Took me over a year of on and off playing to finally beat this fucker. I truly cannot stand this game but also I appreciate it. It is the weirdest game because I truly felt no emotional attachment or connection with the game until like the final hour. That final stretch is where all the actually cool concepts of the game are allowed a bit more room to breath and have actual meaningful implications. However I think these interesting concepts still just come out half baked.

90% of the reasoning for this is Rex. I don't dislike Rex, I don't mind the voice direction too much (it becomes funny once you give in to it), and his optimism and kindness is actually sometimes maybe kind of endearing. But mannnn I feel like he is not at all given enough development for the kind of significance he is given as the PRIMARY MORAL AGENT of the story. To elaborate, Rex's ultimate victories by the end of the game over Pyra/Mythra, Jin, Malos and the Architect are primarily philosophical, he shows EVERYONE a new way to live. I SIMPLY DO NOT BUY THIS AS THE PLAYER LOL. All the aforementioned characters have lived for hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of years. For Pyra/Mythra and Malos I can appreciate that its about meeting the right person and the right time, and the intensity of Rex's optimism compensates for the relatively short blip he represents on their lifetime, sure. However, Rex's ideals are not developed in the slightest, nor is Rex really himself. Why is Rex such a great person? Because he just is (and his home village was sweet). Why does he have such an immense faith in humanity? Because he meets nice people and just sort of does. To clarify, these are not issues in isolation. I actually quite love how Rex's base optimism inspires Pyra/Mythra to reconsider their views on their self worth. However when the endgame (which is the only part of the story that truly engaged me to think) revolves around Rex's (NOT THE PARTIES) answer to the grand question of the future of mankind I truly just to not buy it. His thoughts and ideology aren't honed through opposition and introspective reconsideration, they just always exist, and he faces no marked, longing crisis that could warrant some reflection and development of these thoughts. This especially feels notable to me when Rex has philosophical exchanges with the antagonists. I really never feel like Rex actually wins any of these verbal bouts, pretty much every time the villains just sort of fold like lawn chairs to the general sentiment of Rex's consistent abrasive optimism. Which again is fine? But I wish the game would maybe steer away from Rex's fucking views on the worthiness of mankind and instead just keep in inline as someone who believes in the redemption of the villains or something.

I emphasise the focus on Rex's views here because the parties are essentially irrelevant, the game doesnt really care what Morag, Zeke, Nia and Tora think by the end, its Rex's answer that matters and quite frankly I find that answer completely lacking. Also I think the party dynamic was weak. The optional blades are also horribly implemented (you only get to experience the beginning of their stories after spending like 2 hours with them at minimum????), but 80% of their designs blow ass so you never even want to consider using them.

Also the scene direction and pacing in this game is fucking atrocious. Most scenes have like no clear directorial intent except to seemingly drag the scene on for as long as possible and to make dialogue feel awkward. I cannot believe that some of the endgame cutscene sequences actually made the final cut it is unreal how sloppy some of them are. When you realise just how much time you waste in this game just through sloppy cutscene direction alone you will STRUGGLE to beat this motherfucker, not even to mention all the terrible filler(ish) plotlines that made the cut (I want tora to be left crucified in the depths of the Mariana trench). What's even more horrible is that some scenes are actually directed amazingly, and have the peak story moments to accompany them, which somehow just makes it more annoying overall? If you're gonna be shit at least let me whip my phone out whenever I see a cutscene starting ffs (only half joking here.)

Also it is truly comical how bad the tutorials in this game are. This it's actually a miracle of technology this could be invented.

Still the fact that the endgame even warranted me to think about these things (and actually emotionally compelled me with Amalthus/Jin/Malos) is worth credit in my eyes regardless.

Also I hated the combat and world design. Field skills can eat my ass, sidequests are unbelievably roadblock filled and convoluted, and enemy placement was designed by expert CIA torturers gone game devs.

I gave it 2.5 stars and im clueless as to why but I think the sheer abrasion of the game got to me eventually. Maybe its just Stockholm Syndrome.