This is absolutely everything I want out of an action RPG. A combat system that requires quick reflexes and thinking on your feet while also rewarding strategy and tactics. An enormous world filled with bespoke quests with actual writing and variety (looking at you, FFXVI). Party members that all interact in fun and interesting ways, both on and off the battlefield. The step up in scope and quality between Remake and this game feels comparable to the way that Elden Ring expanded on the Dark Souls trilogy, or Breath of the Wild elevated 3D Zelda games.

The sheer audacity on display is truly astounding. It respects the source material without putting it on a pedestal. It breaks up the melodrama of the main plot with insane dance numbers and wacky side stories. It stuffs every nook and cranny of the world with engaging and rewarding content. I spent about 70 hours in this game’s world, doing a majority of the side content, and I was left still wanting more. That’s a very rare feeling for me, especially with RPGs.