TL;DR: Listen, Fire Emblem series is a joke in terms of story writing. It's almost unbelievable that this game celebrates 30 years of this mid franchise. Engage had EVERYTHING to be the best Fire Emblem ever, but the writers threw it all down the drain for the sake of the gameplay.

Engage looks like a fangame. It doesn't even look like it was made by professionals. I played almost all FE games believing that a great game would come, like I tried other franchises that didn't like at first but I liked it later, but Fire Emblem seems to be an eternal average. I still give it a relatively high rating because I REALLY enjoyed the beginning of the game, I was really looking forward to it.

it fails miserably to deliver a good, consistent story. I'm not even gonna talk too much about the apalling worldbuilding, I'm going to focus on the bad writing. At first I was surprised, the story at the beginning was amazing, however, as soon as the prologue ended, again, another FE game went to hell. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's 2023 and this series still has outdated writing. It feels like I'm watching some generic 2005 anime. The problem with the narrative in this series is because they create a narrative for the gameplay, they actually don't want to tell you a story. They've started to change this mindset a bit in Three Houses, but it's still BAD. It's a lot of time spent on gameplay and eventually becomes repetitive, making it all a dragging game. THE STRUCTURE IS LOATHSOME, DISGUSTING

DUDE YOU'VE LIKE 15 MIN OF SIMPLE DIALOGUES THEN YOU GO TO 50 MIN REPETITIVE GAMEPLAY, AND YOU CONTINUE THIS SHIT THE ENTIRE FUCKING GAME. The writers seem like amateurs. It's poorly written.
bro I swear, the villains in this game don't even know what they're fighting. I SWEAR TO YOU, THE GAME PRESENTS THE ANTAGONISTS, ONE OF THEM EVEN BASICALLY KILLS THE OTHER CHARACTER'S DAD, BUT THE GAME 30 MINUTES LATER PUT THAT ANTAGONIST CHARACTER AS PLAYABLE AND A GOOD-GUY AND THE EXCUSE IS LIKE "haha my father died too it's all right now I'm on your side"

IT DOESNT END HERE

THERE'S TOO THAT SCENE WHERE THE CHARACTER LITERALLY HATES YOU AT FIRST, LACKS YOU WITH EDUCATION AND IS AN ASSHOLE, BUT SUDDENLY JOINS YOUR TEAM (YES LITERALLY OUT OF NOWHERE, THERE'S NOT EVEN 1 SINGLE TALK FROM THIS CHARACTER, SHE JUST JOINS YOUR PARTY AND THEN AFTER THE BATTLE "haha xD I'm sorry" there was nothing more to it than that, dudes just used 1 single dialogue to say she's sorry.

It
Does
Not
End
Here.

ONE OF THE VILLAINS WHO IS A GIRL LITERALLY KIDNAPS THE QUEEN OF A KINGDOM, PUTTING HER IN THREAT OF DEATH FOR SOME DISGUSTING REASONS OF WRITING STUPIDITY, AND THEN WE'VE TO FIGHT 50 MINUTES AGAINST HER THEN AT THE END OF ALL OF THIS SHIT SHE'LL BECOME A PLAYABLE CHARACTER AND THE QUEEN WILL SAY: "xDxD please help the Divine Dragon save the world! This is your punishment!"

It
Does
Not....


On other points: the gameplay is the best in the franchise. Ironically, this Fire Emblem still manages to be the best in many ways among all the others. You see how bad this franchise is when even a mediocre game like this manages to outperform many others.

The soundtrack is spectacular. This one is arguably the best in the series. I shall research more about the composers. It presents beautiful leitmotifs with a pure and well harmonic orchestra. I'll definitely be adding several songs to my playlist and I pity songwriters so good working in a bomb like this one.

Artistic direction is good, the artist is very good. It won't be a very welcome game in the west, I know why but I don't know how to explain it well. One of the reasons is because there's no marriage system.

Framme Best Girl.


