I really like this game for what it is (hence my review) but it's one that's tough to recommend. Likes: • World design (aesthetically) is very pleasing with it's bioluminescence and colorfulness which makes exploration fun along with the chests and resources you pick up! • On a basic scale the gameplay system is enjoyable and there is enough variation between quests, puzzles and main story. It's also easy to customize to your desire (if you want a casual or hardcore experience or something more neutral) • THE NEKAROO (genuinely the best creature, top tier, absolutely adorable.) The reason I actually bought this game on sale Dislikes: • Dull story and world building/lore, there is heart but it reads like a forgettable YA from the early 2010s. The COROSION is very hard to take seriously and elements like the church, who is a big background player in the main story, isn't conveyed in a good sense. PS I spoiled myself on the ending and it ends on a cliffhanger so it's not complete. • Characters, they try to riff on JRPG tropes but being meta doesn't help your players endear themselves to the sibling pair. Daryon is edgy-anime-boy-tsundere with Big Sword who knows the Big Sword is dumb and Selene is a very secretive and sassy know it all related to the church. I didn't get a good sense of their personhood beyond these beginning threads. Also doesn't help that the other characters are more interesting (whether in personality; Ysoris, or superficially; Fallon <-- space pirate). The siblings being in focus also doesn't help PARTY CHEMISTRY which is a lot more endearing than individual characters in jrpgs. • Repetitive Gameplay cycle in regards to length, too few new or interesting elements are introduced later in the game whether that's battle-challenges, new puzzle gimmicks/dungeon design, or mini games (this is usually where story/characters would carry a game for me but I don't like them here so...). def had FUN but it left me with a mixed impression!
