(scattered thoughts)

Well fans of this game weren't kidding, this game does have some of the best art direction, combat/enemy scenarios, set pieces and especially level design and optional level objectives among Falcom's action rpgs. Consistenly so I'd even say.

In terms of art direction: the colour usage is pretty on point, the gear motif is pretty cool, and it's clear Falcom put a good amount of effort in how each region looks and feels different as the seasons change (same with Remnant Island as the story progresses).

Much of the level design being arguably as good as some of the most acclaimed from Falcom's dungeon design (Ys Origin, Oath in Felghana and some parts of Xanadu Next) comes from how much this games borrows from platformers. There's just a lot of platforming scenarios and set pieces compared to most Action RPG's I've played so far and while it never develops and varies its concepts in depth as an actual platformer would, I just really appreciated the extent Nayuta went with these elements to begin with. I feel like the other 3D Action RPGs onwards like Ys 8 and 9 didn't have quite as much in their core levels/dungeons (besides the solo Dana/Adol sections).

Unfortunately Nayuta has a rather toothless and uninteresting story to accompany the well above average art direction and gameplay.

Having played most of Falcom's ARPGs by now, I feel the story and vibes can be split between: the humurous, light-hearted, almost children's cartoon-like games like Gurumin and the Zwei series; and the more serious, adventurous, exploration focused games like the Ys series and Xanadu Next (and probably older Falcom ARPG's I've yet to play).

Nayuta certainly fits the latter, though with less focus on exploration than Ys because there's selectable levels instead of a realized world. Sadly I felt like I cared about the characters and plot of Nayuta as much as I cared for Ys IV/Celceta's, in other words very little (and even Ys1-3's stories are meh for me but I think most people relate to IV/Celceta's as being The Meh One). Similar to Ys Seven I feel like there's way too much McGuffin hunting and less time dedicated to developing the proper main story, though honestly I'd still say Ys Seven is worse in this regard (but that game's main story itself is still cooler than Nayuta's).

Nayuta and Noi are maybe the only main characters I cared for because we experience the story through their lens and we experience their struggles and interactions the most. Though Nayuta himself though I don't find as interesting or compelling as Adol or Ragna (Zwei 2) as a kid who's out for adventure type-thing.
Cygna and Creha I just found pretty underwhelming and the character interactions from them towards eachother and to other characters like Nayuta/Noi/Zext leave a lot to be desired - they just feel like plot devices honestly.
NPCs are fine but they don't quite have the charm as many in Gurumin/Zwei 2 did for me. They're more comparable to Ys NPCs, in other words they exist.
Some of the story beats in the After Story are kind of touching, and the true final boss is pretty cool I'd even say one of the best Falcom final bosses atmospherically and artistically.

There's maybe a lot more I could say but I'll just leave these thoughts here.