This is not a review, but more of an advice for those who play this game on PC:

Please, manually create backup of your save files after each play session.

I lost my progress three times in a week and this issue seems to be getting worse with each patch they release. There are some mods out there that create backups of your files, but I cannot advocate for them. I don't really know if Capcom is gonna address this issue soon so start doing it right away before it's too late.



I strongly recommend the reading of the links below in case this happens to you.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2846925471

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J92IWL_KhOc

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2743342837

There is no doubt, it is an improvement over the original title. The extra content and the visual and combat improvements make this the definitive way to experience the title. It is a more responsive and enjoyable game to play. On the other hand, the core of the game has not been changed and this has resulted in a series of questionable decisions from the PS3 era being carried over to this edition.

The combat disappoints by sinning through the form of variation. Games of the same genre usually offer different combo variants that depend on the mix of weak attacks with strong attacks that bring new possibilities to clean the screen of enemies. Nier offers a very limited range of options in this regard, having only ONE variant. No matter when the player mixes his weak and strong attacks, the result will always be the same. However, here is a compliment: the mix of genres characteristic of Yoko Taro breaks a lot of the eventual bummer and renews things here and there.

In the second part of the game, options open up with the introduction of the weapon exchange system. Each weapon has a purpose in battle and brings a unique moveset, but still presents only one variation option. Grimoire Weiss as a mechanic adds decision making and is visually stimulating. There are a lot of magic options for different situations that can complement your choice of weapon or reduce your disadvantages.

The range of normal enemies is very low and offers little substantial difference between them. There are those who are resistant to magic, there are battleships, small and more agile and so on. In general they are very basic, but from time to time the game plays with its perspective of the camera by changing the angle of the battles, a very welcome trick that gives new air to the fights without substantially altering the combat.

Boss battle - on the other hand - brings the difference to the table. Each fight is supported by a big emotional factor - conferred by the cutscenes - and has its own core of ideas that define its gameplay. I listed the main ones below according to my perception just to illustrate the point, avoiding boss-spoilers:

Hensel and Gretel are double combat with a focus on physical attacks;
Hook requires you to follow him around the stage. Wendy is similar;
Shahriyar requires segments to aim and shoot;
Number 6 is immune to physical attacks;
Roc is the combat most focused on facing a horde;
Goose is immortal;

Still there is repetition between them and dodging shock waves on the floor or an onslaught is more common than I would like.

The player is allowed to change this feature at any time in the game menu, so it is up to the experimenters to experiment. Hard is the only segment that required me to use all the mechanics available, but it prolongs the repetitive combat sections. The normal trivializes much of the fighting experience but allows for faster progression. Easy is really for those who don't want to play the game.
My biggest problem with this part is the feeling that there should be another difficulty between Normal and Hard that doesn’t make the combat dysfunctional but that also doesn’t prolong battles so much. It is as if the Easy mode were Super Easy, and Normal was the real Easy. There is a gap for a Normal mode that provides the player with a balanced experience.

The locations are scarce even when we take the setting and ambiance into account. There is no fast travel for artistic reasons, so the player will find himself running between locations for a long time.

Side quests are similar to those of the MMO genre, involving locating NPCs and grinding for unnecessary items. Most of them are terrible and are not worth the investment. It is debatable how optional they are in view of the fact that they are the main source of resources for the game in addition to a few rewards with weapons (necessary to reach a certain end of the game). Rare are those that stand out and do so through narrative. The story of the lighthouse lady is my favorite in this game, especially due to the end of the quest and the choice associated with it.

The second half of the game consists of revisiting places already known to the player. The absence of effective fast travel (because yes, there is fast travel) and excessive backtracking break the experience in terms of fun. It is important to note that this will be the part that players will return to if they wish to reach the optional endings of the game and, therefore, it will be something that they will need to deal with multiple times. Fortunately, there is a navigation system by boat that acts as a substitute for fast travel. It is useful, but not as much as it would need to be, as it does not take you directly to the localities and still requires you to walk a little. In order to improve, it would be enough that the ports were always within the cities or localities of importance.

A brief commentary on the finals, without spoilers:
The ending A purposefully appears to be incomplete.
Final B complements the first final and enriches the experience.
The finals C and D are basically the same thing and could easily be integrated with other endings, giving no reason to exist.
The ending E is interesting and satisfying, mainly because it is an entirely new section with a very short duration. It is a little different from the others and justifies its existence.

