Rate top gamesIf not for the poor but serviceable combat and sometimes annoying backtracking this game will be easily a 9, so let's have that out of the way.
It's kind of hard to put in words what makes this game so special, at first I was reluctant and I was playing this game just to play something before a "big" game but soon enough I was enjoying myself so much within its sad yet beautiful world. I thought that I will hate the characters and never bother with its story but once again I was so wrong, it was like playing something that Makoto Shinkai (5 centimeters per second, Your Name) would write and direct, it is filled with melancholic and genuinely beautiful moments, so its kind of sad that Director/Writer/Producer Kentaro Kawashima didn't make another thing afterward (Surely because of bad sales, which is a shame to us all) because he has a lot of potential and this game shows the passion and soul that he put into it.
It has a lot of unrefined mechanics that maybe felt too gimmicky in its time but I think they aged very well, say resting in bonfires, unveil the story of the world with cryptic but optional drawings/messages, items that tell stories within themselves that may or may not be relevant to the main plot, Do this rings a bell? Speaking of stories through items, I loved to explore its world just to find those items and go to the nearest bonfire and listen to its story, a lot of them were trivial but interesting but quite a few were truly amazing, longing and feeling for its characters. Also, another thing that is really amazing was the soundtrack composed by Riei Saito, it's not perfect but it hits you and hits you hard, its also sad that it seems that this was her last major composer role.
I really want to speak a lot of what I loved of this game but it's better if you try it by yourself, again, is by no means perfect, if only for the combat and some annoyances this would be tons times better, but I say that if you like Nier, Drakengard, Makoto Shinkai and even Dark Souls (if only just for the mood) please take a look of this game, and maybe just maybe we can give these amazing creators another chance to truly shine like the moon.
It's kind of hard to put in words what makes this game so special, at first I was reluctant and I was playing this game just to play something before a "big" game but soon enough I was enjoying myself so much within its sad yet beautiful world. I thought that I will hate the characters and never bother with its story but once again I was so wrong, it was like playing something that Makoto Shinkai (5 centimeters per second, Your Name) would write and direct, it is filled with melancholic and genuinely beautiful moments, so its kind of sad that Director/Writer/Producer Kentaro Kawashima didn't make another thing afterward (Surely because of bad sales, which is a shame to us all) because he has a lot of potential and this game shows the passion and soul that he put into it.
It has a lot of unrefined mechanics that maybe felt too gimmicky in its time but I think they aged very well, say resting in bonfires, unveil the story of the world with cryptic but optional drawings/messages, items that tell stories within themselves that may or may not be relevant to the main plot, Do this rings a bell? Speaking of stories through items, I loved to explore its world just to find those items and go to the nearest bonfire and listen to its story, a lot of them were trivial but interesting but quite a few were truly amazing, longing and feeling for its characters. Also, another thing that is really amazing was the soundtrack composed by Riei Saito, it's not perfect but it hits you and hits you hard, its also sad that it seems that this was her last major composer role.
I really want to speak a lot of what I loved of this game but it's better if you try it by yourself, again, is by no means perfect, if only for the combat and some annoyances this would be tons times better, but I say that if you like Nier, Drakengard, Makoto Shinkai and even Dark Souls (if only just for the mood) please take a look of this game, and maybe just maybe we can give these amazing creators another chance to truly shine like the moon.
«Blew my mind»
«Time-tested»
«Sit back and relax»
«Underrated»
«That ending!»
«OST on repeat»