After coming from the highs of Endwalker, this expansion still managed to deliver excellent storytelling, environments, characters and music. At this point, you are either all in or find it too daunting to try, like some popular Anime series. The graphical upgrade is fantastic; some cutscenes have shots that would have been impossible before. While I have not used them much, the new Jobs Viper and Pictomancer seem fun, but time will tell if they become new favourites. The story does have a slow first Act but ramps up hard in the second. I can't wait to see where the future will take us next.

A solid foundation to build out a franchise. With a few quality-of-life improvements, it could be something great. I didn't enjoy that saving and resting at a camp respawns all the nearby enemies, making it tedious to get around. Especially if you are backtracking through an area to complete one of the many side quests. The combat had the right amount of give and take, not as hard as a souls game, but one where you must watch your attacks and parry/dodge to survive. However, the difficulty spiked in the game's last quarter, with bosses becoming Health Sponges. The music has stolen Nier Automata's homework in the best way, and it was a pleasure to listen to its variety of tracks, from the sweet melodies to the metal. For how difficult the enemies are in the game, they pail in comparison to the game's biggest struggle; finding your character a tasteful outfit.

Some of the most beautiful environments I've ever seen in a video game. You spend most of the time walking from one cutscene to the next, with sprinkles of combat and puzzles. The combat is simplistic but heavy-hitting, where you feel the impact of the blows struck by both sides. The audio and music are fantastic; headphones aren't advised; they are mandatory. The voices in your character's head get annoying, but that's the whole point of psychosis. While there were ups and downs, I found the game boring overall. I could have achieved a similar experience by using Street View on Google Maps with my wife and children behind me telling me I suck at life.