783 Reviews liked by MarlBocks


"Don't say stuff like that, it's depressing"
- Sora Kingdom-Hearts (2013)

Two weeks after the day I began the game, I have finally finished Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, my most anticipated game of 2024. What I imagined would be my surefire GOTY runaway pick, with Final Fantasy VII Remake being a game I beat three times, ended up being something I couldn't even smile at in completion. The ramifications of a changing games industry on Square Enix have been plentiful, with a large creative downfall since Final Fantasy XII hit the late-stage PS2 in 2006, the series has had a handful of ups and a plethora of downs. For every Final Fantasy XVI or VII Remake, there were three FFXIII's and a Crisis Core in tow. Quantity beseeched lack of quality, and the legendary fervor the series had invoked for decades previous had largely escaped. With the aforementioned XVI and VII Remake, it seemed like Square had finally righted the ship, creating action-rpg experiences with their familiar franchise that were quality in both narrative and mechanical scope... so what happened with Rebirth? I will divulge below.

I'll start with the good, and to give credit to the Rebirth team there is quite a bit of positives about this title in its entirety. The most immediate and obvious boon to Rebirth and the legendary world of Final Fantasy VII is... the world itself. Shortly after the completion of chapter one the game opens up to a faux open world (in reality, this is open zone) that beckons Cloud and the rest of Avalanche's splinter cell to roam across it. Throughout the fourteen chapters of the game the world and environment are thrown at the player to ooh and ahh at, beautiful beyond words especially in contrast to the 1997 title. Historical moments from twenty seven years ago are brought into HD in a manner that not even I could imagine, with my mouth agape at so many of the backdrops and cities recreated within Rebirth. Familiar places (of which I shall not divulge in respect to spoilers) blew me away. For a game that was developed effectively in four years, it is almost impossible to believe how hard the team led by Naoki Hamaguchi must have worked to not only create, but faithfully bring back to life, a world that was rich back then into the modern gamescape. As I motioned throughout Cloud's journey and came across familiar sites, my brain superimposed the 1997 titles' pre-rendered backgrounds and polygonal Cloud in front of me. There's a significantly delicate line that had to be walked across to be faithful to what was originally imagined and entered into the annals of media history by Yoshinori Kitase while also putting together an engrossing and interactive world for the zeitgeist of pop culture, and yet they found success. Colors pop, the world is filled to the brim with flora, fauna and perfected asset-placement to make it feel lived in. Each biome/locale is visibly different from the rest, granting a linear benchmark for players to cite where the memorable moments of their journey lie and how far they've come... it's impressive and one of the better done worlds that I've experienced in recent memory.

Character writing remains another highlight that carried over from Remake, with some of the original titles' most heart-gripping and serious moments taking place in Rebirth. The nice thing about having a thirty plus hour experience and the events that took place after Cloud joined the squad in Midgar is that the party is very familiar with one another. Barrett takes a more mature role, often playing the voice of reason to Cloud's ever-growing disillusionment. Aerith and Tifa become best buds gushing over the blonde bombshell's buster sword skills, while also careful of his Sephiroth-borne fragility. Red becomes a trusted confidant, friend, and much more than the lab-rat you find him as in the tail-end of Remake. Couple these in with new crew additions like Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, and Cait and you've got a colorful crew (mostly) ready to save the day. They all play off each other well too, keeping the focus on the effectively apocalyptic nature of the world they're in but not allowing the fear and anxiety to overwhelm them, often quipping with one another on their route with jokes and aimed gags. The lightheartedness of the in between moments in Rebirth gave this game legs that are very hard to convey without voice acting and simply as text upon a screen. Aerith, Red, Cloud, and even asinine characters like Cait are legitimately funny throughout this title. My only real gripe about the character writing is that Yuffie, a completely optional character in the Original FFVII talks WAY too much about Materia and how EVERYTHING has to be excused for her involvement because it could result in a cool-hip new materia for Wutai. That got old real quick, but thankfully tapered off in the game's final few chapters. There were a few moments where the tear ducts wanted to rev up, all moments that originated in 1997 but didn't come to emotional fruition until 2024. Moments like these drive home how special this remake series is, not only to FFVII itself but also for the history of gaming at large. The ability the Rebirth team has to bring these special scenes to life is going to do a lot for people who have grown up knowing Cloud and the gang for as long as they've been around.

