I've been a longtime fan of Pokemon and Harvest Moon, and while I haven't gotten too into the deckbuilding genre, I was a huge fan of Baten Kaitos on GameCube. This game takes the best elements of all of those games/genres and blends them perfectly into a game that is clearly a true labor of love from the development team. Cocefi's pixel art for the environments, spirits, characters, and cards is fantastic across the board. The spirit and character animations are adorable as well. Although there are only a handful of music tracks, and much of the game is unscored while exploring, the music that does play is catchy and suiting. Kate's character writing continues to impress, and even after completing the main story I still find myself encountering new dialogue and getting to know the characters better on dates. This is not a story-heavy game with a detailed plot and multiple twists/turns, but the characters are written extremely well. There are also hints of lore about the larger world/story as you get to know everyone better. As I said before, this game takes the best elements from the monster-taming, deckbuilding, and farm/life sim genres and blends them together perfectly. There are so many QOL features (including many that continue to be added/improved with ongoing free updates). I've had a blast taming new spirits to build my team and perfect their deck. I also love the freedom in building and decorating your home and farm almost anywhere in the world. Even if you're not a fan of any of the aforementioned genres, I'd consider giving this game a chance. There are also a large number of customization and accessibility options, such as increasing/decreasing wild spirit spawn rates or making the days go by faster/slower. A huge thanks to Sandy, Stan, and the rest of the Studio Supersoft team for making such an incredible game that has quickly become one of my favorites!
