Oh Galleria... Where do you even begin with such a massive accomplishment. It's unbelievable that a game of this scale and ambition came out in 2020. Most games just pale in comparison to how much Galleria reaches for the stars, and actually succeeds(for the most part). It's also incredibly hard to overstate how powerful and well written its character writing and emotional arcs are. I think Refrain had vestiges of a plot of this scale(even if Galleria massively exceeds it) but it failed in engaging me to its characters. Galleria fixes this issue and more. I actually ended up liking most of the cast, but especially Natyl and Eureka. Their arcs and relationship are incredibly well-realized and beautiful. Half the reason I was so invested into this game was because i loved them so much. It's genuinely impressive how much the game ties up its massive amount of disparate elements and setting with these two.
Most story heavy jrpg's have gameplay that is either shallow fun or a chore to get through for more cutscenes. Galleria bucks this trend by having a loop that is extremely demanding of the player(I played the game on easy, and I was still forced to learn 90% of its systems to beat the game), and oftentimes frustrating. I think this is a great thing, though, because it only makes the game even more satisfying when you think back about what exactly you had to do to earn the story(like grinding or item farming). This isn't a meta-narrative thing, either. The player character is a direct avatar of the player behind the screen which might sound cheesy, but it's executed well and the characters acknowledge what you are doing for them in a touching way. The post game is the best success of this, though. You have to trek through a 3651 floor dungeon with a ton of rng elements like random checkpoints and elevators. It's a daunting task but it serves great purpose in asking the player how far are you willing to go to see the best ending for the characters. It's one of the most interesting experiences I've seen in a video game, and I am glad to see that so many people ended up completing it according to psn achievements. The absurd challenge of the final dungeon makes the already rewarding story even moreso. The very design of the game is great as well, i should mention. The level design is fantastic and it changes how the gameplay works multiple times despite staying in a DRPG framework. The balance is pretty wack and there is a lot of elements i can only describe as kuso but it's honestly endearing to me and i still appreciate them(except for the UI, that needs a lot of work)
I wonder how Galleria will fare once it hits more mainstream audiences in the west. I think most people won't be able to stick through it or give enough engagement for it to really payoff. I think the story is as demanding of the player as the gameplay, it just expects you to remember and appreciate its foreshadowing from 60 hours past. But for those willing to give the attention and dedication this game demands then it's one of the best and most rewarding video game experiences out there. It's not without its flaws, of course. In addition to the aforementioned gameplay hiccups I think the story falters with some characters and setting ideas. But considering the development hell this game went through this is one hell of an accomplishment. There's more to cover about this game(especially the themes it has, but it's difficult to talk about them without giving away plot beats) , but I want to respect the game's marketing and let people discover it for themselves. Izumi should be proud of himself, it might not have came out like he wanted but it's still one of the best games I've played.
Most story heavy jrpg's have gameplay that is either shallow fun or a chore to get through for more cutscenes. Galleria bucks this trend by having a loop that is extremely demanding of the player(I played the game on easy, and I was still forced to learn 90% of its systems to beat the game), and oftentimes frustrating. I think this is a great thing, though, because it only makes the game even more satisfying when you think back about what exactly you had to do to earn the story(like grinding or item farming). This isn't a meta-narrative thing, either. The player character is a direct avatar of the player behind the screen which might sound cheesy, but it's executed well and the characters acknowledge what you are doing for them in a touching way. The post game is the best success of this, though. You have to trek through a 3651 floor dungeon with a ton of rng elements like random checkpoints and elevators. It's a daunting task but it serves great purpose in asking the player how far are you willing to go to see the best ending for the characters. It's one of the most interesting experiences I've seen in a video game, and I am glad to see that so many people ended up completing it according to psn achievements. The absurd challenge of the final dungeon makes the already rewarding story even moreso. The very design of the game is great as well, i should mention. The level design is fantastic and it changes how the gameplay works multiple times despite staying in a DRPG framework. The balance is pretty wack and there is a lot of elements i can only describe as kuso but it's honestly endearing to me and i still appreciate them(except for the UI, that needs a lot of work)
I wonder how Galleria will fare once it hits more mainstream audiences in the west. I think most people won't be able to stick through it or give enough engagement for it to really payoff. I think the story is as demanding of the player as the gameplay, it just expects you to remember and appreciate its foreshadowing from 60 hours past. But for those willing to give the attention and dedication this game demands then it's one of the best and most rewarding video game experiences out there. It's not without its flaws, of course. In addition to the aforementioned gameplay hiccups I think the story falters with some characters and setting ideas. But considering the development hell this game went through this is one hell of an accomplishment. There's more to cover about this game(especially the themes it has, but it's difficult to talk about them without giving away plot beats) , but I want to respect the game's marketing and let people discover it for themselves. Izumi should be proud of himself, it might not have came out like he wanted but it's still one of the best games I've played.