Per usual I won't speak on the greater narrative at hand, but I do strongly believe it does a great job in not just remaining faithful to the original vision developed by Kitase, but expounding on the landmark moments as well. As I touched on in the previous paragraph, the VA work and modified writing a great job on their own, but the longform dedicated cutscenery is the right hook to the emotional network of Rebirth. You can tell this game was expensive to develop for a lot of reasons, but for the sake of this point its most evident in the advanced effort put into the CGI. I was yet again pausing ad nauseum taking screencaps of characters faces, beautiful backdrops, summons, cool moves, and epic fights. Because everything looks so damn good, it makes the moments that were so narratively impressive in the first title even more so in Rebirth. Character deaths, story arcs (Red's and Barrett's in particular) are tear-jerk extravaganza's because of the visual sheen that everything has.

Other miscellaneous congratulations to this game are in order for having an actual enjoyable card game (the first since Triple Triad in FFVIII) in Queen's Blood, and for also having one of the best introductory chapters in any title that I’ve ever played. To echo the former, I didn't realize how cavernous the minigame content would get within Rebirth, but Queen's Blood kept going, and it felt better and generally more fun with the more cards I got. I found myself restarting matches less and thinking more creatively against advanced opponents, it was cool!

Unfortunately that is where the good within Final Fantasy VII Rebirth generally stops for me, in the Final Fantasy VII of it all. The moments they re-created and breathed new life into were f** awesome, but what the team added and engulfed the title into was largely fluff work that waned my enjoyment of Rebirth greatly.

There's a real power in having a concise game, in a linear narrative or a controlled game that beckons the player to complete it in a structured manner. Now if you've read my reviews thus far this may seem like it combats my affinity for player agency, but it really doesn't. The best games are once that allow players to meld their playstyle to a journey that doesn't waste their time or ask them to embark upon completion of side content that exists without point. My favorite Final Fantasy titles are FFX, FFXVI, and FFVII Remake... some of the more "linear" titles that the series has to offer (XIII was not good, I choose to forget about it.) These three games push the player through loss, intense conflict, entire character arcs, and changed worlds without forcing the player into sidequest hell. This is where Rebirth falters so greatly that I could hardly believe what I was dealing with, even so much to think I was being pranked early into chapter two of fourteen. I rolled my eyes so hard that they almost fell out of their socket when nobody's favorite AI Chadley mentioned the "TOWERS" that Cloud would have to find across each region to map out the other sidequest chains. You go to a tower, of which there were probably six to eight for each of the game's major regions, and these towers would shine light on the location of special fights, lore spots that decreased the power of the area's summon, protorelic locations that involve a major sidequest line with a secret boss, and scavenging hunt locations. All of these suck by the way, none of them were enjoyable.

The Ubisoft-ification of the industry at large plagues open world titles, forgoing the legitimate interest these massive lived out zones can have in favor of map markers that are nothing more than things to complete. You backtrack, climb, hide, slide, and glide all over Final Fantasy VII Rebirth just to tick a checkmark and get on with your marry way. Where XVI and VII Remake succeed is that the only side content that involved, are sidequests of which there aren't really that many. People had a qualm with the volume of XVI's side quests, but Rebirth's feels as if it were tripled, especially with the length that these have. It was fun to become engrossed with the populous of these new locales and fulfill their requests as you do in Remake, however the vast majority of these end with you fighting some big bad monster at the end to right all of their wrongs. This got old REAL quick, as you enter a new area ready to become engrossed in the legendary narrative and beautiful world just to be met with a litany of orange "GO HERE FOR TOWERS" and green "MONOTONOUS SIDEQUEST" notices with a full on checklist to work through as soon as you arrive. My major qualm here is that there's a legitimate power into letting players breath and become involved in the world that has been meticulously laid before them. When I get to [insert location] I want to be wowed by the overwhelming forest and beautiful greens and blues that bring it to life. I want to meet the characters that will guide Cloud along his journey and the troubles that are soon to follow before I'm beckoned to engage with recycled mechanical content that feels more like a chore than a game. I wouldn't've had as much of an issue with this if it was lower in volume or didn't persist for as long as it did... but for ten of the games first twelve chapters (2-11,) I was doing a thousand yard stare as I powered through tower after tower and fought fiend after fiend to quell whatever concern villager after villager had. I became tired, and that's something that let me down more than anything else with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

