This game needs to SHUT UP!

Pocket Mirror keeps dragging itself so much that I've already figured out what it's trying to say halfway through. These characters keep yammering on and on and ultimately say nothing. Every interaction with Harpae is the pure definition of "padding"; her conversations go like this:

-"Didn't I tell you to not wander off?"
-"I'm sowwy...."
-"It's okay!"
-"haha yayyy!!!"

And let's talk about the gameplay. Every RPG Maker veteran knows that if it's a horror game with a little girl protagonist, it's bound to have frustrating trial and error. But just because it's a tradition doesn't mean I'll excuse it. The lack of consistency in this game is infuriating. You're subjected to elementary-level puzzles one moment, then thrust into bullshit luck-based "guess the right choice or die teehee" the next. Even the chase sequences, which should've been cool, are marred by vague design choices. Your dumbass steps a couple of paces further than intended without any indication of what to avoid, and you're met with an agonizing 30-second game over screen because this game's evil.

But uuuuh, The sprite work is cool i guess?

Dragon Ball fans get incredibly defensive when you tell them the characters consist of mainly 3 faces. They'll show you a picture of Bardock and Goku and try to convince you they look different.
Anyway, this is an incredibly charming game, but I find myself less enamored with the redundant scripted enemy encounters and combat mechanics. The pacing of the fights is just a tad sluggish for me, and I just have a personal preference for the classic turn-based system over the timed mechanics. Also, God bless Ayla, who practically carries the team through the second half of the game. Real queen business.

Is there something in the L.A. air? Why do these characters struggle to recall events that literally transpired 2 minutes ago without a flashback involved?

Anyway, at this point in the series, we've dealt with spirit-channeling children, psyche-locks, and disabled Native Americans, so it's essential to hold a moderate suspension of disbelief when playing an AA game. Yet, I was still taken aback a bit by how silly this game can get. No matter how long I live, I will never let "incuritis" go. I know this franchise is practically built on cheesy name puns, but "incuritis" is just too far, man...

I think my real gripe overall with this game is Nick; he's nonexistent in cases 2 and 3 but still manages to be such a screen hog, which I would've been fine with if Apollo got some glory too. He just feels like a spectator in Nick's homeless methhead arc rather than playing an important role. It kinda botches the impact if this game was trying to do a "Pass the torch" thing because I find the chemistry between these two just plain weak.

Trucy and Klavier are cool, though.