Rhombus Tactics is probably the most fun I've had with a SRPG. The combat is fast, the systems around positioning and exploiting enemies are fun to engage with, and the exploration bits outside of battle make the world feel much more engaging than a lot of games in the genre. I think it looks quite nice too once you toggle some visual settings, really nails the lost PS1 game vibe with its chunky sprites and diorama-esque environments.

The big flaw of Pentagon Procedure for me is the story. It takes up probably half of the runtime, and while there are some interesting characters and scenarios it kinda falls apart in the back half. I think the reason the story doesn't quite work for me is partially due to the branching paths. There were a few points where it only seemed like they were giving you an option of what to do because that's a selling point on the back of the box and not because it benefited the narrative or characters in any way.

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