I feel like Suda games are hard to review because so often their good qualities are tied intrinsically to their bad ones. The gameplay is so clunky in places but in a way that feels intentional and not in a cop-out kind of way. There is a depth to the way mechanics and storytelling interact to keep reinforcing that you and Travis are both weird losers doing busywork just because you're told to do so, but it's also so superficial about this theming that you can't help but feel like Suda is just fucking with you for his own amusement. Laser swords are cool though.

For a very much B-tier RPG I gotta say this game really captured my attention. I'm usually pretty hostile to the kind of tropey anime nonsense this game is trading in, but despite some bad writing (and localization) I still found the characters and story pretty compelling right up to the end. It takes a lot to earn an ending like the game does and honestly it does a pretty good job.
Since I'd always heard the game was a bit average I wasn't expecting much, especially being the kind of person who will start skipping cutscenes in a game if it doesn't hold my interest. I found the game to be quite genre savvy in a lot of ways and I think that helped it get away with some of its more indulgent moments, it literally does a hot springs episode unironically. The main character also did a lot for me, his reactions to things that were happening were often aligned with my own annoyances with assorted plot contrivances or characters being obtuse, so that really put me on the game's side.

It's often said of Ys VIII that it feels like an amped up PS2 game, and the same could be said of this game, it's got fairly simple but satisfying combat, nothing groundbreaking but it very much does the job and the elements system keeps things interesting to encourage using different party members. Dungeons are mostly straightforward corridors and just finding the next key to open whatever locks might be in your way but no real puzzle elements or anything to really make things more interesting, one of the game's weaker aspects for sure, though the final dungeon is excellent and varied, I just wish there were more dungeons like it!

Presentationally I've been told it's similar to the Trails games, but as I haven't played any of them I can't really comment on it. The main thing that jumped out at me initially was Persona 3 given its school setting and slightly more simplified social elements along with the main story following you through a school year, it doesn't feel as integral to the game here though, more of an aesthetic than offering any real mechanical depth or sense that your time and choices are limited. The music also in places is very reminiscent of certain tracks in Persona 3. There's a choice to present each of the games' chapters as though they were episodes of a show, with the anime style opening playing at the start of each and I will always find that appealing for some reason, there's a lot to be said for wearing your influences on your sleeve.

Speaking of the music, it's pretty great, lots of your standard Falcom style chugging buttrock tunes along with some chill pieces and dungeon music that is nicely atmospheric.