Playing the second half from scratch to get these finals makes the experience tiring and not always rewarding. A chapter selection system would easily help to break this feeling, but integrating the finals C and D into the previous ones would be a big improvement, since it would eliminate one or two playthroughs from the player. Still, greater variety between each route would be a factor that would benefit the process and interest in playing the game again (instead of continuing with a structure so close to that of the first route)

Despite everything described, Nier is definitely worth the experience. It is a unique game that justifies all its merits in its history, soundtrack and mainly characters. The main quartet is very well built and each has its own style of play and contribution to the overall story.
Taro's experiments mix well and yield rich and curious experiences, either when he is mixing segments of (bullet hell, visual novel, etc.) or when he makes reference to other titles (the Mansion is a direct reference to the first Resident Evil).

I must say that I certainly expected more on a personal level. An extra touch on the quests and combat / locomotion system is required. I haven't tried automata yet, but Drakengard 3 came out a few years after the original Nier and already brought improvements implemented in combat (weapons of the same type with different movesets, more combos, yada yada).

The most striking factor about Hylics is certainly its unique identity. It is surprising what has been achieved in visual and sound levels and it amazes me that it is an RPG Maker game. The presentation of the game is jaw-dropping, not only in the visuals of the world and its track, but also in the combat animations. There is nothing to be contradicted in this segment - an audiovisual experience is where the game shines and if it is the aesthetic aspect, what matters most will have a full plate.
It is still necessary to emphasize that there is a negative point in this part: there is no clarity of distinction in the visual part. There is doubt to identify which elements should belong to those who are not, or which characters are enemies and which will defeat you with a touch.

There is a distinct lack of direction and balance in its gameplay. An example from my experience came in the first battle when Wayne alone was forced to fight four enemies with abilities that conjure blind (which disables Wayne due to the lack of skills and will go on at this point) still buffets the attack of all members with a unique ability and - not enough - they attack first. The way to get through this challenge was to ignore all the changes and reach the second member of the group, recruit him and only then win the first battle. However, there was no indication to guide this action.

Character characterizations are practically nil in terms of narrative and gameplay. Just the look says something (and look there). None of the members were distinguished and their differentiation in terms of gameplay is expressed through the equipment and the order that the player recruits them. There is nothing else that differentiates them to significant levels, giving rise to a narrow decision window that leaves the combat in the shallowest aspect imaginable.

There are skills and items that break and trivialize the fighting even more. The clearest example would be one of the spells achieved in Endgame through the collection of 3 tokens (which are by no means hidden or difficult enough, which makes me think that this skill has been planned as an easily accessible resource). This skill consists of delivering 3 very strong blows to random enemies. The problem is that this skill is taught to all members of your party at once, making any conflict in the endgame a joke.

And then there is another design problem against Hylics: All characters learn the same skill as long as you have recruited them for the party at that time. In addition to reducing the individuality of the characters, this decision implies backtracking players who - without knowing what awaits them - may wish to take precautions and revisit previous TVs.

The progression closely related to the character's death seems like an interesting balancing device at first glance. However, in my experience I found myself looking for death in banal ways to gain access to life upgrades and skills that were already accumulating in my inventory. Perhaps this scenario justifies the large number of enemies that eliminate the player with the simple touch, something that is certainly irritating but that I have acquired some usefulness here (in addition to being well positioned next to crystals). This whole problem could be avoided by giving the player the option to teleport to reach the upgrades Hall and create a more satisfying gameplay loop. However, it is not done and the crystals lack information that could make the game more accessible. Simple additions such as showing the name of the place where you will teleport to would be welcome and would avoid the need to decorate where each color will direct you (and if you miss the teleport, good luck. I imagine you will have to kill yourself.).
Furthermore, dying by itself is an overly obnoxious experience. If you fail in this game you will not only need to watch a death animation, but two that add up to a total of almost 10 seconds of waiting and cannot be skipped. Not enough, every time you die you will need to select the crystal with the corresponding color and then enter the teleport. It is a more time-consuming and complex process than necessary. The first animation of death was enough on its own (the second is even redundant in spite of being beautiful) and the teleportation problem would be solved if it memorized its last destination. In sections filled with monsters that eliminate the player by touch this becomes quite unpleasant.