And while I'm complaining about the Ubisoft plague on Square Enix' household, can we talk about those Moogles? like... what is this? Why is this? Who is this? Remember that one story of the Composer for the Resident Evil Dualshock edition who gave us the butt trumpets because he convinced everyone at Capcom that he was deaf, but he actually wasn't and had absolutely no idea how to compose video game music? Do we have a certain situation with the design of the moogle here? Moogles by the way were another genuinely awful minigame mechanic within Rebirth, forcing you to round up five or so moogles into a round pen while they throw a cacophony of mysterious attacks at you. Cloud does this inside of a moogle chief's mushroom house while nightmare fueling music plays. The hero of a resoundingly serious narrative in which the fate of the world as we know it and the entire population within is on the line, is running in circles pushing these Lovecraftian creatures together so he can buy some... books? It sucks and it isn't even the worst of the side content that you as the player are asked to complete because it holds rewards that make you and your party stronger.

The other is the completion of the protorelic questline, rewarding you with the ability to transmute top of the line gear and a summon that is stronger than most of the ones you'll receive. None of these protorelic questlines are fun, and there's one again for each major region that Cloud finds himself in. Four times the player in these areas will be asked to engage with a certain minigame to get closer to retrieving a protorelic. In the first area this is Queen's Blood which is... doable. In the second it's Fort Condor, raise your hand if you had ANY fun playing Fort Condor in the 1997 title or in the Intermission content for Remake. See? I don't even need to know who you are, what you look like, or where you are to know that ZERO people in the world are raising their hand. With Fort Condussy in mind, another region asks Cloud to learn how to play Battle Bots to obtain this gear... for what reason? Couldn't tell you! Is it thematically relevant to the narrative or world at hand? No! Is it fun at all? No! Does it make you, the player, feel like you've used your time accordingly? Absolutely not! But hey, there's useful gear hidden behind this questline so you better do it! The worst offender doesn't materialize until the last chapter of the game in which you are asked to play "Cactuar Crush" with a goblin named Kid G. Do yourself a favor right now, if you don't care about a minor sidequest spoiler, and look at what Kid G from Rebirth looks like. You'll want to wish you never read that sentence. Cactuar Crush is a minigame in which you have to kill a certain amount of nobody's favorite Final Fantasy recurring Cacti in a restricted time span. The kicker is that these cactuar have varying resistances that force the player to switch up their strategy to combo and kill. In theory this sounds like an engaging minigame to take part in, perhaps getting creative with movesets and attack combos. In reality though you're using Yuffie and Aerith to frantically take out these repulsively loud enemies in an awfully short period of time, stressed to hit a score that is definitely too high for the amount of time given and the ease it is to be docked points when you're hit. Add the awfully repulsive volume and frequency in which these cactuar make noise and you'll wish it was never a part of the game. That's my take on sidequest and tertiary content of FFVII Rebirth. You could offer the rebuttal to the above of "just don't do it," but there's unfortunately a sizable amount of useful material, gear, and experience stowed away within.

