given that kiryu as a character means so much to me, ofc i wanted to experience such an important change in his life when i was doing my series playthrough. technically speaking, it wasn’t pleasant and the game definitely took its time, but it is what it is. there was also a lot narratively that was par for the course in the series overall, but rikiya dying was still shitty. 😭

a lot to like, a lot to be critical of. the way of life was a fantastic boss theme that, bc it felt way too grand for a guy like iwami, I understand why some consider it kiryu’s rage theme