overall a 7/10, with a very strong recommendation. very glad to hear a sequel was announced, bc the game needs it to justify the rushed ending and epilogue sequence

+ interesting setting, fitting in tonally with the narrative of the game

+ the character design is fantastic, especially when it comes to family resemblance and accurate ages

+ the dialogue is engaging and the voice-acting really sells it; each character has a "voice" and it makes interactions between them feel more believable

+ characterisation in general is very strong, with each character having defined relationships, goals, and reactions to the world around them

+ absolutely gorgeous game - the environmental setpieces are both varied and stunning

+ bloody love rats, me

- suffers from pacing issues near the beginning, with the plot only becoming interesting around chapter 5 when lucas delivers some essential context to understanding what's happening

- disappointing ending, with many narrative threads for the characters disappearing in favour of a vague, open-ended "resolution" which doesn't actually resolve anything

- the gameplay is simplistic, with the level designs being incredibly linear, which can wear on you with prolonged playing sessions. it also gets frustrating during boss fights, when the bare-bones mechanics become very grating if you're used to more action-y games