i'm usually someone who much preferes a good story over fun gameplay, but with this game, i didn't seem to mind things being the other way around. the story is one that you've probably heared before and the game doesn't reinvent anything, but the gameplay is tons of fun!

most things about this game are rather average. the soundtrack is nice, but sometimes i found myself putting on my own playlist and muting the game. the characters are nice, but there are a bit too many to spend time with all of them. i never once used caius, felton, rose or a few of the others, because i didn't have the time to try out new characters, knowing i would get new ones in the very next level. many characters may work for a game with permadeath, but a few of the later characters felt a little unnecessary. the support conversations were alright. some were really fun and some i didn't pay much attention to.

overall, the game didn't stood out to me in any particular way, but i still had tons of fun with it. if you don't care much about the story, you can get a lot of enjoyment out of the gameplay!

this game was my introduction to the atelier games and i have to say, i really did enjoy my time with it. the first few hours i was a bit worried i might not enjoy it as much, but after a while it just sorta clicked.

the game is sweet and relaxing. it's not really like other jrps with super dark and serious stories and the end of the world being near, but rather about the few main characters and their personal struggles, that are all very relatable. i really did like every character in the game, even if monika and oscar sorta became useless to me by the end of the game as they weren't in my party, nor did they provide any useful services like leon or cory did. i even enjoyed the side characters such as pamela or elise, who also got small but sweet story bits.

the combat is rather easy, but i still did avoid it for most of the game, meaning i got my ass kicked whenever i really did need to use it to advance the story. crafting weapons, armour, items and consumables is really fun and it helped me to go from being underleveled and weak as fuck, to being able to beat pretty much anything in my way, including the final boss.

i'm glad the game has a bit of post game content, even if i didn't get around to finishing that yet. post game just feels like a must for this sort of game.

the music is very nice as well and i'm especially glad i get the chance to listen to older games soundtracks. the digital artbook that comes with the switch version of this game is great as well and i loved looking at the characters in their silly little outfits.

overall, i really enjoyed this game and i hope that atelier sophie 2 will be just as much fun!

i can't get myself to rate this any higher or lower than breath of the wild. sure, there have been many improvements and new ideas in this game, but not all changes were big enough to make this game better or worse than botw.

the story and music of this game are better than botw's, however i miss toying around with glitches and speedrun strats like i could in botw (goodbye btb my beloved :')

it's a great game, just not much better or worse than its predecessor

this isn't a terrible game, but i am mad about some of the decisions made here.

the game could've been amazing if only they changed a few things. making tsubasa the protagonist would've been much more interesting, given that she actually got goals, a backstory and potential, while itsuki is just a very bland person. they could've added some mini games like dancing and singing and that could've been her training.

an english dub would've also done wonders for this game! the songs in that game are amazing and they would've certainly been more iconic if you actually could've sung along. like those songs could've been mire popular than the game itself and get people interested in the game through the music.

the battle system is really fun for a while but gets dull after a while, which is why i ignored battling in the last three dungeons or so and only fought the bosses.

great game with funny characters, that also manages to be serious enough for it to be enjoyable. just a generally great vibe at all times! pit is a funny and sweet protagonist, dark pit is such a nice spin on "evil doppelgängers" and palutena is a very lovable companion/leader. even the characters that aren't part of the main cast are great and enjoyable!

my main problem with the game are the controls though. i did die quite a couple times seemingly out of nowhere, with my healthbar dropping from 100% to 0% without even an indicator as to why. i also did experience hand cramps thanks to how the game controls. as for the controls, they are smooth while in the air but a bit sloppy on ground. i dashed off too many edges on accident because running and walking are basically the same button.

i do still hope this game gets a sequel or even a remake one day. i'd like to see more of those characters and hopefully with the controls being adjusted!

not sure if i like the game or if i've been stockholm syndromed into liking it

but on a more serious note, i think the game has some great moments and some not so great. i was never a fan of Q team. an amnesiac, a serial killer and some whiny "nice guy" isn't the best combo. but i pushed through those fragments.

the highlight of the game was d team. i loved phi and sigma in the second game and i adore diana. every scene with those three was amazing.

c team had great moments and some i did not care about that much. but nothing negative that comes to my mind right away.

some of the games scenes were very funny, without even intending to be that. and i love the fun easter eggs the game has to offer or small lines when you tap on certain things in escape rooms.

the decision aspect of the game was very fun. i enjoyed seeing which choices would get me killed and which ones were the right ones. i probably shouldn't have trusted sigma as much as i did, since that usually got me killed–

the different endings were all decent. some better and some just not. i even enjoyed the true ending / final ending, despite the cliffhanger. because even if you had gotten to make a final decision, would it really have mattered? it was a lose-lose situation. or at the very least, you wouldn't gain anything from doing anything. you lost and you won.

this game sadly was quite the dissappointment.

the legions in the game reminded me a lot of blades from xenoblade chronicles 2, which is why i had high hopes in this game. surely they would explore the legions in a fun way and at some point make you realize that-- you know, you got this living being you are essentially just using as a fighting slave? despite the very serious tone of the game, this didn't come up however. i would've liked for the game to adress that subject but sure, whatever.

sadly the gameplay wasn't much better. it's not really bad, but-- i don't know it never felt satisfying. i let my legion do most of the fighting since it was way more fleshed out. i believe the mc only has like three weapons themself? one gun and two similar looking sticks.

the graphics or music weren't much better. it was rather bland and repetitive. i ended up putting on my own music or even full on youtube videos while playing the game, so i could at least do something fun while trying to finish this game.

the characters never really get fleshed out, which sucks. i bet characters like marie, olive, jin or even yoseph could've been a lot cooler if given more time.

this game sorta felt to me like it wanted to be too much at the same time. it wanted to have a deep story but it also didn't want to have too many cutscenes so you can always get back into the gameplay quickly. they wanted to have some double fights with you and your legion, but the legion ended up doing most of the work. they wanted to have puzzle aspects and they also wanted to have realistic sections where you work as a police officer. but it just doesn't really work together. they never found that great mix between all of those things. in the end, the puzzles, the police sections and the fights all fell flat for me. i couldn't really enjoy any of them.

i sadly did not enjoy my time with this game and it felt too much like a chore after a while. i wish we had at least gotten to see more of the characters, that could've made the game a lot better in my opinion. but without it, i just can't bring myself to give it a good rating.