Not far removed from the amount of fights that these minigames and secondary content throws you into is my qualm with the combat and weapon upgrading at large within Rebirth. Final Fantasy VII Remake largely got it right, with fights that could be repetitive but it was pretty well split between humanoid enemies within Shinra and fiends that were found within the world. Bossfights weren't recycled for the most part, and they weren't perfect, but they were doable and outside of the Rufus fight... pretty easy to get through on your first go. Rebirth flips that one on its head and says "how about we bring a lot of those boss fights back, make you fight the same people two, three, maybe four times, and make the combat harder just because." Too many times to count was I getting hit by room-wide AOE's that I had to pre-plan for, of which could wipe my party to zero. Too many times were Barrett and Aerith being targeted by moves that they legitimately could not dodge out of because their i-frames don't exist and their rolls take them three feet one way. You'll get hit by everything and it'll hurt. Now I beat Remake three times, zero of those on hard, but I never felt that the game was too difficult. I didn't per se with Rebirth either, but every boss fight took WAY too long. Enemies felt like sponges and the stagger/pressure conditions on most of these boss encounters were infuriating. Add that into a reused offering of the special foes you fight, the frequency of which you do so, and many of these fights having pause points where you can't do damage because the boss needs to get a voice line/cutscene/move in, and you have an exhausting endeavor. That's my major gripe with this title, it's exhausting in all the wrong ways. I don't have an inherent issue with long games, pointing at Red Dead Redemption 2 and Persona's 4 and 5 for example. What these games do is give you ample moments to rest between monotonous moments of grind or boss-fighting. Rebirth throws it at you for effectively the entire ninety some hour runtime. Fights are long, against bosses and world enemies alike, and you never really feel... strong, an issue which may sound doltish to complain about but damnit after spending the entire first game being a badass SOLDIER with a crew of badasses, I want to feel like a badass! There was never a point in which I felt like I was amply handling world or story enemies with ease, despite being appropriately leveled. Sometimes you do just want to gun down a room of Shinra soldiers and get on with it, you don't always need to hit Yeoman First Class-Kun with forty buster sword hits to fell him. Simply, I felt like you as a powerful character who is tasked with destroying one of gaming's most sinister villains never actually feel as strong as you should and it removes some of the buy-in I had to the narrative pacing of Rebirth.

Another element to this game that made the character power of this game feel off was the way character levelling is done. Gone is the "yeah that makes sense" of Remake in favor of an obfuscated sphere grid that puts emphasis on party synergy over physically endorsing the strength/power of each character. I get that the larger cast makes this make more sense as an approach to take, but man does it just... not feel good. Remake's Intermission episode that came out with the Intergrade release forecasted the inevitability of Rebirth putting an emphasis on team-based combat, so I knew this was coming, but I think Rebirth goes about it the wrong way. Instead of letting you choose between stronger individuality and a cohesive team approach to combat, you're effectively forced into the latter. Even then though, it's just giving your party members more capabilities to synergize with each other and execute maneuvers with more and more members of your team. Once more, I understand why they did this but I think it throws the heroic power that the narrative beckons for into the gutter in favour of a misaligned execution of party mechanics.

Add these issues in with other slight complaints like the Kingdom-Heartsification of how FAST enemies move around the arena, and also an entire chapter where you play as Cait Sith for too long (longer than one minute) and you have a title I wish I liked a lot more than I did. It pains me to say, with how much I anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth that the Final Fantasy VII parts were largely the only things I enjoyed about this game. I had this marked on my calendar for months, avoiding any demo content, and trailers, any State of Play material, because I enjoyed Remake so much. Due to the effects of Ubisoft on the industry, there’s too much content, most of which I found to be lacking of any real sort of enjoyment. I thought Rebirth would continue to put an effortless cherry on top of the dessert that was the original Final Fantasy VII. Instead they created a new dish and man, I wouldn't order it again. It seems the public at large enjoy it and critical reception of Rebirth is high, but I don't know if I could recommend it to anyone.


Among Persona fans, there are those who proclaim Persona 2 as the pinnacle of the series, and you know what? I totally get them now.

After having played both P1 and the first part of the P2 duology, I can't help but appreciate the differences between the old games and P3 to 5. Honestly, I'm glad P1 and 2 are not all like P3 to 5 because I don't think I'd have enjoyed them as much.

P2's gameplay is a major step up from its predecessor. It's pretty much the standard JRPG experience, and it can be a bit tedious at times, but just like in P1, it was worth trudging through. That being said, the encounter rate is still shit. It's not as torturous as in P1, but it's still annoying.