Another factor that can induce more deaths and frustrations than necessary is the way the game opens in its second half. The freedom promoted is excessive due to the lack of information given to the player, generating yet another scenario of trial and error that will help to prolong the gameplay in those who refuse to use any walkthrough.

NPCs are overly random and did not give me information that was meaningful enough for me to care about anything in this game. The narrative for gameplay is interesting in some parts for its eccentricity but the great nonsense prevalence in doses that damage the final experience. Nothing against its use, in smaller doses would certainly enrich it, but the way it was used brought me the opposite effect.

Fortunately, it is a short and relatively concise game that does not have enough content to trap the player in his shortcomings for more than a few hours.

Não há dúvidas, é uma melhoria em relação ao título original. O conteúdo extra e as melhorias visuais e de combate fazem desta a maneira definitiva de se experimentar o título. É um jogo mais responsivo e gostoso de se jogar. Por outro lado, o núcleo do jogo não foi alterado e isto resultou em uma série de decisões questionáveis da era do PS3 sendo transportadas para esta edição.

O combate decepciona pecando pela forma de variação. Jogos do mesmo gênero costumam oferecer variantes diferentes de combo que dependem da mesclagem de ataques fracos com ataques fortes que trazem à mesa novas possibilidades de limpar a tela de inimigos. Nier oferece uma gama de opções muito limitadas neste aspecto, possuindo apenas UMA variante. Não importa o momento que o jogador misture seus ataques fracos com os fortes, o resultado será sempre o mesmo. Entretanto, cabe aqui um elogio: a mistura de gêneros característica de Yoko Taro quebra bastante da eventual chatice e renova as coisas aqui e ali.

Na segunda parte do jogo as opções se abrem com a introdução do sistema de troca de armas. Cada arma possui um propósito em batalha e traz um moveset único, mas seguem apresentando apenas uma opção de variação. Grimoire Weiss como mecânica adiciona tomadas de decisões e é visualmente estimulante. Há um bocado de opções de magia para situações diferentes que podem complementar a sua escolha de arma ou reduzir as suas desvantagens.

A variação de inimigos normais é muito baixa e oferecem pouca diferença substancial entre eles. Há os que são resistentes à mágica, há os encouraçados, os pequenos e mais ágeis e assim por diante. Em geral são bem básicos, mas de vez em quando o jogo brinca com sua perspectiva da câmera alterando o ângulo das batalhas, um truque muito bem vindo que confere novos ares às lutas sem alterar substancialmente o combate.

As boss battle - por outro lado - trazem o diferencial à mesa. Cada luta é sustentada por um grande fator emocional - conferido pelas cutscenes - e possui seu próprio núcleo de ideias que definem seu gameplay. Listei os principais abaixo de acordo com minha percepção apenas para ilustrar o ponto, evitando chefes-spoilers:

Hensel e Gretel são um combate duplo com foco em ataques físicos;
Hook requer que você o siga pelo cenário. Wendy é semelhante;
Shahriyar requer segmentos de mirar e atirar;
Number 6 é imune a ataques físicos;
Roc é o combate mais focado em enfrentar uma horda;
Goose é imortal;


Ainda assim existe repetição entre elas e desviar de ondas de choque terrestre, orbes vermelhas flutuantes ou de uma investida é mais comum do que eu gostaria.

É permitido ao jogador alterar esta característica a qualquer momento no menu do game, então cabe a experimentação aos curiosos. Hard é o único segmento que me exigiu o uso de todas as mecânicas disponíveis, mas prolonga as seções repetitivas de combate. O normal trivializa boa parte da experiência de luta mas permite uma progressão mais rápida. O Easy é realmente para quem não deseja jogar o jogo.
Meu maior problema com esta parte é o sentimento de que deveria haver outra dificuldade entre o Normal e o Hard que não tornasse o combate disfuncional mas que também não prolongasse tanto as batalhas. É como se o modo Easy fosse o Super Easy, e o Normal fosse o verdadeiro Easy. Há a lacuna para um modo Normal que forneça a experiência equilibrada ao jogador.

