Popful Mail is one of those games that's perfectly simple. It's as standard as these kinds of games come in terms of depth, but offering multiple characters with their own strengths added enough to keep things engaging and fun. I often find myself sticking to one specific character when given the option in many games, but Popful Mail's cast was in steady rotation for me.

The charming presentation and characters sweetened the deal even further. I enjoyed watching the cast's antics unfold from stage to stage. This is my introduction to Falcom's works, and I'd definitely like to explore more of what they have to offer after this one!

I really wish I could feel the hype that some people put on this game, but it's just not all there for me. I'll start with the good, though.

The visuals and music were a treat. Stage environments were surprisingly detailed and vibrant, and I enjoyed some of the theming of said levels. The music I didn't find too crazy, but there were some solid and enjoyable tracks sprinkled in for sure!

The rest is where the cracks start to show, unfortunately. Boss design is cheesy and unengaging, with many moves and patterns feeling like they're designed for you to use I-frames and tank hits rather than confronting the boss in any interesting fashion. The levels are better, but not by much. Stage design blends together at times, with few memorable or fulfilling set pieces that make you go "oh man, that's good". None of the level design feels structurally interesting enough to warrant the long stage run-times, either.

Combat does little for me here as well. There doesn't feel like there's much of a reason to fight enemies, especially when the game spams them to the point where it feels almost as if it's encouraged to outright ignore them. Additionally it can really break the pace of some stages when you constantly have to stop-and-go with enemies spawning in odd places, ready to attack the moment they appear.

The story is... fine! I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I didn't dislike it either. What did get me though was some of the pacing. Some scenes reach near classic JRPG length with little to no gameplay to break it up. Conversely, some plot points felt like they were resolved far too quickly with little to no payoff.

Needless to say, I really hope Freedom Planet 2 brings some much-needed improvements to the table, because as of right now I'm really not feeling this formula.