In conclusion, fuck this franchise of assholes, dumbasses, intelligent systems it's your fault you incompetent
🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕

Okay I didn't expect it would be this good. Since the previous game, the grandeur of this work has reappeared, a masterpiece, with the exception of the first chapter. Simply speechless what this series has become for me with the conclusion of this arc. Again, another one of the best endings I've ever seen. It was a complete experience.
It has one of my favorite endings from any game, and one of my favorite emotional scenes in fiction. We can argue this game has flaws, but it was more a love letter to me.

RUFUS ALBAREA...

I KNEEL.

tl;dr
I write this review with tears in my eyes, I finished it not even 5 minutes ago. This game concludes the entire first half of the entire franchise's story. Hajimari no Kiseki: the beginning of the end.

I replayed the entire franchise to play this game, yes, I played all the games again.

I've some issues with the game that I doubt you'll agree with everything I'm going to say, but it's my opinion in the end. First I'll start with the positives: Rufus Albarea, I kneel; C route was by far the best route in the entire game, and not only that, but also C team is the best team in the entire franchise, the most dynamic. Beware of that, best team for what a TEAM really is. In Sora no Kiseki, Estelle and Joshua shine, they're for me the best couple in the series and the best duo I've ever met, but a team for what Kiseki is would be a group of 4 people, Sora no Kiseki's cast is the best in the franchise for me, but as a team, bro, Nadia and Swin are amazing, and Lapis matches perfectly with C, it was an extraterrestrial dynamic, genius, I genuinely enjoyed it a lot. I like the SSS, but I prefer C team. I liked this team so much that I would play on it for the entire game, but unfortunately... the fact that I've to play with Lloyd's team and Rean. Rean's route was the worst of all, honestly I thought it was pretty mid, Lloyd's was good, but C route was a true masterpiece, man, I would score 10 for this game if it was only C route. And Rufus, bro, this is not a spoiler review, but the man is a legend for me now.

The beginning of the game was AMAZING, middle game was kinda bad, but the finale was AWESOME. Besides the fact group C carried the game, man, Rean's development in the final was fantastic. The whole game kind of informs you that one cycle has really ended and now another one is starting. Nadia and Swin have absurd potential. I really liked them both, btw.

Honestly, halfway through the game I was wondering why the fanbase likes this game so much, I found it a little overhyped, but after playing everything I understand a little. I still think it's a game below many others in the series, but I still think it was very well done. Almost ideal for almost everything the franchise has presented so far.

Btw, title screen OST is one of the best in the franchise as well, but the OST in overall isn't the best one.

For last, C Team................... you guys............ chad.

Also, postgame really pissed me off, it would be insanely better if it was before the ending.

Very well, friends... now all we have left is 2 and a half years... but we'll overcome what awaits us... SEE YOU IN CALVARD!!!!! MEGAMI NO KAGO WO!

what's up yupz I know you're reading this bro send me a message in my discord Ouji#0729 tmj irmao

I swear to God the start of this game was so good I already was "alright Persona series you won, take my 4.5/5", the first 30 hours were the best part of the game by far.

The insights into the mystery are still genius.
About the common Persona 5 plot: it's very good. Amazing from the beginning to the middle, mid to the end because this franchise always can't stop the cringe of running away from the main theme and out of nowhere you start fighting a god. Again, the topic was a very good critique of society and suddenly you're against a god.

Gameplay is great and far better than any other Persona. Nothing to say here.

Royal part is mid and basically normal plot, antagonist was great and one of my favorite characters, but as a villain is kinda meh. Everything I saw in Royal part I had seen before in this medium and in other medium as well, the plot itself does not bring anything new except the research of the antagonist and Akechi who is one of the 5 best characters in this game.

Kasumi itself is overrated af, her plot is totally basic. Again, nothing new, I've seen that kind of development 4384837 times. You're lucky if it was your first time, because it's totally generic. Not to mention she was a disappointment. Royal didn't know how to use her in a good way, she was basically cameo for 80 hours.