As localizações são escassas até mesmo quando levamos o setting e ambientação em conta. Não há fast travel por razões artísticas, então o jogador se verá correndo entre as localidades por um bom tempo.

As side quests se assemelham às do gênero MMO, envolvendo localizar NPCs e grindar por itens desnecessários. Em sua maioria são péssimas e não valem o investimento. É discutível o quão opcionais são tendo em vista o fato de serem a principal fonte de recursos do game além de algumas poucas recompensam com armas (necessárias para se alcançar um certo final do jogo). São raras as que se sobressaem e o fazem por meio da narrativa. A história da lighthouse lady é minha favorita neste game, especialmente pelo final da quest e a escolha associada a ele.

A segunda metade do jogo consiste em revisitar lugares já conhecidos pelo jogador. A ausência de um fast travel efetivo (porque sim, há um fast travel) e o excessivo backtracking quebram bastante a experiência em termos de diversão. É importante ressaltar que esta será a parte para onde os jogadores retornarão caso desejem alcançar os finais opcionais do jogo e, portanto, será algo com o que precisarão lidar múltiplas vezes. Felizmente existe um sistema de navegação por meio de barco que atua como um substituto para o fast travel. É útil, mas não tanto quanto precisaria ser pois não te leva diretamente às localidades e ainda te obrigam a andar um pouco. Para melhorar bastaria que os portos fossem sempre dentro das cidades ou localidades de importância.

Um comentário breve sobre os finais, sem spoilers:
O final A propositalmente aparenta ser incompleto.
O final B complementa o primeiro final e enriquece a experiência.
O final C e D são basicamente a mesma coisa e facilmente poderiam ser integrados a outros finais, não apresentando razão para existir.
O final E é interessante e satisfatório, principalmente por ser uma seção inteiramente nova com duração curtíssima. É um pouco diferente dos demais e justifica sua existência.

O fato de jogar do zero a segunda parte para obter estes finais torna a experiência cansativa e nem sempre recompensadora. Um sistema de seleção de capítulos facilmente ajudaria a quebrar esta sensação, mas integrar os finais C e D nos anteriores já seria uma grande melhoria, já que eliminaria uma ou duas playthroughs do jogador. Ainda assim, maior variedade entre cada rota seria um fator que beneficiaria o processo e interesse em jogar outra vez o jogo (ao invés de seguir com uma estrutura tão próxima à da primeira rota)

Apesar de tudo descrito, Nier definitivamente vale a experiência. É um jogo singular que justifica todos seus méritos em sua história, trilha sonora e principalmente personagens. O quarteto principal é muito bem construído e cada um tem seu próprio estilo de jogo e contribuição na história geral.
As experimentações de Taro se mesclam bem e rendem experiências ricas e curiosas, seja quando está mesclando segmentos de (bullet hell, visual novel, etc) ou quando faz referência a outros títulos (a Mansão é uma referência direta ao primeiro Resident Evil).

Devo dizer que decerto esperava mais em termos pessoais. Um toque extra nas quests e sistema de combate/locomoção são necessários. Ainda não experimentei automata, mas Drakengard 3 saiu poucos anos após o Nier original e já trazia melhorias implementadas no combate (armas do mesmo tipo com movesets diferentes, maior quantidade de combos, yada yada).

O fator mais marcante de Hylics é certamente sua identidade única. É surpreendente o que foi alcançado em níveis visuais e sonoros e me espanta ser um jogo de RPG Maker. A apresentação do jogo é de cair o queixo, não apenas nos visuais do mundo e em sua trilha, mas também nas animações de combate. Não há o que ser contrariado neste segmento - a experiência audiovisual é onde o jogo brilha e se é o aspecto estético o que mais lhe interessa terá um prato cheio.
​Ainda assim é preciso ressaltar que existe um ponto negativo nesta parte: não há clareza de distinção na parte visual. Existe confusão para identificar elementos com os quais se deve interagir daqueles que não o são, ou quais personagens são inimigos e quais lhe derrotarão com um toque.

