I should probably start by saying that this game is very repetitive.
Essentially, you have to fight one or more enemies in a very limited level, over and over again. The enemies and environments change, but the essence is the same.
For someone unfamiliar with the franchise, the story and universe are interesting at first, but I have to admit that towards the middle I started to skip most of the dialogue and cinematics. Although the characters are likeable and at least a little interesting, it's still a very predictable scenario, just like the decisions the characters make. And while the game pretends to give you choices, in reality you have no say in the matter.
There's a lot of "fight for a better future", "we don't abandon one of our own", "we've known each other for two hours but we're a family" and finally "we win through the power of friendship and compassion". Well, it's not as silly as I make it sound, but you get the idea. Oh, and a chosen one with unique powers, of course.
That said, we're not here for the story but for the fights. And these are generally very satisfying, but also quite frustrating at times.
First of all, the movements and attacks are fairly fluid, with plenty of mobility and a very responsive character. Attacks have a real impact, especially when you destroy certain parts of the enemy.
On the other hand, when you're fighting several enemies at the same time (fortunately not too often the case), combat can quickly become frustrating as you suffer attacks and crowd control from both sides. If you finally manage to knock one enemy to the ground, the other will still be active to prevent you from finishing him off...
If the difficulty isn't extraordinary during the story, it rises sharply with the extra missions, where enemies can kill you in one big attack if you're not well equipped.
And speaking of equipment, you have to grind to death... The game is already pretty damn repetitive, but you're going to have to farm certain enemies to get their resources, and even dedicated skills aren't going to help you enough.
I'm not going to lie, that I might have tweaked it a bit to get the drop rates to 100%, and it's frankly a lot less mind-numbing that way.
I crafted my endgame equipment and was able to enjoy the various remaining missions the game offers, rather than getting that equipment after finishing all the content, which frankly makes no sense.
So, to conclude, this game has its shortcomings and perhaps lacks a little depth, but it also offers dozens of hours of fun combat.
Finally, I should point out that I bought the game at a 90% discount for only €5. In my opinion, the game isn't worth its base price, so wait for sales; they seem to be frequent and significant on this title.