But let's talk about what really shines here—the story and characters. Man, the plot is just so darn intriguing and good. It's got its dark, heavy moments, but then it throws in these bursts of humor and wackiness that really keep things lively. And I think they did a pretty good job at balancing the humor and seriousness, which enriches the overall experience and leaves a lasting impression. The cast is also great. Each member of the main cast is carefully designed, with their interactions filled with chemistry and undergoing significant development as the journey unfolds. I really enjoyed my time with them. However, after P1, the soundtrack here takes a noticeable dive. While there are a few standout tracks, the overall soundtrack is kinda forgettable, which is a shame.

P2 Innocent Sin might have some outdated and average gameplay, but it's got one of the best stories and characters Atlus has ever cooked up for a Persona game. Finishing it has only got me more hyped for Eternal Punishment, especially because I get to see more of Maya and meet even more grown-up characters, who are the main cast this time around. An adult cast in Persona? Yeah, it's really old-school, huh?


I know P1 is not exactly the poster child of the series, especially with its outdated gameplay mechanics and that nightmarish encounter rate that feels like it's out to get you. But there's still something special about this game that often gets overlooked.

First off, let's address the absolute worst aspect of the game: the encounter rate. God, whoever thought it was a good idea must have had a sadistic streak. But once you get past that initial frustration and manage to keep your sanity in check, there's a lot to love here.

The vibe and atmosphere of P1 are immaculate with its gritty urban setting and eerie supernatural elements. It's a far cry from the flashy, modern aesthetics of later entries, but that's really part of its charm and just hits all the right spots for me. The main characters in the game are excellent. There may not be much in the way of more drawn-out interactions, but the characters in the context of the plot are awesome and their dialogue in the overworld gives a lot of extra nice bits of characterization. It's also refreshing to play a Persona game without the overly bloated and drawn-out plotlines that can bog down the newer titles. P1 knows what themes it's going for and does what it sets out to do, and for that alone, I really liked it.

The soundtrack of the PSP version is honestly great. I know a lot of people say that the original PS1 version is better but I have to disagree as I've found myself listening to certain PSP songs on repeat a lot. I feel certain ones are among the best in the series as a whole. A lone prayer is a bop.

Now, P1 definitely isn't without its flaws. The encounter rate alone drove me insane and almost made me quit right at the beginning, and the dated gameplay is definitely frustrating at times, but it was still worth trudging through.

As someone who is really tired of the "modern" and overused anime tropes, as well as the sometimes regressive writing in certain aspects that are present in newer titles, I think P1 was a breath of fresh air and has made me excited to try the P2 Duology.

Story overall is kinda meh but everything else is honestly so well done . Boss fights and combat are very solid where it keeps you engaged and constantly paying attention rather than just mashing one button. There are so many characters and they play different enough to where i was just swapping them out every mission just to see how they feel like. It has so many EPIC moments where you go "ok that was cool asf" during all all the boss fights. Also ferry is in it.

This review contains spoilers

This is Adachi's best appearance and it's not even close. I actually love this character now holy shit

Old Game Review:

After reading the books I decided to play this. As a fan of the books it was cool to see all the references and I thought the story was pretty good. Unfortunately, the gameplay was a little rough, so I'm excited for the remake.

Persona 5 Tactics is another spin-off game that allows us to control the Phantom Thieves. As the title suggests, it's not a turn-based RPG like Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal; instead, it's a tactical game similar to XCOM.

I really enjoy tactical games, but I must say that Persona 5 Tactics is the easiest game in this genre. There are almost no consequences for your wrong actions on the field. The main story consists of easy stages, and you only face some challenges when playing the side quests.

Talking about the story is challenging for me. As someone who loves the Persona 5 story, I can say that this spin-off falls far behind in this aspect. However, when compared to other games, it's still interesting. The best part, for sure, is the characters who remain super charismatic. At some point, I felt the game was unnecessarily huge.

To understand the story, you have to play Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal first. Otherwise, you won't grasp a significant part of the game and won't have the connections with these characters, who are the heart of this franchise.

The art initially made me feel like it took a step back. After a few hours, I started to enjoy it.

Persona 5 Tactics is a game destined for fans of Persona 5 and the Phantom Thieves. I don't recommend it if you've never played the main title before or if you don't want to spend more time with these characters. The gameplay is okay, but there are better tactical games out there.

