For this review I'll mostly discuss my thoughts on the English dub as that is the only voice language in this game and the gameplay remains unchanged. To be honest I love the dub, it is cheesy at times and it's very hit or miss but I like it. Shion's voice especially I think is perfect and Allen does incredible as well, they're so fitting. KOS-MOS is also good. While there are quite a few voices I like, there's a lot I don't. I think the worst voice in this game by far is Nephilim. I understand what they were going for but it is just horrible. chaos' voice is also very off-putting in a bad way. Now that I got the dub out of the way I really like the costumes they added but I wish they added more. The game remains unchanged in every other aspect though.

What an adventure. I'm reviewing this with the original Japanese voice acting in mind as Episode I Reloaded only has English voices so I'll voice my thoughts about it there. This game is incredible, I loved it, it's my favorite Sci Fi RPG currently but it does suffer from Part 1 syndrome where everything is told to you in pieces. Personally this is a positive for me because it gives you so much room to think about the information the game does give you. In regard to the voice acting, frankly it's great. The voices do sound a little typical if you've played a Japanese games but there are some stand out performances like Jr. and Shion in some cases. Speaking of Shion what an interesting protagonist. I loved seeing her relationship with KOS-MOS and her passionate desire to view everyone as equal, she wants KOS-MOS to have a soul and she's so obviously in love with her. That being said the game didn't focus on Shion and KOS-MOS as much as I thought it would. The game is very centered around your party and all the characters in it so the attention is split between them. Speaking of characters chaos intrigues me the most, where is he from? How does he have those powers? Why isn't the first letter of his name capitalized?? Also the soundtrack, my god what an incredible soundscape. There's nothing I've ever heard that was like the last minute and a half of the Prologue track. And KOS-MOS' theme sounding so hollow with a deep sense of melancholy and despair yet still trying to reach out for something, it's probably my favorite track in the game but it's so hard to choose. I love the use of epic orchestral music like you would hear in Star Wars mixed with the ethereal chanting and religious hymns, it's incredible. The combat is also very good. The use of the turn system with the boost system allows for some really satisfying moments and the fact that you can transfer ether skills and unlock all these tech attacks is great. I really enjoyed the gameplay. This game truly was a journey, but only a part. I'm excited for what comes next.

Truly a journey. From the start I was captivated, the blinding but beautiful light, the music, the new land, I was so eager to learn and explore. Unlike the previous two expansions I knew absolutely nothing about the story but I heard so many sing their praises for it so I was excited and I was not disappointed. The ending brought me to tears, and that final fight was truly special. The way they incorporated the multiplayer aspect was genius and gave me goosebumps. It felt like a truly spectacular expansion and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead. All of the characters are brought into the limelight and given their time to shine and it's wonderful. Definitely my favorite expansion so far.

This is one of the funniest pieces of media I've ever experienced and the best part is I really can't tell if it's on purpose or not. The Clock Tower series seemed to take itself seriously and then this came out. Everything about this game is just insanity. The actual gameplay is pure jank but then the cutscenes are choreographed and animated like a professional play. Most of the time you're running away and hiding with no way to defend yourself besides holy water but suddenly sometimes you awaken to your divine magical girl powers and summon a sky rending bow to chain your enemies who are all serial killers. This is like the Scary movie of horror games and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you. Thank you. Good bye, May. Good bye Mr. Norton. Good bye. Good bye. Thank you. Good bye. Good bye.

What a truly stunning game. Everything just flows so seamlessly together with the narrative and gameplay. It's the go to example when talking about diegetic UI and for good reason, it's the only game I can think of that employs it so naturally. The game's atmosphere is so oppressive, knowing that no matter where you run to or hide you can't leave the ship, knowing you're trapped for the whole game adds so much tension. The creature design is so very obviously Resident Evil (4 mainly) inspired but it works really well for this game. The story itself is really intriguing and not knowing exactly what the necromorphs are makes each encounter unique because you never know what to expect, there's so much enemy variety. Horror games are known for their combat but this game uses it in such a unique way with the reliance on dismemberment requiring at least some level of skill. I just love sci-fi and Dead Space mixes sci-fi and horror expertly.

I think this game is severely overrated. People may think it's forgotten but I hear so many people talk about how it's secretly the best Persona game and it's so dark and this and that so I had high expectations. What I found was the worst combat in any game I've ever played, a just decent soundtrack (in a series known for it's genuinely masterful sound work), and a story that seemed a bit nonsensical. The characters were pretty well written overall but I really didn't appreciate the kind of humor they went for, things like Lisa calling Eikichi "Undie boss" and the exaggerated loony toons esque animations for the character sprites, it really undercuts a lot of the potential connect I could've had with them. The game has a few really good moments but the amount of horrid gameplay and boring unfunny cutscenes and dialogues I had to go through almost didn't make it worth it. One thing that this game does very well are those 2D cutscenes, I think they're genuinely beautiful and usually are saved for very important and emotional scenes which only add to it. I wish I liked this game more but I don't think it really comes across as all it was trying to be. I'm hoping Eternal Punishment is worth it.

This was truly a unique experience, I've never played anything like it. From the very start hearing this almost light breakcore beat with entrancing vocals while scenes are carnage, birth, and longing are shown immediately brought me in. I love games that start immediately in the action and start your journey from there giving you the opportunity to fill in the blanks yourself. One thing this game does exceptionally well is the tasteful lack of explanation for the world. You simply exist in it and follow it's rules, you have no reason to ask why. You aren't told the backstories and motivations for each character because that's something you need to gather yourself by watching them throughout the story, the game doesn't treat you like you're stupid. Of course this is all for narrative reasons but still it's nice. The story itself is very interesting and quite metaphorical as is expected with SMT or SMT adjacent games. The whole atmosphere is great, the visuals are expertly stylized with Kaneko's art and the environments are desolate when desired and intricate when needed. The music as well, my god. I heard that this was the first game where they told Shoji Meguro that he could compose whatever he'd like and honestly I believe it because the music is so raw and ethereal and driven it really feels like it came from the soul. The characters were great, I especially liked Argilla and her Atma Avatar is very interesting. Another thing that really amplifies the atmosphere and the identity of this is the significant and deep Hindu influences, there's so much to learn and explore if you dive into the religion and mythology and connect it with the game. I did find a few scenes to fall a little flat with some wonky character writing and voice acting but that doesn't detract much from the overall experience and how I viewed the characters. That ending was certainly unexpected but welcome because I can't wait to play the sequel.