But this game still is easily the best Persona in EVERY way: narrative, characters, fun, soundtrack... everything. And it's also clearly the one with the best theme. And I really liked the protagonist in this entry. Finally a Persona protagonist that didn't look like a "piece", he actually looked like a worthy protagonist and well used.

I swear I was enjoying the game a lot, a lot, but it's VERY repetitive. This game is long, yes, it's the longest game I've ever played, but this game's script isn't. You basically waste a lot of time doing the same things and the game goes on like this, you literally go to school, farm charm points, kindess and that things, come back, social link and sleep. You do this the whole fucking game. I love stories that take time to happen things, that proceed slowly, my favorite works are very longs slow stories, but Persona is ridiculous. It's one thing to be slow, it's another to spend 50 hours doing the same shit, social links in this franchise isn't that good as well, it's just good character development, not amazing.

So if you haven't had burnout playing this for 100 hours always going to school to study sleeping school social link sleeping school social link sleeping school study sleeping school theather sleeping I unironically say you've a better brain than me, you're better than me. I'm not kidding. You are stronger and superior to me.

TL;DR: I was really enjoying Persona 5 Royal A LOT at first, I really enjoyed playing, but after middle game my mentality was like: JUST END IT END THIS SHIT MOTHERFUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

R-E-P-E-T-I-T-I-V-E
Persona series overall is letdown, but P3 is actually a waste of a masterpiece, and I'll explain why.

Narrative structure: Its ending shines. I completely kneel for the last 10 hours of the game, Burn my Dread is one of the COOLEST final battle themes I've ever listened (the lyrics, oh my God), and all the meaning of the journey was top. I love how, for example, how P3 deals about facing fears, and living each day as if it were your last.
HOWEVER, the entire beginning and half-game are terrible (except for the Aragaki scene middle game). The stories of Persona games are NOT bad, but they are kind of destroyed by its own structure. They are not long stories, but the structure makes it long, bullying the pacing of the games. You have 90 hours games that could be 30 or 40, but due to you needing to live every single day of the month, farming points, seeing useless social link or characters, and discarding your time instead of investing in more things to improve what is going to come (or just skip all that), the series insist that you need to grind useless no matter what. Because of this, I genuinely find impressive anyone who completes a Persona game without finding it a tiring journey, as Persona is the most repetitive series I've ever consumed. Not only that, also its worldbuilding is too simple (still efficient), and the story overall is shallow, as it's not of the interest of the creators diving into a well deep and explored narrative. It has good moments and very good connections, but the construction of the scenes are very flawed and superficial (I still remember the grotesquely bad script of Fuuka's persona presentation).

Characters: with very fun interactions, the characters are cute, cool and stylish, but they can't sustain this structure for most of the time. They're not deep and they're not incredibly well developed. They are, de facto, good characters, some unique and ones that I really like, but this does NOT carry a story for 80 hours or more. There will come a time when everything will be a record played again. Repetitive. Also, I'm already tired of saying Persona protagonists are completely bland (making a slight exception for Amamiya Ren), but I don't even care anymore.

Gameplay: The gameplay that exists is that you climb a tower with 200 floors identical to each other to kill mobs. With the exception of this defect, it's fun. Okay, serious now, the battles are very interesting. The battle system is one of the strong points of Persona games.

Soundtrack: Unique, beautiful and fantastic. A very beautiful mix of elements such as rock and jazz to create compositions that anyone in the world could familiarize themselves with in just one listen. I love Persona soundtracks. For anyone who have complained about the remix, go fuck yourself. In Reload version, the songs were better and cleaner than in the original versions. And even if you didn't like it, you're a fool for complaining. The original soundtracks already exist, the new ones give a new perspective and fresh air for those who want it to have that air.

The Art Direction continues to astound, consistently elevating the Persona series with its stunning visual presentation. Since Persona 5, it has showcased a breathtaking artistic vision that truly makes the game shine. Paired with its exceptional soundtrack, the art direction are the heart of the series.

For all that, this franchise could be much better than it actually is, but I know that will never change. The flaws will continue, and I will always be complaining, because it'll never get there. I know Atlus is like the RGG studio that likes a bit of a comfort zone, and won't change their games much.

