It’s been a long time since I’ve played a game that so immensely inspired my imagination, possibly since I played Earthbound many a year ago. There’s a real wholesomeness to this one despite the various heavy themes it tackles: capitalism, fascism, loss, grief, and the failure to learn from the past among them. Our heroes are plucky underdogs to an increasingly hostile society, and despite their relative lack of dialoguse, you really come to love Lucas Kumatora Duster and Boney (and Salsa! Don’t forget Salsa). Far more than the completely silent children of previous Mother games, the main cast here really feels like a loveable and unforgettable found family.

There are a few gameplay hangups, namely a handful of absurd difficulty spike boss fights (shout outs to Miracle Fassad and the Jealous Bass!), but it isn’t anything that can’t be overcome with enough strategic play (use shields like your life depends on it). We’ve got otherwise a smooth, enjoyable turn based rpg that never devolves into tedium or grinding, partially helped by the excellent rhythm battle system and the series’ signature sense of humor.

In this type of game, though, the gameplay is ultimately just a means to the incredible story, which as mentioned above is thematically rich and emotionally poignant- if you didn’t cry at the ending, are you even human? It’s a story that shows the rise, fall, and redemption of a misguided peoples, and then asks us to apply those lessons to our own world. A beautiful tale, and a masterpiece game.