I love this game. Let me say that again. I absolutely love this game! It's up there with my favorite RPG's of all time such as FFIX and Legend of Dragoon.
The turned based system is fun and doesn't get boring. As your attacks upgrade throughout the game the details become more grand and just cool to watch, such as Eris's magic.
The characters convey real emotions, they question life like real humans do, and have big personalities. Never hyper, disingenuous, or annoying like with anime writing. Kael's sarcasm is hilarious. Scatia is hard not to love darling. Lucia before the tree is freaking nuts, I kept hearing her voice as Lysa Arryn from Game of Thrones. I love that this game even made my mind go there.
The script is written so well despite the grammatical errors. The story is genuinely captivating. I also loved the different dialects throughout the lands. It makes the writing even more fun to read. The story is magical and mysterious which is exactly what keeps me hooked.
The hand drawn scenes, lighting and rendered overlays are gorgeous. A forgotten skill in todays RPG's. You will definitely find yourself waiting the few seconds for the screen to zoom out to the full view of areas. Gwenelle forest for example is full of beauty and mystery. I loved the challenges you face there as well.
The 3D video shorts (like when you meet a new charcter) are simply perfect. An underrated FF influence.
The soundtrack and the human chorus elements are just so so so good. I could definitely hear Legend of Dragoon in there and I appreciate the use of flutes, strings, and other medieval/renaissance sounds. I would have loved to hear a little more FFIX type sounds. Irregardless! Job well done!!
My only complains are very small. The grammatical errors need a little work. The npc's need a different script after events have unfolded, like in Ostia where the npc's are still talking about the tournament. I would have liked to see a little more explorations in towns and cities, more houses or rooms you can enter, shops and inns as well. And lastly would be more sound effects, like bosses roaring and stuff like that. The mother of the forest for example makes a screaming emote but theres no roar sound or screaming. Maybe make the screen shake during that roar too. Or like some mumbling rumble sounds when the Roshua tree was speaking. That would have added a more chilling effect.
Overall I love this game. It has been added to my very small list of outstanding RPG's. For Semisoft studio's first attempt at a full length magical adventure they really outdid themselves. Encore! Encore! If they decide to keep this style of gaming going I will most certainly be supporting/donating to those projects.
I am Rockhard for Semisoft haha. If your a true PSX era RPG fan this game is 100% a MUST!
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