In short, Persona is a series that is destroyed by its own exhausting structure that seems to want to suck you in at all costs, but still it's overall a fun experience with a good message.
I tried gaslight, but when a game is objectively mid, not even my gaslight can help it.

Persona is the biggest collective delusion I've ever seen, I find it unimaginable that the majority of people acclaim this series and don't point out any flaws, not even the elitists or people that know how to write good reviews. It's unbelievable to me.

TL;DR: Weakest Ryza game, but left a legacy. Positive and negative points of this journey:

✅Ryza's biggest point is how perfect a lighthearted story it is. There are no dangerous conflicts or anything that makes the world suffer. It makes me chills to say that. We've consumed so many stories where characters fight to save the world, save those they love as if their lives depended on it, all for that peaceful tomorrow for the rest of their lives... that peaceful tomorrow is like the whole story of Atelier Ryza, the world has never been in conflict, but a beautiful plot has managed to be created with simplicity and showing us how we can evolve as a person, in addition to valuing the time we spend together with those who are precious to us. Like you're with your friends at school, and that time is so much fun that you'll remember it for the rest of your lives, you realize "ah, those were the best days of my life"

✅Franchise's best entry in slice of life and comedy. The characters are well explored as if they were alive. It's a coming of age as if we were actually accompanying a life.

✅ Not exactly a plus point, but something that draws attention. The game is focused more on slice of life and everyday life than on the plot itself. And ironically, it's still the Atelier with the most creative and well-done story.

✅Ah, the soundtrack. Of course, this is the BIGGEST positive point right here. This game is a dream of any music nerd who is a gamer. These are compositions that should be known throughout the world. For those who understand, they are highly complex with very peculiar and out of the ordinary time signatures, 5/4, 7/8, 6/8, a music lesson within a game, and this is VERY OUT OF THE NORMAL. Believe me. Rare.

❌The sides are inferior to Ryza 2. In Ryza 2 they were more interesting and deeper, where you explored more deeply the places related to the main plot and about the universe of that game. Most of Ryza 3's are just random sides around the map.

❌The game doesn't look better than Ryza 2 in graphics. Yes, it's a bizarre case where the graphics of a game from 2-3 years ago are superior to the current one. As much as the map is bigger and more open, the draw distance is very reduced.

❌Another loss for Ryza 2 itself, the artistic direction has gone downhill. It was one of the strongest points of Atelier Ryza, its artistic direction, which became less clear in 3.

❌ In narrative it loses to Ryza 1 (and Ryza 2 ofc), and also for being a sequel. The credit will always go to the first game for having created and presented everything, a sequel will always have to bet on a deeper narrative to be better than the first game, but Atelier was always mediocre in its story, so obviously Ryza 3 wasn't better in narrative than the previous games. I kneel to the epilogue after the last boss though.

❌ Honestly speaking, this game was the weakest Ryza in almost all aspects, including the soundtrack.

🌐 PERSONAL OPINIONS:

🌐 Didn't beat Ryza 2 for me, which is the most emotional Atelier of all. That journey was awesome, so Ryza 2 still my fav Atelier. It also doesn't beat Ryza 1, responsible for creating the world and introducing summer and characters in a way that no other Atelier does.

🌐 I can't believe they didn't put Clifford and Serri in this game, who were two of my favorite Ryza characters. It was a sin, I swear.

CONCLUSION

The ending is beautiful and still a worth journey. I love Reisalin Stout and her character progression. Empel plot also surprised me. Ryza was the Atelier of my generation and I should be proud that my generation had the best Atelier in the history of the franchise. And it's from here for the better. Thank you, Koei Tecmo for the experience. I don't even know what to say here, but damn, didn't make such a big review like this in a while. See you again someday, Atelier series, in another summer!

