If you are aware that this is not a RPG, that this is very lightly related to the previous Valkyrie Profile games and that it is on all front pretty average, you will probably have a fun time on this 20-hour journey.

The main, and to some extent, only shining point of the game is the gameplay. This is a traditional Action combat game, made mostly by the staff of Onimusha and Ninja Gaiden games. For an action combat game, the combat is quite slow, which can be hard to adapt to as first, but makes for a much easier experience in terms of pulling combo, using magic and so on than a Devil May Cry for example.
The gameplay progression is really well paced with a flow of new weapons, mechanics and magics through the 20h that the game will take you. By the end of the game, the gameplay has evolved to a point that is truly satisfying and fun.

Unfortunately, it feels like the dev team was very aware that only the gameplay worth investing the little budget they had, as all the rest is terribly average. Level design, graphics and enemy diversity are nothing worth writing about.
The story, even considering again that this is not a RPG, is very slim, with the main story being pretty much all packed in the final mission. Which leads to the several endings, a feature still fun and interesting, and not frustrating this time around as it is very easy to unlock and see all of them.
I will also note that the Einherjar back story, while only told through audio drama, are really good and fun to discover. Two of them in particular were quite audacious for a Japanese developer with themes such as gender and discrimination well touched upon.
Finally, I'll note that the music is on the good side of Sakuraba's works. It is not as memorable as Valkyrie Profile work, but it is definitely a step up from his recent soundtracks. I appreciated the restrain in a lot of tracks.

It's definitely a game I recommend to fan of the genre if you are even remotely interested in Valkyrie universe. For the others, wait for a sale but if you give the demo a try and enjoy it, go for it, it's a fun game and it knows when to take its exit before gameplay becomes stale.

This game is the definition of acquired taste. At first, the graphics would probably put anyone off, but the more you play, the more you start to see what they were going for and the aesthetic behind it. When I completed the main story, I was no longer bothered by the graphics, and appreciated what they tried to do. However, they failed and while the graphics do not impede my enjoyment of the game, I certainly can't say they are good.

Now, the core of the game is really the gameplay. It's quite simple, if you like A-RPG looter games, right now you pretty much have this or Marvel's Avenger to play. The gameplay here is good and enjoyable. Each weapon plays very differently and the builds you can make are varied. You have different modes for each weapons that impact gameplay, giving you interesting choices.
It doesn't do anything new, and to some extent, this is pretty much Nier Automata combat gameplay in a GaaS. The balance of the missions is not always good however, resulting in brainless button mashing is a lot of them due to how easy things are.

The campaign was interesting to follow and the music shines throughout the game.
The post game is less interesting with the same environments and missions structures repeated over and over, but that is expected of a looter game.

This first season has been rich in updates and I was happy to go back to the game every few weeks to check things out and finish the Battle Pass which is included with the game for this first season.
This is probably the easiest to complete and most generous battle pass I have seen in a while.

Now, I won't be paying for Season 2 though and I'm happy to let this game go after well over 50hrs. I had a lot of fun with it and I believe if people looked beyond the graphics, they would have a lot of fun. If coop A-RPG looter gameplay is your thing, you should absolutely give the demo a go and make your own opinion.

For all the charm that comes from the Final Fantasy and Chocobo universe, through its characters and the music, the lack of tracks and the awful driving cannot save this game.

The few positive aspects of the game are the story, goofy and fun, and the characters with their different skills, though a lot of similar skills just reskinned.

All the kart racing aspect of the game is terrible. The tracks are extremely small and we have 3 to 4 variations of the same tracks, limiting the different environments to a very small number.
The driving itself lacks precision and weight, but the worse part are the items. They are totally unbalanced and have way too much impact on the race. The stun if you get hit will make you go down in place by a lot and since the races are so short you can't really recover.
At the end of the day the racing depends a lot on your luck, and that's not the way I enjoy racing games.

Finally, the multiplayer tuned exclusively toward GP mode, means that you will always play with randoms, and even if you find some people who are a good competition, you will not see them again. No point at all in the multiplayer, except to max out an unrewarding Battle Pass.

Really hard to recommend this game for anything more than 10$. The story and characters are good enough for that price.