i made an account on here just because i wanted the fact that i think this game is an absolutely incredible, one-of-a-kind experience to be out there. there is so much i could say about it, but then this review would probably turn into more of a disorganized ramble than it already is. please just know that it delights me so much this remaster exists, and the fact that it was locked to japan only on the ps2 for over a decade is unfair to the rest of the world. this astonishing debut title of grasshopper manufacture brims with so much style that i feel calling the entirety of it a giant art piece is completely deserved. it has some of the most humanely written characters i've ever seen in a video game, with kusabi being the shining star of the show and easily shooting to the top as one of, if not my absolute, favorite video game characters ever. and while its story is definitely A Lot to take in and try to understand, it presents its major beats with grandeur, and the more complex details are very fun to ruminate on

despite all this, i will say that it's not the kind of game for everyone, though that's kind of a given for visual novels anyway, and especially one as unconventional as this. but that doesn't at all dissuade me from considering it a work of art, and if you can get over the controls and how convoluted the story can get, i highly recommend it; an absolute must play for anyone that enjoys narrative-heavy games

also, the fact that there are two more games directly related to this one that i get to experience is crazy to me. i'm going at my suda journey in a specific order but good god i cannot wait to get to fsr and 25th ward