whoever stopped atlus from adding a new marketable anime girl that tears the plot in half to this remake is this generations stanislav patrov. in a world where vandalism like catherine full body and final fantasy 7 refund exist, i am so happy to experience this games magic brought out to the potential it had but didn't meet at the time of its release. re-experiencing this game but with the modernisations it needed has been such a joyful ride. in spite of this clearly not being a big budget project, this is a gold standard for rpg remakes and i could not be any happier with this release.

In terms of gameplay, this game is super fun. Way WAY improved compared to 7. Can't describe how fun it is. They made the job system so much better with skills you can choose to inherit. Fun side modes as well, Dondoko is pretty good for what it is.

Music is great as usual, with some really standout final tracks, imo this might have the best final boss theme out of any mainline Like a Dragon game

Story? The core plot isn't that great, but in terms of character writing and themes it's really good. The villains weren't executed that well, but the ending was amazing. The themes of not only the game, but the whole series are encapsulated perfectly. Kiryu has a great sendoff. Also Ichiban is too good of a guy man, you can't hate on him at all

Farewell, Dragon of Dojima

Only ended up playing one really solid run as I'll likely return to this game long after shiren 6 is out, from what I've played so far though it felt "too easy" in a bad way. It's possible I've just gotten better over the years but even at its worst, the day/night system that's very brutal in 5 felt like light work as new abilities are gained every so often through leveling up allowing for less panic scenarios where typically you wouldn't have abilities filled. And damage taken was low across the board especially from night monsters. Shiren the Wanderer 4 appears at face value to be worse than 5 in every way and I'd rather recommend new players to play 5 as the difficulty is part of the journey.

It's a really good time to be a Final Fantasy fan. I'm a bit torn between giving this a 4 and a 4.5, but I think it stands out enough to warrant the higher marks. While it does stumble a bit with pacing and lack of characterization for side characters, it still delivers a powerful story from start to finish. This game also pulls a lot of inspiration from my favorite FF, FFIV, in its tone and setting so it really felt like playing a modern take on that aesthetic. I was a bit disappointed that none of the Bahamut skills involved Dragoon type attacks, and I just found myself wishing I could play a FF action game as a Dragoon with similar combat.
This game is a spectacle, the soundtrack, graphics, and combat all come together to make some truly unforgettable moments. There were so many times during boss fights where the music would sync absolutely perfectly with what was happening on screen. It aligned so perfectly during the Bahamut fight that my jaw genuinely dropped in shock. I don't usually physically react to games like that, so it was pretty noteworthy.
The game does have a few pacing issues though, notably during the Dhalmekia arc. I also feel like it didn't help that many of the side quests just felt lackluster in comparison to the main scenario. Seriously, these side quests never stood a chance. You'll go from these epic, cinematic fights with demigods one minute, to collecting soil samples the next. Thankfully the game marks side quests that are worth doing with a plus mark, I really appreciated that.
The combat was at it's best when stumbling across new powerful enemies in the early game. I definitely feel like you get a little too powerful in the second half of the game, but those fights when you only have Phoenix and Garuda were so thrilling.
Crafting also feels oddly... pointless? By the end of the game I had thousands of materials, but the most powerful gear. It feels like maybe they planned for you to be able to kit out party members or have more options for Eikon specific gear, but cut it leaving hundreds of chests with useless crafting materials in the world.
Not sure what else to say. I feel like this game unfortunately got overshadowed by a lot of the other insane releases last year. I grabbed it on sale for $35 only about 5 months after release, felt a bit wrong to me as I thought it was well worth full price. Remarkable game though, despite its shortcomings. The ending also absolutely WRECKED me and I WAS NOT expecting it to. Something about the flashback scenes and the music, maybe it's because I also have a brother about the same age gap as Clive and Joshua.