It really takes a lot of dedication and passion to create a game of this caliber that understands everything that makes Yakuza/Like a Dragon as a series work. Through all the many highs and lows I experienced with this franchise, countless hours, days, even months I spent engrossed in the stories, grinding the completion, experiencing every single activity these games has to offer, this game made me reflect on every detail in this journey and cherish them, this was truly something special.

Undoubtedly this is not a perfect game for everyone, its easily one of the longest game in the series and with that brings drawbacks such as pacing issues, not every character having equal screen time, if you dislike the classic Yakuza/LAD wackiness I doubt this game is gonna change your mind, its also most likely going to be one of the harder games to revisit and only time will tell how good this game will age as a whole. Despite all that, if you are a long time fan of the franchise, I'm sure there will be something worthwhile you obtain from this story.

Everything great about 7 is elevated to new heights here, the combat is improved with much needed added depth and fluidity. The music is of course consistently great and the characters introduced such as Tomizawa, Chitose and Yamai are easily some of the best characters this franchise has to offer. Hawaii is an absolutely incredible setting, vibrant, colorful and tons of fun to lose yourself in. Dondoko and Sujimon have enough depth to be considered a whole ass separate game but the madlads incorporated it as a side activity that you could entirely skip. This game triumphs every other game in the series outside 5 and maybe 0 in terms of ambition and scale

"Kiryu Kazuma never walked the easiest path"

This game was of course going to be the Kiryu game and seeing the credits roll to this game, finally witnessing the sendoff of one of my favorite fictional characters of all time is definitely an indescribable feeling, one that makes me emotional and tear up thinking about. This game is everything I wanted coming into this and saying they were well met would be an understatement to how I really feel. I love Like a Dragon and for whatever plans RGG studios do have next, I'll be there no matter what..

FFX is def a game I appreciate the more I play it. I think the two main things that drawn me in were how good Tidus and Yuna's development and relationship were, as well as Spira as a setting thematically. Spira represents a cycle of false hope, trapped in a never ending spiral of despair, loss and grief so seeing the main characters having to overcome and break through is powerful. It also has one of the most emotional conclusions to any game I've experienced.

The gameplay was surprisingly innovative, this is the first time I seen such a leveling system that does not revolve around leveling and weapons not having stats. If you know what you are doing there are so many ways you can play these characters its amazing. I think with a bit of polish it could have been one of the best combat systems. FFX is also a game that encourages all party members involvement so there is a nice cohesion that ties into the idea of connection of the game brilliantly.

The graphic were incredible for its time but yeah it def doesn't hold up as well for me outside of parts of Spira looking really good. The dub is also kinda eh. I didn't enjoy most of the side content and I think some of the main party members and most of the side characters were quite average which were things holds it back for me, but still a really great game and I see the Final Fantasy vision now

I was excited but also skeptical of the direction of the series coming into Gaiden, the first continuation of the mainline story after Nagoshi left and one that is following up Y6, to what I think is an amazing conclusion to one of my favorite characters of all time, they could have very easily fumbled the bag. This game not only exceeded those expectations, but also became one of the best stories I ever experienced, any prior doubts I had are now absolutely gone, they know what they are doing man

I think one of the most impressive thing about this game is how it integrates itself into the overarching story between Y6 and Like a Dragon. There are many fanservice-y and callbacks to previous games but are all interwoven and executed perfectly into the story. The major characters in this game are amazing, some even near the top of my favorite characters in this series. The ending absolutely broke me, I didn't think they could follow up the ending of Y6 this well to the point it brought me to tears. People say the story is too short (around 10-15 hours max) which is understandable, but the content we got is absolute quality.

The substance for a game supposedly only made in 6 months is incredible. The side activities are classic but done well. The substories are once again amazing. The combat is incredible, we really came a long way from 6, Kiwami 2 and even Judgment.

I will prob go and Platinum this game later on since it looks a lot easier than other RGG games but yeah tdlr I did not expect this to be probably my top 2 media of the year lol (Lost Judgment still better)

There were a few things that I didn't vibe with in this game but its surprisingly one of the stronger game in the series thematically. I like the Sky the 3rd esque dungeon crawling and the idea of three routes (even if I think its done poorly). The story is pretty decent especially the true route, the way it recontextualize events in Ys 1 and 2 to the point I kinda gave a shit is commendable in itself.

Toal is a great character, not one of my favs in the series but he's pretty high up. Soundtrack is great as usual, bosses are cool callbacks. Its easily the bigger surprises in the series so far for me

I came in hoping that it would not disappoint me and not only did that not happen but its also one of my fav games of all time now, Falcom thank you for shackling me once again

Sure I think the narrative is basic for jrpg standards, and the animation isn't exactly the best, but other than that its just pure magic. From the vibrant personalities of the main 6 party members, some of the best npcs, beautiful settings, side quests that end up being rewarding in the long run, easily one of the best OSTs in anything I ever experienced, this game captures the essence of adventure, wonders, growth and connections while also understanding why I love Falcom games through and through. The combat actually feels great in comparison to Celceta, but maybe that's just because I'm playing on controller this time.

I feel like the game does have quite a few flaws, like some of Dana's PoV being a bit tedious to get through at times but man the stuff that appeals to me in this game is unreal.