once again, tri-ace totally blows their previous work out of the water and then some. the controversy surrounding so3 is not only a testament to how little jrpg fans should generally be trusted, but also a head-scratching reminder of how little they tend to value gameplay in their games

there's a solid sci-fi plot here with fun characters and some really neat developments especially in the second half, but i'd imagine it all being very fatiguing if not for the ridiculously addictive battle system. the story hits a lot of arbitrary roadblocks frequently; simple errands have a tendency to turn into ordeals spanning several dungeons. is this a pace-breaker? no, because with the promise of new areas to explore comes many more bosses, and tons more gameplay... see where i'm going with this?

oh, and shout out to these guys' ambitions. seriously, a large chunk of what i love about this game is how fuckin' weird and unique it is. a little jagged in places for sure (the models aren't great, voice acting's madly inconsistent, and the airyglyph vs aquios politics could certainly be more engaging) but those are just small blemishes on what's ultimately a damn good, heartful arpg that deserves WAY more credit than it tends to get