Há uma distinta falta de direcionamento e balanceamento em seu gameplay. Um exemplo de minha experiência veio logo na primeira batalha quando Wayne sozinho foi obrigado a lutar contra quatro inimigos com skills que conjuram blind (que inutiliza Wayne pela falta de skills e will neste ponto) ainda buffam o ataque de todos os membros com uma única skill e - não bastando - atacam primeiro. A forma de passar por este desafio foi ignorar todas as batalhas e chegar ao segundo membro do grupo, recrutá-lo e somente assim vencer a primeira batalha. Todavia, não houve indicativo algum para nortear esta ação.

As caracterizações de personagens são praticamente nulas em termos de narrativa e gameplay. Apenas o visual diz alguma coisa (e olhe lá). Nenhum dos membros era distinto e sua diferenciação em termos de jogabilidade é expressada por meio dos equipamentos e a ordem que o jogador os recruta. Não há mais nada que os diferencie a níveis significativos dando margem para uma estreita janela de decisão que deixa o combate no aspecto mais raso que se possa imaginar.

Há habilidades e itens que quebram e banalizam ainda mais os combates. O exemplo mais claro seria uma das magias conquistadas no Endgame por meio da coleta de 3 tokens (que de forma alguma são escondidos ou dificeis o bastante, o que me faz pensar que esta skill tenha sido planejada como um recurso de fácil acesso). Tal habilidade consiste em desferir 3 golpes muito fortes em inimigos aleatórios. O problema é que esta skill é ensinada a todos os membros da sua party de uma vez, fazendo qualquer conflito do endgame se tornar uma piada.

E aí existe outro problema de design contra Hylics: Todos os personagens aprendem a mesma skill contanto que você os tenha recrutado para a party naquele momento. Além de reduzir a individualidade das personagens, esta decisão implica em backtracking de jogadores que - sem saber o que os aguardam - podem desejar se precaver e revisitar as Tvs anteriores.

A decisão intimamente relacionada à morte do personagem parece um recurso interessante de balanceamento à primeira vista. Entretanto, em minha experiência me peguei buscando a morte de formas banais para ter acesso aos upgrades de vida e skills que já acumulavam em meu inventário. Talvez este cenário justifique a grande quantidade de inimigos que eliminem o jogador com o simples toque, algo que é certamente irritante mas que adquiri certa utilidade aqui (além de serem bem posicionados próximos a cristais). Todo este problema poderia ser evitado dando a opção de teleporte ao jogador para alcançar o Hall de upgrades e criar um gameplay loop mais satisfatório. Todavia, não é feito e os cristais carecem de informações que poderiam tornar o jogo mais acessível. Simples adições como mostrar o nome do local para onde irá se teleportar seriam bem vindas e evitariam a necessidade de decorar para onde cada cor irá te direcionar (e se errar o teleporte, boa sorte. Imagino que terá que se matar.).
Ademais, morrer por si só é uma experiência demasiadamente obnóxia. Caso falhe neste jogo precisará não apenas assistir uma animação de morte, mas duas que somadas totalizam quase 10 segundos de espera e não podem ser skippadas. Não bastando, toda vez que morrer será necessário que selecione o cristal com a cor correspondente e então entre no teleporte. É um processo mais demorado e complexo que o necessário. A primeira animação de morte bastava por si só (a segunda é, inclusive, redundante apesar de bela) e o problema do teleporte seria resolvido se este memorizasse o seu último destino. Em seções recheadas de monstros que eliminam o player ao toque isto se torna bastante desprazeroso.

Outro fator que pode induzir mais mortes e frustrações que o necessário é a forma que o jogo se abre em sua segunda metade. A liberdade promovida é excessiva dada a falta de informações concedida ao jogador, gerando mais um cenário de trial and error que ajudará a prolongar a gameplay naqueles que se recusarem a utilizar algum walkthrough.

Os NPCs são excessivamente aleatórios e não me conferiram informações significativas o bastante para que eu me importasse com algo neste jogo. A narrativa pelo gameplay interessa em algumas partes pela sua excentricidade mas o grande nonsense prevalence em doses que danificam a experiência final. Nada contra seu uso, em doses menores certamente enriqueceria, mas da forma como foi usado me trouxe o efeito oposto.

Felizmente é um jogo curto e relativamente conciso que não tem conteúdo o bastante para prender o jogador em suas falhas por mais do que algumas poucas horas.