It took me a while to really get into Xenoblade, but once I did it became one of my best video game experiences of all time. The combat is unlike anything I've played before; it took me a while to get used to but in the end, I was in love with it. I mained Shulk for the majority of my playthrough and was able to master his moves before switching to Melia in the late game whose combat was trickier to learn but felt very rewarding once I figured it out. Chain attacks were so fun; my usual party for half the game consisted of Shulk, Reyn and Sharla, and I got into such a good flow with these characters when performing chain attacks which felt so satisfying, especially with the score and their voice lines building up the hype in the background.

Some of the boss fights were extremely difficult and required going back and levelling up a lot, which was often achievable through completing side quests from across Bionis. For the most part, the side quests provide small new stories with the people of Bionis who reward you upon completing tasks for them which were quite enjoyable, but there were a lot of filler side quests which followed the formula of 'kill these monsters' or 'find these items' which were not only repetitive and boring, but were often extremely unrewarding. The only time where I found this to be an issue when trying to level up was at the very end of the story, a lot of the side quests unlocked at this point are very late-game stuff which I couldn't complete due to simply being too low a level. This is the only point in the game where I couldn't rely on side quests to help me level up and had to go out of my way to grind experience through fighting monsters, which wasn't very fun, but I took it as an opportunity to try out different characters and party combinations after maining Shulk for most of the game.

Each character has such defining characteristics with so much charm, especially the likes of Reyn and Melia who stood out to me the most throughout the story, alongside other characters you won't meet until late-game. Everyone's gameplay differs drastically, allowing for infinite party combinations to tackle different types of enemies in different areas. The AI isn't always perfect, for example, Sharla won't always heal the party when it's crucial, but the warning feature makes up for this after Shulk sees a vision so you can command your party members to perform specific actions at the cost of a party gauge bar which saved my life a million times.

The story overall is just outstanding. I've never played anything like it. The amount of twists and turns it takes you on, it's a rollercoaster. Learning about the world and the war between Homs and Mechon throughout the story is so cool, details like being able to see Mechonis in the distance in certain areas of Bionis add so much character to the story and the world, it blew me away.

After 75 hours logged on Xenoblade, it's become one of my favourite games of all time and I can't wait to continue my journey in the rest of the series. I recommend this game to everyone for the story alone, it's a must-play.

I'm so glad that after all the years of waiting, the game ended up being great. In terms of JRPGs, Relink was honestly a refreshing experience. The game easily distinguishes itself from others in the genre, setting a new precedent in terms of polish, gameplay, aesthetics, and overall fluidity.

Every time I've played the original gacha game years ago, or any other gacha game for that matter, I've always imagined what it would be like if they were fully realized console games without the grindy and annoying f2p mechanics. And man, Relink is the answer to all these imaginations. If anything, Relink affirmed me in my belief that gachas will always be wasted potentials. Because look at what we could get instead! I'm also thankful that Djeeta is in the game. A game that lets me choose the gender of the protagonist will automatically always be a better game. ̶T̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶A̶t̶l̶u̶s̶

This review contains spoilers

I have never cried this much at anything ever. This game is just beautiful man.

I found myself avoiding finishing the game near the end and I just knew what would happen and I couldn't avoid it all the same. The bonds you make, good and bad, just really got me fucking ugly crying. These people are here for you and you're here for them. I cried talking to nearly every single one of them. I've never felt like this before, but it was such a great experience.

This game really speaks to me and I'm so glad I got to be here for it. I want to be there for my friends, family, and loved ones. Tell them you love them. I'm crying again just thinking about it. Thank you.

Persona 3 FES is my favorite game of all time. It's the oldest of the modern three, but it always meant so much to me. The game has objective problems such as a singular, repeating dungeon and no party control, and while I unapologetically like these "issues", the game delivers the most profound story I've ever seen. This shouldn't be a review of the original PS2 game, as much as I could talk about that, but the remake that I've been wanting for so long.

I think it's easy to misinterpret persona 3 as a game about death, however it's themes rely upon the natural beauty of life, the hardships of it, how life is extremely fragile, brief and finite, yet it's still worth living. Persona 3 shines in its characters and their flaws, more than anything. The main cast includes a robot struggling to understand humanity, a dog looking for somewhere to reside, a traumatized elementary student, unable to seek revenge or sympathy. To see each characters faults, and their understandings of each other throughout the story creates a much more natural progression than most jrpg party systems. Life is unfair, but it's still beautiful.

