It was foolish of me to expect decent writing from Square Enix in 2024.

I had a hunch they weren't gonna be able to land the plane that took off at the end of the first part — now I'm entirely convinced.

The game absolutely shines when it follows the original but it completely falls apart when new ideas are introduced. While I don't think the remake should be a 1-to-1 recreation, I also don't think the esoteric yet grounded themes of the original had to be turned into some convoluted, Kingdom Hearts adjacent mess.

Still, I admit there's a morbid curiosity to see where we're going next, but at this point only the wonderful cast of characters and their interactions can redeem the monstrosity the writers came up with.

I honestly had so many good things to say about this sequel but the ending completely ruined it for me and I admit I'm too angry and disappointed to come up with a semblance of a good review.

Maybe check back when I eventually replay this in preparation for part 3 but I doubt it'll grow on me the same way part 1 did.