Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

Okay so I just finished 109 hours. I liked it. The themes of justice and law were interesting to mull over just before they dissolved into familiar "we can do it!" anime tropes and the characters were fun companions to be around for that time. The combat system is relatively deep and fun to play for the most part, though a lot of the grind in this game comes from annoying and unavoidable encounters (that's pretty much par for the course in a JRPG though, isn't it?). I was happy to play but just as happy to be finished playing. While the game doesn't overstay it's welcome, by the end, with its narrative points spent, I was ready to move on.

I'm sure this deserves some of the accolades it gets from Tales fans but boy does it not do it for me. Combat somehow feels stiffer than Symphonia, new mechanics are on a glacial drip feed, the story does absolutely nothing and goes nowhere for my entire time playing and Yuri alone isn't enough to carry this one-note menagerie of a party.