This review contains spoilers
This game is a little too long, has a generic story, and the main two characters lack any depth. And yet, despite its flaws... it is wholeheartedly charming, it is fun, and it is visually breathtaking.
What this game does exceedingly well is its visual direction. Oh god, this game was stunning to look at. It boasts some of the best design and aesthetics of this style of game that I have ever seen. There is so much fantastic world-building baked into the design like the statues that just chuck you around for fast travel, the different species and cultures you encounter, and just cool things like a gigantic sleeping dragon wrapped around a mountain civilization. The character designs were also rad, especially Captain Kle'shae and her pirate crew. I also love nautical settings, so I give this brownie points for that as well. The music was exceptional, though they used the same tracks for much of the game; they could've had a bit more variety.
The two main characters, Zale and Valere, are unfortunately giant nothing-burgers. They are so generic and lack any semblance of a personality. Thankfully the side characters have a more to offer. Seraï was by far the coolest character in the game; I was crushing pretty hard on her. My boy Garl had the cheesiest lines in the whole game, like when he stood an ancient primordial evil in the face and called him a loser, but homeboy is my ride or die. The Archivist, Resh'an, had a cool design, but was also victim to convoluted and confusing writing. B'st didn't get much time with the gang, but I enjoyed his inclusion. I didn't use him much in combat but I liked how his body transformed into different shapes to accommodate whatever platforming the characters were doing. The villains were also unmemorable, and I felt like character motivations in general were pretty weak. Erlin and Brugaves betrayal didn't feel very believable. The fact that Moraine just decided to quit was weird. I still had a hard time understanding the relationship between Resh'an and Arephual.
I was enjoying the gameplay. I had a lot of fun with the Wheels minigame and was surprised by how much I got into it. The platforming wasn't a challenge but was satisfying considering it's top-down POV. The combat was also fun, though you unlock all of the abilities about halfway through and it doesn't evolve much from there.
I wish there was more side-content. There was some side quests at the end of the game, but I would've liked more sprinkled in throughout. If they trimmed the story a bit and instead used that time to develop more side quests with maybe a quest journal I think it would've been better for it.
Overall, I enjoyed this game in the same way I enjoy something like Kingdom Hearts; by forgiving some its cheesy dialogue, questionable character motivations, and unexplained plot points and instead accepting those as part of the charm of the game. There was good and bad, but overall I think the positives outweigh the negatives and lend to a very good game!
79/100
What this game does exceedingly well is its visual direction. Oh god, this game was stunning to look at. It boasts some of the best design and aesthetics of this style of game that I have ever seen. There is so much fantastic world-building baked into the design like the statues that just chuck you around for fast travel, the different species and cultures you encounter, and just cool things like a gigantic sleeping dragon wrapped around a mountain civilization. The character designs were also rad, especially Captain Kle'shae and her pirate crew. I also love nautical settings, so I give this brownie points for that as well. The music was exceptional, though they used the same tracks for much of the game; they could've had a bit more variety.
The two main characters, Zale and Valere, are unfortunately giant nothing-burgers. They are so generic and lack any semblance of a personality. Thankfully the side characters have a more to offer. Seraï was by far the coolest character in the game; I was crushing pretty hard on her. My boy Garl had the cheesiest lines in the whole game, like when he stood an ancient primordial evil in the face and called him a loser, but homeboy is my ride or die. The Archivist, Resh'an, had a cool design, but was also victim to convoluted and confusing writing. B'st didn't get much time with the gang, but I enjoyed his inclusion. I didn't use him much in combat but I liked how his body transformed into different shapes to accommodate whatever platforming the characters were doing. The villains were also unmemorable, and I felt like character motivations in general were pretty weak. Erlin and Brugaves betrayal didn't feel very believable. The fact that Moraine just decided to quit was weird. I still had a hard time understanding the relationship between Resh'an and Arephual.
I was enjoying the gameplay. I had a lot of fun with the Wheels minigame and was surprised by how much I got into it. The platforming wasn't a challenge but was satisfying considering it's top-down POV. The combat was also fun, though you unlock all of the abilities about halfway through and it doesn't evolve much from there.
I wish there was more side-content. There was some side quests at the end of the game, but I would've liked more sprinkled in throughout. If they trimmed the story a bit and instead used that time to develop more side quests with maybe a quest journal I think it would've been better for it.
Overall, I enjoyed this game in the same way I enjoy something like Kingdom Hearts; by forgiving some its cheesy dialogue, questionable character motivations, and unexplained plot points and instead accepting those as part of the charm of the game. There was good and bad, but overall I think the positives outweigh the negatives and lend to a very good game!
79/100