Persona 3 Reload improves upon many of the originals faults, while including more modern systems into its mechanics. Full party control, as well as mechanics from newer titles, ultimate attacks, etc, really make climbing Tartarus much more fun. Tartarus itself has also gone through a massive rehaul. Repeating floors are improved by interactable objects, optional areas, randomized floors, and unique designs. Reload is much easier than the original, however, even on harder difficulties.

The calender system of Persona 3 feels so much more natural after replaying this story that I realized it just retroactively ended up becoming a series staple, yet it fits the goal of this one in particular much better. There is always an endgame in sight, there is always a reason to keep going, and time never waits.

The new music arrangements are very good as well, and while I can nitpick and prefer some minor details of the original, Reload captures the essence of dread so well. The lighting and attention to detail looks so good here, and the team passionately and faithfully retained the original vision. Reload also introduces an entirely new voice cast. Minor details such as Aigis sounding more "human" as her story progresses is still maintainted, and most of the original 2005 cast reprise their roles as smaller characters, feeling bittersweet, as well as a nice passing of the torch.

Persona 3 Reload deserves the highest possible score I could give a game. I don't believe theres a story as emotionally impactful to me as this one. In life, we are born to live, to cry, to feel pain, to laugh. The journey of this game is one I will always cherish, and one I'll keep close.

It's been a long road for me to get her from Yakuza 0, and it was worth every minute.
Starting with some non spoiler story thoughts:
I really, really love the story to this game, yes its short and theres some busywork but honestly I really don't mind that, its a love letter to the character of Kiryu. The Finale is one of the best in the entire series.

Side content:
The side content in this was fun! The coliseum bouts were interesting enough but honestly I'm just happy there was a robust and fun pocket circuit! The substories/requests are a bit weak this time but I suppose a lot of that is due to the constraints of the story, there are still a few interesting ones though. The Amon this time felt perfectly balanced which is extremely rare for this series, he was challenging but fair.

I don't really want to say too much, if you are a fan of the series you must experience this chapter of the story, excited to see where things go in Infinite Wealth!

Tento sempre desafiar internamente a noção de que jogos “envelhecem mal” - muitas das minhas experiências favoritas estão em jogos mais antigos até do que a minha infância, em tempos em que videogames de alto orçamento eram uma coisa muito mais arriscada e experimental do que as produções gigantescas - e, obrigatoriamente, financeiramente e artisticamente seguras - que temos hoje em dia. Chrono Trigger me intrigava porque era o contrário: um jogo mais velho do que eu, com a fama de não ter envelhecido um dia. E disso não posso discordar - consigo ver como ele foi monumental e revolucionário em basicamente todos os pilares dos RPGs modernos: ambiciosa e detalhista narrativa que se ramifica em vários galhos; um sistema de combate tão liso em sua execução que flui melhor do que muitas iterações atuais de JRPGs; um valor de produção monumental com ilustrações, músicas e gráficos icônicos e um punhado de conteúdo opcional bem escondido para quem tiver o afinco de procurar.

