This review contains spoilers
this is an overall more flawed experience than either FC or especially SC. i think it lacks both the consistent good vibes that FC held in spades, and it didn't completely and utterly capture me the way that SC, even in its weakest moments, held me
but the sheer peaks of this experience, especially near the end of the game, ultimately make most of my complaints feel null. the story of kevin, his shattered soul masqueraded by layers upon layers of forced harshness and jokey smarm, is one that hit me in the soul. the same way that joshua and estlle's love and the tragedy of loewe in SC did. the depiction of both his deplorable backstory, and his journey through gehenna with ries, displayed such an overwhelming portrayal of guilt, and of the deep running currents of self-hatred. and how fucking hard it can be to finally let go of that guilt and learn to move forward
to finally remember how to love again. and to finally remember how to be loved again
beyond specifically kevin's own personal journey, the game has MANY high points that i believe deserve their own recognition. those being for me
- moon door 4. seeing the childhood lives of joshua and estelle, how broken joshua was when cassius rescued him, and how estelle's warmth slowly mended his broken soul, makes the events of FC and SC hit that much harder
- star door 3. wonderful characterization for both kloe and joshua here. it speaks volumes that kloe, despite being the one who was getting rejected, maintained complete emotional strength and stability. and poor joshua got tongue-tied haha
- star door 8. i don't think a single kiseki character was sold for me as fucking hard as osborne was in this door. it genuinely made me want to just skip crossbell and go right to cold steel (though i will play crossbell, don't worry haha)
- star door 14. probably the hypest fucking scene in the entire game. being able to see how different all the anguis are, and especially how remorseful and genuinely saddened the grandmaster was by the loss of weissman and loewe, intrigued me DEEPLY
- star door 15. probably the best scene in the entire trilogy, while also being the most nauseating and upsetting. piecing together what renne was being forced to do, all the alternate personas she created, and having to confront it in full with THAT art, made me feel genuinely disgusted. pure, concentrated darkness
- estelle, joshua, and renne's final goodbye. ngl the entire sequence after the final boss got to me, but it was specifically these three that almost broke me. estelle's words of warmth and comfort to someone with such a damaged soul as renne, and how they DID reach her after everything, almost broke me. up there with joshua and estelle's reunion / loewe's death in SC as the most moving scene in the trilogy
i'm deeply excited for crossbell, cold steel, and everything else kiseki has to offer. but i'll always have a place in my heart for this trilogy, for the world of liberl and for its wonderful cast of characters. but like the game says; it's not goodbye, but until next time :)
but the sheer peaks of this experience, especially near the end of the game, ultimately make most of my complaints feel null. the story of kevin, his shattered soul masqueraded by layers upon layers of forced harshness and jokey smarm, is one that hit me in the soul. the same way that joshua and estlle's love and the tragedy of loewe in SC did. the depiction of both his deplorable backstory, and his journey through gehenna with ries, displayed such an overwhelming portrayal of guilt, and of the deep running currents of self-hatred. and how fucking hard it can be to finally let go of that guilt and learn to move forward
to finally remember how to love again. and to finally remember how to be loved again
beyond specifically kevin's own personal journey, the game has MANY high points that i believe deserve their own recognition. those being for me
- moon door 4. seeing the childhood lives of joshua and estelle, how broken joshua was when cassius rescued him, and how estelle's warmth slowly mended his broken soul, makes the events of FC and SC hit that much harder
- star door 3. wonderful characterization for both kloe and joshua here. it speaks volumes that kloe, despite being the one who was getting rejected, maintained complete emotional strength and stability. and poor joshua got tongue-tied haha
- star door 8. i don't think a single kiseki character was sold for me as fucking hard as osborne was in this door. it genuinely made me want to just skip crossbell and go right to cold steel (though i will play crossbell, don't worry haha)
- star door 14. probably the hypest fucking scene in the entire game. being able to see how different all the anguis are, and especially how remorseful and genuinely saddened the grandmaster was by the loss of weissman and loewe, intrigued me DEEPLY
- star door 15. probably the best scene in the entire trilogy, while also being the most nauseating and upsetting. piecing together what renne was being forced to do, all the alternate personas she created, and having to confront it in full with THAT art, made me feel genuinely disgusted. pure, concentrated darkness
- estelle, joshua, and renne's final goodbye. ngl the entire sequence after the final boss got to me, but it was specifically these three that almost broke me. estelle's words of warmth and comfort to someone with such a damaged soul as renne, and how they DID reach her after everything, almost broke me. up there with joshua and estelle's reunion / loewe's death in SC as the most moving scene in the trilogy
i'm deeply excited for crossbell, cold steel, and everything else kiseki has to offer. but i'll always have a place in my heart for this trilogy, for the world of liberl and for its wonderful cast of characters. but like the game says; it's not goodbye, but until next time :)