This review contains spoilers
Letting us MOVE during combat is an improvement. And Kiryu essentially being able to break the turn-based system is amazing.
BUT MAN this game's story was WEAK as hell. Starts strong, but once we hit Hawaii, characters don't have shit to do and are often waiting for solutions to fall into their laps or are being sent on wild-goose chases.
Substories don't take advantage of Ichiban being in a foreign country, and they fail to acknowledge the language barrier - something that American fans found hilarious in 7.
Kiryu revisiting old friends as part of his cancer bucket list really rewards players like me who played the entire saga after beating 7, but none of those moments tie up any loose ends because HE NEVER GETS TO TALK TO ANYONE HE VISITS. Even in the after-credits scene, he regains his name, like WHO TF CARES?? Show him reunite with HIS KIDS!!! There continues to be no satisfying resolution to Kiryu's story.
And the conclusion to the main story felt limp as hell. Bryce is a CULT LEADER FINAL BOSS. With Ichiban's imagination, we could've found an ACTUAL VOLCANO GOD, not weed jesus with an uzi. And instead of an explosive defeat, Bryce just gets outted by a vtuber at the climax. Weak shit.
Honestly I did like the game for the same reasons I like the others, but as a massive fan of the series, I was really hoping their writing team would get their shit together by now, but apparently not.
BUT MAN this game's story was WEAK as hell. Starts strong, but once we hit Hawaii, characters don't have shit to do and are often waiting for solutions to fall into their laps or are being sent on wild-goose chases.
Substories don't take advantage of Ichiban being in a foreign country, and they fail to acknowledge the language barrier - something that American fans found hilarious in 7.
Kiryu revisiting old friends as part of his cancer bucket list really rewards players like me who played the entire saga after beating 7, but none of those moments tie up any loose ends because HE NEVER GETS TO TALK TO ANYONE HE VISITS. Even in the after-credits scene, he regains his name, like WHO TF CARES?? Show him reunite with HIS KIDS!!! There continues to be no satisfying resolution to Kiryu's story.
And the conclusion to the main story felt limp as hell. Bryce is a CULT LEADER FINAL BOSS. With Ichiban's imagination, we could've found an ACTUAL VOLCANO GOD, not weed jesus with an uzi. And instead of an explosive defeat, Bryce just gets outted by a vtuber at the climax. Weak shit.
Honestly I did like the game for the same reasons I like the others, but as a massive fan of the series, I was really hoping their writing team would get their shit together by now, but apparently not.