THE GOOD
+ Interactive Lobby with a lot to do (including drinking until you pass out)
+ Utility tools that allow player expression and are as much valuable as damage input
+ Good amount of biomes, but little expression and variety of scenarios and structures thanks to the procedural nature therefore lacking on the worldbuilding departament
+ Levels with different mechanics (oxygen administration, natural hazards, etc.)
+ Developers have been addressing the concerns of the community
+ M.U.L.E. is a fun and very helpful companion
+ Returning to the Drop Pod at the end of matches is always intense and defines who lives or dies
+ Different classes with unique arsenals and abilities that determine the role you'll play
+ Each class has well-defined advantages and disadvantages
+ Good enemy variety with different weaknesses and unique mechanics that can surprise and even guarantee some scares; Many requiring team work to be eliminated thanks to the weak points not being fully exposed.
+ Good atmosphere and a very organic soundtrack that provides the necessary feelings.
+ Low lighting and some claustrophobic / rugged sectors contribute a lot to immersion and highlight the usefulness of each class and once again leads to an appreciation for variety and cooperation / communication.
+ Levels are generated considering information such as the number of players in the game and the type of mission
+ Good difficulty; Every bullet counts thanks to limited arsenal

THE BAD
- Lack of variety in missions. All have similar goals: Collect and survive / kill
- Designs are not very expressive and all characters are defined by the dwarf archetype
- Progression is mostly restricted to numeric upgrades
- Many recycled enemies
- The enemies' AI is questionable and stays on all the time in "kill" mode
- Enemies will focus characters out of combat, allowing allies to revive him without the need to remove antagonistic troops. The lack of urgency and the discouragement of a more planned and cautious approach is a negative factor that breaks the immersion of the game and contradicts the choices intrinsic to its design.
- The lack of tags on top of dwarfs makes it impossible to recognize allies if they choose similar classes making communication frustrating
- The map is not intuitive and does not communicate information properly. Furthermore, it does not allow you to move while using it

THE UGLY
- The map and the lack of some basic Quality of Life aspects

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CONCLUSION:
Although recently out of early access status, Deep Rock Galactic already promises to address feedback from its community. At the moment it can be faced as a very competent game and, despite being quite derivative, manages to build a solid and charismatic approach within its genre. It's still rough on its edges, but the promise of improvement makes it easily a titan of the genre that is already easy to recommend.

THE GOOD
+ Interactive Lobby with a lot to do (including drinking until you pass out)
+ Utility tools that allow player expression and are as much valuable as damage input
+ Good amount of biomes, but little expression and variety of scenarios and structures thanks to the procedural nature therefore lacking on the worldbuilding departament
+ Levels with different mechanics (oxygen administration, natural hazards, etc.)
+ Developers have been addressing the concerns of the community
+ M.U.L.E. is a fun and very helpful companion
+ Returning to the Drop Pod at the end of matches is always intense and defines who lives or dies
+ Different classes with unique arsenals and abilities that determine the role you'll play
+ Each class has well-defined advantages and disadvantages
+ Good enemy variety with different weaknesses and unique mechanics that can surprise and even guarantee some scares; Many requiring team work to be eliminated thanks to the weak points not being fully exposed.
+ Good atmosphere and a very organic soundtrack that provides the necessary feelings.
+ Low lighting and some claustrophobic / rugged sectors contribute a lot to immersion and highlight the usefulness of each class and once again leads to an appreciation for variety and cooperation / communication.
+ Levels are generated considering information such as the number of players in the game and the type of mission
+ Good difficulty; Every bullet counts thanks to limited arsenal
+ Events

THE BAD
- Lack of variety in missions. All have similar goals: Collect and survive / kill
- Designs are not very expressive and all characters are defined by the dwarf archetype
- Progression is mostly restricted to numeric upgrades
- Many recycled enemies
- The enemies' AI is questionable and stays all the time in "kill" mode
- Enemies will focus characters out of combat, allowing allies to revive him without the need to remove antagonistic troops. The lack of urgency and the discouragement of a more planned and cautious approach is a negative factor that breaks the immersion of the game and contradicts the choices intrinsic to its design.
- The lack of tags on top of dwarfs makes it impossible to recognize allies if they choose similar classes making communication frustrating

THE UGLY
- Very grindy

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CONCLUSION:
Although recently out of early access status, Deep Rock Galactic already promises to address feedback from its community. At the moment it can be faced as a very competent game and, despite being quite derivative, manages to build a solid and charismatic approach within its genre. It's still rough on its edges, but the promise of improvement makes it easily a titan of the genre that is already easy to recommend.

