I still gotta beat it but idc it's already a 10/10 with how engaging it is and I haven't even gotten past like act 1

Update: I got to act 3 and this is game of the year no question about it. Perfect pacing, sharp narrative and dialogue, very intriguing and likeable cast with stellar voice performances, engaging battle system with a great class system, the freedom of shaping not only your own narrative but also perform unique ways to resolve situations and to top it all of an incredibly fun multiplayer. This game just has it all and it sounds like one that is too good to be true but it is that good and it is a really worthwhile investment. Every ounce of praise its getting isn't undeserved at the slightest.

Update 2: I beat the game! The epilogue made the end so much more satisfying and obv everything I said stands true still.

i fought some goblins and saw this cool hole and went in and i was like wow theres this cool little cellar here. then i broke a wall down and saw a cave and i was like wow theres a cool spider cave. then i beat all the spiders and saw this ominous hole and jumped down and theres an entire different world down there.

i have like 16 hours on my tactician solo playthrough and i havent even touched the goblin camp yet. exploring and going around doing all these little side quests dont even feel like side quests it just feels like cool world building that i just happened to stumble upon while looking for shit. im so immersed.

the multiplayer on this is also just so fun. online is super smooth and its hilarious having different people all trying to figure out what to do.

i was also genuinely shocked when i randomly booted this up in front of my friend and found out theres local coop. we immediately started playing and it was a blast.

easily goty.

first things first: i am far from finished with this game, but i still decided i wanted to write a review for it already.

lets start off with the positive things: this game showed me that i actually really like farming simulations like these. i remember playing harvest moon on ds when i was younger but it didnt stick with me all that much. i am very happy i gave this game a chance and now wanting to get into this franchise a whole lot more. i tried playing stardew valley but it really wasn't for me, as a beginner in these kind of games.
but this one was a lot simpler and beginner friendly, making it easy to fall into this kind of "hole". tutorials are straight to the point and the game being restricted made it actually accessible for me.
now for the negatives.
this game looks pretty ugly. and, as far as i have seen thats not the only sos game having that problem. its sad because i also started playing the first game on the 3ds which already stood out just with its graphics to me.
i see what they were going for, it is kind of just the pokemon pearl remake style with a little less budget. maybe thats just me but the chibistyle is not doing it for me anymore and im pretty sick of it.
also the games characters are absolutely boring. i know that the dating aspects of these games are also a big thing in these games but after being interested in one person and wanting to get to know them more, just to only ever get the same textbox when talking to them EVERY.SINGLE.DAY... it scares me off.
ive read into it a little and know about the gift giving and heart events, etc.
but i still think this remake would have done a lot better if the characters had some or maybe even a lot more dialogue.

but for starters this is quite nice. c:

Harvest Moon on PS1 was a cornerstone of my childhood, so I was eager to play this remake. Honestly, it did a great job modernizing the game and trimming some unnecessary elements. Sometimes, I find the animals even cuter. Nearly all the changes were for the better, except for not receiving a puppy at the start like in the original. While this one might not carry the same emotional weight, and I've played better games in the genre like Stardew Valley and Coral Island, it was still a nice and enjoyable experience.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than Breath of the Wild due to the new more fun abilities and an actually compelling story. I'm no Zelda fan due to not growing up with Nintendo consoles, but that ending hit so hard.

I still think combat sucks, to the point at the end of the game I was avoiding combat scenarios, the vast world still feels sparse, and enemy variety is kinda lacking although it's been greatly improved from BotW.

I do think I would enjoy this game a whole lot more if I was creative and my inventions worked, but they ended up being either simple constructs or disappointing failures.