Man what a ride. Though I have many mixed feelings, but the game is filled with so much joy and fun that I can ignore its many faults. Worried that the game may fall into the current open world trends of endless checklists with no real substance, I was pleasently suprised by the great exploration that the world offers. Side quests, mini games and characters really flesh out the world and pushes the game back to its more fantastical and surreal roots. I completed every single thing the game offers so my engagement was clear and lasting.

Whilst the side content of 'Remake' felt conditional and dull, 'Rebirth' immediately grips you into its enviroment with a plethora of content that always kept me engaged. This is most evident with the characterisation and development of the main cast, as they are fully explored through many means of storytelling, to the point where they feel so much more fleshed out than their original counterparts. This is the most successful aspect of Rebirth as an adaptation.

Unfortunately, whilst I loved the story and characters, I honestly feel like there were many aspects that lacked development and conclusion. Though I am happy for Nomura to experiment with storytelling that subverts the original and includes the many potential worlds within this universe, I feel that none of this pays off and still leaves me wondering what was the point of this trilogy. The biggest victim is Zack, my favourite Final Fantasy character, who whilst gets his place in the spotlight, feels completely irrelevent and exists for the purpose of fanservice. I'm excited to his future potential role in the trilogy, though I was unsatisfied with his role within this game. Man was on the box cover and got no major involvement. Cringe. The conclusion to the story also felt very confusing and complicated, but I am hopeful that the final game recontextualises the entire trilogy. A lot of hope that may never pay off, but I am optimistic.

Overall, you can really feel the love that the developers imbued into the game, and I feel that Rebirth symbolises what video game remakes should strive to be, not a one-to-one adaptation, but to improve and enhance the original. I love this game and can't wait for part 3.

Also Queen's Blood is fucking based.

An unexpected surprise, but a welcome one. I had zero interest in BG3 as it entered the hype cycle, as a fantasy, medieval, D&D RPG, was not something that I would ever feel interest in, however I was blown away from the scale and magnitude of this story. A gripping story full of creative and meaningful choices led me down a road of intrigue, fully sucking me into this vast world where I felt I needed to explore every single inch with a complete sense of discovery. A game where every decision kept me on the edge of my seat, and attracts me to attempt different approaches on my next run. Can’t wait to revisit this world. Minthara best girl btw.

Very mixed feelings. Though the heart of FF7 is imbued in the game, I feel like it’s missing the soul. Taking the introduction to a masterpiece and filling it with padded sequences, boring side quests and additional content that doesn’t live up to the original, ultimately makes this remake feel unnecessary. As a remake, it intends to flesh the world and characters out more, as a sequel, it intends to develop the story with a new twist, however it doesn't succeed too well at either.

None of the original cast feel any richer than their original counterparts, and whilst I appreciate the added context and new moments of fanservice, nothing satisfactory was accomplished. All new characters feel stale and uninspired, latched onto the story with no nuance, they feel like inserts used to bloat the runtime. Nothing new of substance is actually added, with all extended sections and side story content standing out like a sore thumb in a much greater narrative.

Though I admire the daring steps this game takes to deconstruct the original, with an attempt to achieve new story beats, the game has no climactic conclusion, and instead leaves me curious yet frustrated. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the last few chapters, and am looking forward to the future of the new story now that it is taking its own path, this game felt like filler, a waste of time that should have remained as a short introduction to a greater story. Combat is fire tho.

Whilst full of interesting choices from story to gameplay, that pushed the franchise even further, Y5 unfortunately falls flat as one of the most underwhelming Yakuza experiences thus far. Dragged out with side content that distracts you from the more intriguing narrative, though even when confronting said story, still feels convoluted and padded, Y5 is a total bore from start to finish. This was the moment that I started to lose interest, which is why I think highly of more engaging and experimental later entries.