I don't think I've ever played a game like this. So surreal and beautiful at times, and janky and bad at times. There are so many systems that you can completely overlook, and the combat isn't exactly the most riveting. Even then, there's something so magical about this game that makes me love it so much.

You aren't given much direction in this game. At the start you are given a choice of where you want to start the reconstruction of the world, your character appearance and starting weapon, and then you're off to the races. Afterwards you go to dungeons and towns that you bring into the world at your own discretion, meet characters, do quests, and traverse beautiful landscapes with even more beautiful music.

Others may see this lack of direction as bad, but I find it absolutely wonderful. Not knowing where I'm going to go, or who I'll meet or fight next contributes so much to this game's sense of wonder and discovery.

I want to say more about this game, but frankly, I think it's best experienced with minimal knowledge of it. Discovering this world completely blind not knowing what it had in store for me greatly enhanced my enjoyment of it. This game, warts and all, is an absolute treat.


TL;DR - Playing through this game is like playing through a fucking fairy tale. The art style, from the characters to the environments, are so whimsical and beautiful. The soundtrack is impeccable and some of Yoko Shimomura's best work in her already amazing discography. Even with its strange and convoluted mini-systems that I never fully understood and it's rather bare bones combat system, I thought this game was an absolute joy to experience. I would urge anyone to try it out for themselves.

Reviewed on Dec 20, 2023


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