You can always jump into the game quickly and complete a few smaller sections. It's very charming and cozy. The game mechanic with its mix of Pinball and Metroidvania is a great idea, even if it's not fully exploited. I'd be happy to play a similar game in the future that delves a little deeper into this genre mix. For example, it would have been great if the Pinball areas weren't so separate and if the mechanic was also used more as a tool to get around the map instead of walking from stage to stage.
Overall, it's a small delight, nothing too special, but it's just fun to play.

The game has a cozy atmosphere and the innovative puzzle mechanic is quite entertaining. That alone should be enough to recommend it to genre lovers.

However, in my opinion, the game mechanics are not fully utilized. By the end of the game, I had the feeling that a lot more could have been tried out. The game doesn't get challenging at any point either. I think I spent more time listening to audio logs than actually solving puzzles. The ending was a bit frustrating due to a forced time restriction, which is in stark contrast to the actual feel of the game and therefore doesn't really suit the game.

Overall, it's a good game that doesn't live up to its potential.

As someone who has only played the 13th installment in the Final Fantasy series and is therefore not very familiar with the series as a whole, I am somewhat disappointed with this game. Final Fantasy is considered by many to be a star in the video game firmament and since this game was supposed to be a bit stronger than the last ones, I wanted to take another look at the series.

In general, it does a lot of things right:
It has a great atmosphere, a fantastic soundtrack, an exciting setting, a visually stunning world and a plot that is captivating in its essence, but above all lives through its over-the-top fights and cinematics.

However, many other things seem almost amateurish:
The missions often only consist of fetch quests or beating up a random group of enemies. There is a great lack of variety and meaning here. This is a shame, as there is a lot of interesting world-building put into the side missions, which makes the world feel more alive than if you just rush through the main story. Unfortunately, the characters only have as much depth as a small puddle after a short summer shower. The dialog is often unpleasantly dull and the core of the main plot remains very simple. Even the seemingly complex narrative doesn't help to disguise this. The fact that the plot drags on unnecessarily also led to a feeling of "when will the game end", which is never a good sign for a game.

The combat system in general is a lot of fun, but in contrast to similar systems, like in Devil May Cry, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of depth and variety. I had a skill set early on in the game that allowed me to play through the whole game without much thought.

All in all, I enjoyed most of the game, but unfortunately it's far too long and doesn't go beyond mediocrity.