Porém, nada disso importa para mim se o que o jogo me apresenta não me cativa. Sinto que em sua aventura pelos globos e tempos o jogo não se dá tempo de respirar: cada personagem tem pouquíssimo tempo e conectividade com o grupo para brilhar, sempre uma nova batalha ou dungeon épica esperando o próximo momento de um trem-bala narrativo, e com o pouco tempo que tem, entregam menos ainda - o diálogo é constantemente insosso, punhadinho de tropes e frases de efeito que entram num ouvido e saem no outro, uma fachada de caráter moldado, mas não preenchida. Porque me importaria com Chrono, Marle e Lucca? Ainda mais: porque me importaria com a amizade do grupo, se sequer os vejo interagindo, se sequer entendo quem são como individuos? Nunca acreditei na amizade deles, porque o jogo não dá razão para o mesmo. Não sinto a dor deles, pois o próprio jogo não deixa com que sua aventura seja respirada e sentido: em um momento perto do final, uma das personagens descobre que sua mãe morreu tragicamente durante sua ausência; a reação dela pode ser resumida em um “oh não!”, e, se o jogador não quiser comprar um bifinho para começar a sidequest, não se fala mais nisso - o fato do jogo insistir que a personagem mais sem graça (Marle) é a companheira mais importante também é outro ponto que me deixou lelé. Até mesmo um dos pontos em que a história sim se dá o espaço para crescer, na morte de Crono, ela a faz de forma absolutamente bizarra: os stakes emocionais do retorno de Crono são totalmente minados pela quest bizarra que envolve ganhar um boneco aleatório na feira para ressuscitá-lo. Uma trilha sonora com algumas faixas melancólicas muito bonitas não conseguiu me fazer importar nem nos climaxes do jogo, ainda que o espetáculo do final (de Lavos até o adeus de Robo) tenha sido sim um dos pontos mais fortes.

Continuar descascando o jogo seria um exercício fútil diante da conclusão: eu não senti do que Chrono Trigger se trata, e não acho que o jogo fez um trabalho minimamente bom em me envolver. É uma aventura estilo sessão da tarde sobre derrotar o mal? É uma mensagem sobre a futilidade da vida e o passar do tempo, e como devemos aproveitar o que temos diante dessa inexorabilidade, assim como Robo indica no final? Não acho que o jogo tem que ser uma MENSAGEM para ser uma obra de arte que aprecio. O que espero é uma voz artística que ressoa, que me faça entender o que as pessoas por trás da criação de Chrono Trigger estavam sentindo ao fazê-lo, e o que queriam compartilhar comigo deste trabalho monumental que é produzir um jogo. Negar que há paixão no jogo seria um absurdo, e um desrespeito com o trabalho dos desenvolvedores. A triste revelação é que o jogo não me cativou. Respeito o seu legado monumental, e me dei toda chance o possível para tirar alguma pepita da alegria e emoção aqui contidos que tanto toca a quem joga; infelizmente saio de mãos abanando.

So far first impressions but I can't think of a single thing wrong with the game so far.

Movement and combat is some of the best in series. Hard mode is challenging but manageable (I have beaten smt 3 on hard so maybe I'm just built different.) The UI is incredible but you've seen 50 million reposts of it on Twitter.

A lot was added to the story and dorm life to flesh out the story and they knocked it out of the park. I felt more connected and interested in the characters this time.

If the game can stick the landing this will be the best persona game.

I don't have much to say that's new about this game or the original, this is a remake that lives up to the original- and even surpasses it. Something I was hopeful for yet didn't quite expect with how most remakes turn out.

The team that made this clearly holds love for the original and took tons of care to preserve its essence in as many ways possible. While it does miss some of the ludo-narrative poignance of the original and certain charms or scenes the original had, it makes up for it fully in reimagining Persona 3 in such a fresh, vivid and more satisfying manner by delving deeper into characters they couldn't do the same for in the original.

My few gripes are with the audiovisual aspects, I like the OST a lot but it's certainly not as iconic as the original which is fine but in certain songs it's a little too off. And for the visuals, on most fronts this is one of the prettiest games I've ever played yet the lighting can be completely out of sync in certain areas. Besides the things I've mentioned, this game is essentially perfect.

Now for a little personal footnote, this game came into my life when I started questioning the meaning of life and why I was alive at a very tender time of my pre-teen years, still unaware of how to deal with a loss. Back then, this game was a guiding light to me, it helped me sit with my fear of death despite how much it posessed me. Death is something I fear even to this day, this moment. But unlike 10 years ago, this time I know the meaning of my life is mine and the people I surround myself by to find. It's alright if I can't find it as long as I'm alive, my life already means something to the people that love me.

And that's fine enough, no matter when or how I pass. This realization only came to me then due to this game and today it comes back into my life in a further fully realized manner to pat me on my back and remind me of the same, to keep walking on and adore the burning glimmer and brilliance in life even if it means enduring all the suffering I have to face or that it'll all come to an end.

And as the game says, "Nothing's a waste...my life will have meaning."