Lunacid is really really good if you're into the kind of game that's more an exercise in ambience and exploration than it is a game about action combat or difficulty. Which is to say, I think this game is maybe too easy, some of the spells especially are broken strong. That being said, I don't think that really detracts from what Lunacid does very well. This game is shockingly restrained. Through much of the early game I kept expecting to encounter a big boss or extremely scary threatening enemy, but it never really came, and honestly I very much think that's for the best. Running around with your arsenal of weapons and spells is a pretty good time and the world feels extremely good. I do think that some of the vibes fall off in the later game, especially as you get strong, but the way the maps weave in themselves and connect to each creates this perfect maze that feels both easy to get lost in and easy to visualize. There are also of course an absolute plethora of secrets. This game is very much designed for people who love searching for secrets and puzzles. There are times where I think the game could be a liiiiittle more giving with it's hints, but it's down to taste really.

Definitely a strong recommend from me.

Happy to report that 25 years later this game is still good! I've never been the biggest fan of random encounters, and this game was not able to turn me around on that, but mechanically the game still feels pretty good to play. Obviously theres some cruft like the UI in and out of combat can be janky. I could list all of the specific jank, but I won't. None of it was bad enough to ruin my time with this game. It's obvious in a lot of ways where this game could be improved, but what it is still shines very brightly.

People weren't kidding about how little time you spend in Midgar though, it's really only like 4 hours. FF7 develops this complex city and then just goes "okay we're done." It feels almost like a complete waste, and yet it lends this almost ethereal quality to the rest of the game. It's difficult to describe, but it's very enthralling. I played Remake in 2020 before I played this in prepartion for Rebirth and it makes me feel like I've learned some secret from a longtime friend that makes me wonder if I ever actually knew them at all. At this point the Aerith stuff is no secret, but I was suprised by just how much stuff I didn't know about.

Long story short I'm really really glad I took the time to play this and I think it's worth checking out still in 2024.