I'll just give up. This game is a sad situation, everything is kinda nice, the soundtrack is very good, gameplay fine, art cool

but I better leave early before I travel to japan to attempt murder the writer, bro just ruined the feast
next time hire me tales staff please I would write a better story
even the guy who reviewed above me and the guy who reviewed below would write a better story

It doesn't have the soundtracks...
It doesn't have the style...
It doesn't have the gameplay...

but it has the best storytelling, fr. If they make a proper remake of this someday, it could become the best Persona.

No special protagonist because yes, no repetitive pacing; story's just linear and follow its plot elegantly. Good character development and solid cast of characters that features good interactions.

The peak of the peak fiction game.

There were times when the pacing of the first game was superior to this one, however, in general, it was the same level as the first game. But it turns out that the second half of SC shines more intensely than the entire home straight of FC, ending up being much superior.

Updating the review, for me Sora no Kiseki has the best cast of characters in the entire Kiseki series. Calvard, Erebonia, Crossbell, Liberl, the Church... It's one of the most dynamic ones, featuring a cast of characters from the entire west of Zemuria, making it as basically a perfect prologue for what the game wants to convey. They were very smart.
Sora was also, until the 13th game, the only one that directly confronts the Ouroboros. Such an important game, even though loved, is a little underrated beyond such great franchise.

A game that makes you value life. This game was literally PERFECT in all aspects until the climax. I was even amazed, because if it had stayed as good as it was, it would easily be one of the best games ever made. After the prison arc it decayed and was just so-so, twists were kinda weird.

For last, Xenoblade 3 has one of the best soundtracks I've ever listened in a game. Harmonic piano in games isn't common, flute that gives identity to the work, legendary composers, literally symphony orchestra with rock & guitar and it still worked.

"We must appreciate the fact that the world allowed us to exist."

This is one of the highest peaks a JRPG can reach with a narrative and character-driven story, yes, it has both.

t-h-a-n-k y-o-u

The Legend of Ar tonelico.

The best series I have consumed in the last 11 months, and I'm so happy that I finally had the courage to play it, and the fact it's this incredible.
Four-dimensional characters (saying they are only three-dimensional is disrespectful).
Impeccable and frenetic writing, it doesn't divert the focus for a single minute, having perfect pacing.
AT's soundtracks are the most unique you're able to listen in the medium
there is no comparison.


It's better than its successor in literally every aspect and literally even improves a little on the first game's plot.
Jakuri and Croix my GOATs
Luca and Cloche's relationship is one of the BEST RELATIONSHIPS I'VE EVER SEEN IN A JRPG
In this story we see what it really means to be human. Ar Tonelico would be the first story I'd present to a robot. Its ability to have explored the human mind, our greatest flaws and goods, is something I have rarely seen in any story I've ever read. Even a robot would've a doctorate in the human mind after finishing this game.
It's a dive into the human mind, into our deepest depths, into our greatest perversities and evils, but also into our greatest brilliance as a human being. What an immersive experience that leaves me speechless.

All characters have masterful writing. Through the music, manages to increase the impact of its plot and twists beautifully.
A great conductor in worldbuilding, Ar Tonelico has its mastery especially in music. It's a game about the art of music.
Those songs are among the most beautiful and well-written songs I've ever seen in gaming medium, and only playing it to understand, I'm saying this as a person who has a high understanding of music and experience in orchestras, as I am a violinist although not a professional one

Just
Unique.

The story is dense, complex, extremely creative and with heaps of dynamism, between the characters themselves and the world itself, which has a wonderful construction. There are literally no bad or irrelevant characters, everyone fulfills their role, everyone has their reasons, they are ALIVE and are part of this journey.

For me, this game becomes a classic of the century among JRPGs, a hidden gem that I hope one day will receive more applause and recognition for conveying such a fantastic story that I've only praises.

The creator of this story, genius Akira Tsuchiya, created an entire new language for the game called Hymmnos, is the official composer of Ar Tonelico, director and writer of this story, who spent 5 to 6 years writing it.

Thank you, simply thank you. For me, you wrote one of the greatest JRPG classics and marked your story in my books.

"My song gives you endless courage."