The beginning of one of the most popular Konami franchises is filled with such an intense atmosphere, it still leaves me rather uneasy.
While not the first time I play this, it is the first time I went for the Good+ ending. And doing so is... rather bizarre.
My main gripe with this game is some of the puzzles are way too cryptid for me to solve without a guide or looking for a solution (My stupid ass was stuck on that zodiac puzzle for quite a bit... and I didn't understand the piano one at first, neither), and that some of the boss fights that feature flying enemies are just too hard to see where I'm shooting and even assume I'm doing damage properly.
And with those complaints out of the way...
God, the atmosphere in this game is just perfect. The soundtrack is fairly ambient early on, and whenever the "Other World" appears it just hits you with these industrial sounds that are the equivalent of the symphonic representation of a world ending.
I also love how this game reminds me of Twin Peaks. Not just because of the "Small Town filled with mysteries" thing going for it, but some of the side-plots here match a few events in the show as well. This obviously lacks that David Lynch weirdness, but it sure makes it up in a matching simplicity that only small towns can offer a person.
I really enjoyed the main plot in this one as well. It's simple, yes, but it also just escalates in such a way that you can almost match Harry Mason's confusion as you go on this journey with him.
Truly one of the greatest games in the PSX catalogue, and one I will be revisiting later on so I can get the UFO ending and testing the new weapons.