The Good:
+ Superb gameplay. I dare to say it's one of the best of any action game I've played.
+ Amazing and challenging boss fights.
+ Enemies and bosses have unique mechanics that brings some depth to every fight.
+ Allow for different routes at some points
+ Three unique characters with different play styles
+ Good OST
+ Customization
+ References to previous Devil May Cry
+ Accessibility through providing many Yellow Orbs. Use if you wish.
+ You can control the camera
+ High replay value

The Bad:
- The story is pretty bad. They waste so much time going back to show how things escalated that in the end it goes nowhere. It's also too predictable.
- Characterization doesn't come near DmC 3. Some characters are pretty disposable and doesn't impact the game at all
- Playing V is so safe it gets too easy
- The environments get repetitive
- Inexistent level design. It's too straightforward for its own good: no real puzzles, platforming or anything that could bring more diversity to the table.
- IMO toned down character design
- Repetitive and uninteresting "puzzles". They're too simplistic to their own good.
- You can't choose the character you want to play on every mission
- Strange difficulty spikes

The Ugly:
The story constantly rewinding. Definitely destroyed the pacing and any chance of progression

Play it on Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection. It's way better if you turn on the Save Assist.

The Good:
+ Diversity of weapons and elements
+ Fast paced combat
+ Loved the HUB system.
+ Cyber Elves
+ Amazing difficulty (If you make use of the Save Assist)
+ Varied missions
+ Weapon upgrade system lead by how much you use it
+ The small screen doesn't prejudice Zero thanks to his arsenal
+ Good story
+ Nice OST... Albeit isn't as good as the big hits on X series.

The Bad:
- Sometimes requires a "jump of faith"... due to GBA's small screen you can't really see spikes or platforms below you on certain areas of the game
- Could've make better use of the HUB. Most of it is useless
- You need to pause the game to change weapons/elements
- Requires grind to unlock some features that should've been adquired through normal progression
- Repeated scenary on a few missions
- Cyber Elves aren't useful or interesting enough requiring too much grinding
- Could've made better use off the Elemental Chips: They just change the effects when you charge the saber. They could've added more.

The Ugly:
The Save System. But it is totally avoidable if you play this game on Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection.

The Good:
+ Press turn is amazing. Easily one of the best systems regarding Turn-based combat
+ Haunting atmosphere that suits perfectly the game. It's one of a kind.
+ Organic tutorials: you learn while have fun and don't really notice that you're playing a tutorial.
+ Good world-building through gameplay aspects like demon negotiating
+ Dante from DMC series (lol)
+ Difficulty on point
+ Mostly contemplative and sophisticated storytelling
+ Phenomenal art direction and expressive art direction. Nocturne has impressive and unorthodox framings to a PS2 video game. The character design as a whole is outstanding thanks to Kaneko Kazuma's art.
+ Many optional bosses with interesting mechanics
+ The soundtrack suits perfectly
+ Huge cast of fiends and a customizable party
+ You can customize the attributes and skills of the MC
+ Extremely fair challenge that rewards the players who learn to exploit it
+ There's no "right ending". Just different philosophical approaches on the subject
+ Varied dungeons. They are never the same and always differ on the the needed mechanics to beat them. Also, different hazards
+ If your main character dies it's Game Over. This makes sense from a narrative point of view, but can be seen as a flaw


The Bad:
- Lack of Quality of Life aspects regarding Fusion inheritance (It's a pain. You can't manually select the skills you want to pass on)
- The sound quality sometimes drop to garbage-levels.
- Nothing really happens storywise until halfway through
- Lack of good characterization: You don't really see characters growing on screen. Most of the development happens offscreen
- Random encounters are annoying on certain dungeons and Estoma should be more effective in this regard
- There aren't many remarkable places inside dungeons making it easier to get lost and less interesting. The map helps, but doesn't eliminates the problem.
- It lacks voice acting
- Evasion can easilly break most of the boss fights

The Ugly:
Demi-fiend's bermuda.