Not sure how to review both the Wii and DS versions, but they are literally completely different games.

The DS version, a normal run-of-the mill virtual pet game about raising a kitten, gets a 2/5 from me. Perfectly serviceable and does what it says on the tin.

The Wii version is a fever-dreamy Zelda-style RPG about a magic hat that I thought I dreamed up for about a decade before I met someone else who had also played it. 4/5, solid simple RPG.

I really really want to like this game, because I adore the first game, but I just can’t. If you can, I’m glad and a little envious, but there are too many things that mar my experience for me to fully enjoy it. I’ve 100%ed this game twice (yes, including Ursula) in an attempt to enjoy it. To be honest, maybe that’s part of the problem.

I personally cannot stand much of the gameplay. It’s slow to start and the gameplay/story hit screeching halts at some points. My least favorite mechanics have to be the ones that have to do with grinding: tiger tiger for Poppi parts, the gacha system for blades, and merc missions in their entirety. Merc missions wouldn’t be so bad if they operated using the system clock, but having to keep the game open for the full duration was frustrating for me once I ran out of things to do in-game to pass the time. The constant field checks, which often require you to have pulled certain blades through the gacha, were annoying as well and felt like a way to gatekeep/impede free exploration, which I didn’t love. I also didn’t feel very invested in the story. Most of the character designs were off-putting to me and I felt like the story did a disservice to many of its main characters. The writing and voice acting are incredibly cheesy in places, making it difficult to take even the serious moments seriously. I didn’t really like the tone, especially compared to 1 & 3, but I can see how it would appeal to others.

On to the good bits! Yes, I didn’t like this game, but there are parts of it where it really hit upon something great. The battle system itself, while maybe not as fun as XC3’s or as clean as XC1’s, is rich and interesting. Swapping out blades to react to the enemy and set up different combos makes for a fun and fast-paced (if confusing at times) battle experience. The soundtrack is FANTASTIC. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen if you haven’t already. The area design is (in my opinion) the most creative in the series, and even if I prefer the more realistic approach that 1 & 3 took, the feeling of seeing the main interior of Uraya for the first time will always stick with me. The characters that I do like I almost feel bad for, like they deserved to be in a better story. This brings me to my final point: this game hits the so-bad-it’s-good note for me. Almost every character is so unbelievably hammy. It doesn’t match the tone of either of the games that bookend it. It’s just sort of goofy and jam-packed with animesque fanservice. There are so many bizarre, iconic things in it that I still laugh about with my friends. Saying that you “control all blades/elementary particles” or “that guy…” or “join me” is almost guaranteed to get a chuckle within our group. The memories I made with my friends while playing this game are maybe my favorite part of it.

I think this game is worth a playthrough, for sure, just to experience it. Is it worth a second? Maybe not. Is it worth 100%ing it? Not unless you have a lot of time on your hands and a fair bit of luck on your side. Is it worth 100%ing it twice? No.