This game was not what I expected, but in a good way! Right off the bat the visuals are breathtaking, with gorgeous 2D sprites blending in seamlessly with a 3D environment. And the gameplay loop is surprisingly addicting. It was very easy to just keep completing side missions instead of putting the game down and going to bed.
I think the highlight of the gameplay is the combat, which is surprisingly open-ended and fluid, especially as you unlock more and more upgrades. The developers did the best job with CJ, who allows for some really cool combos, and when fully upgraded, can just lock enemies down in infinite strings, which feels amazing. She's also the most agile of the three party members, making her the obvious pick for best character to play as. I like Garoo and Isha as well, but it definitely feels like CJ got the most attention, she is the main character after all.
I do have a couple of gripes that keep this game from being rated higher in my mind concerning gameplay. For one, I don't really like the decision of having enemies damage you on contact. It interrupts the flow of combat in ways that feel unintended, like weird trades with enemies or accidentally halting your attacks. I also think that the way status effects are implemented is poor. They last for way too long, and locking you out of switching characters when affected for that entire duration is really frustrating, and slows the game down significantly. I didn't really mind these things at first, but the final boss of the game really exacerbated these two issues for me, as I didn't really struggle with the other fights as much as this one because of these two pain points.
But overall, the game was a blast, and has a really nice gameplay loop that feels rewarding, even if it starts to get a bit repetitive towards the end. The presentation is top-notch, with stunning visuals, pretty good music and environments, and a simple but-fun-story. The gameplay was what made this game for me, definitely the highlight, but there's always room for improvement. Looking forward to playing the sequel!
I think the highlight of the gameplay is the combat, which is surprisingly open-ended and fluid, especially as you unlock more and more upgrades. The developers did the best job with CJ, who allows for some really cool combos, and when fully upgraded, can just lock enemies down in infinite strings, which feels amazing. She's also the most agile of the three party members, making her the obvious pick for best character to play as. I like Garoo and Isha as well, but it definitely feels like CJ got the most attention, she is the main character after all.
I do have a couple of gripes that keep this game from being rated higher in my mind concerning gameplay. For one, I don't really like the decision of having enemies damage you on contact. It interrupts the flow of combat in ways that feel unintended, like weird trades with enemies or accidentally halting your attacks. I also think that the way status effects are implemented is poor. They last for way too long, and locking you out of switching characters when affected for that entire duration is really frustrating, and slows the game down significantly. I didn't really mind these things at first, but the final boss of the game really exacerbated these two issues for me, as I didn't really struggle with the other fights as much as this one because of these two pain points.
But overall, the game was a blast, and has a really nice gameplay loop that feels rewarding, even if it starts to get a bit repetitive towards the end. The presentation is top-notch, with stunning visuals, pretty good music and environments, and a simple but-fun-story. The gameplay was what made this game for me, definitely the highlight, but there's always room for improvement. Looking forward to playing the sequel!