I don't review games basically at all—I think I only ever reviewed The Witcher 3—and I don't want to spoil this game for anyone, because I genuinely think everyone should play it without knowing anything about the story beforehand. I'd recommend playing at least on medium difficulty; don't go for easy, and don't start at expert. I genuinely believe the suggested difficulty is the ideal choice for your first playthrough.

TL;DR: This game is one of a kind in my eyes, and I think it's absolutely worth the time to experience it. Game of the Year for sure—I honestly can't see how any other game can top this. It's truly a generational masterpiece.

Story: This story is simply a masterpiece, deeply impactful on a personal level. It's unpredictable, beautifully crafted, and leaves room for contemplation—not just regarding the game's narrative, but life in general. I can't emphasize enough how amazing the story is; I've played countless narrative-driven games, and this easily scores 11/10 for me. It's neither overly complex nor shallow—just flawlessly balanced.

Music: OMFG, the music is a genuine masterpiece. Lorien Testard ensured every cutscene, boss fight, plot twist, and new area feels distinct and fresh. There isn't any noticeable repetition; each track feels uniquely tailored, which is astonishing. The music that plays when you're about to clutch a boss fight—your main roster is down, you perfectly time the parries, or dodge everything and land a huge stacked AP attack—is incredible. The number of times I've clutched epic boss fights at the very last moment with this absolutely EPIC music is mind-blowing. I can't fully convey the intensity and exhilaration of those "HOLY F*CK, I DID IT" moments—everyone needs to experience it themselves. The last times I enjoyed a soundtrack this much were with The Witcher 3, Persona 5, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and maybe a handful of other titles I can't recall now. This soundtrack definitely ranks in my top 1 or 2 alongside The Witcher 3.

Gameplay Depth: I genuinely dislike games that feel shallow or lack creative depth. However, this game, with its diverse combinations of skills, weapons, and pictos/luminas, offers an incredible range of strategic possibilities. I genuinely doubt it's possible to explore every single combination. There are around 200 pictos alone, each with unique effects, and combining them with other gameplay elements creates an enormous amount of permutations.

Combat: What the developers have borrowed from other genres and integrated into a turn-based RPG is simply fantastic. They clearly recognized that turn-based combat can become tedious when waiting for the enemy to finish their turn, but here there's minimal downtime, and every turn matters—not just your own. I was a huge fan of Persona 5 as a classic-style JRPG, but even Persona had its drawbacks in terms of combat pacing. This game clearly draws inspiration from the Persona series but improves upon it exponentially. It's truly remarkable how much thought and care went into refining existing mechanics. If you've played other games from related genres, you'll undoubtedly appreciate the thoughtful improvements here. It's precisely how standards should be raised, not just in gaming, but in life in general.

Art: The entire game world is visually stunning and breathtaking, featuring a wide array of vibrant colors, striking contrasts, and manifestations of creative imagination pushed to their absolute limits. Simply fascinating.

Literally, the only downside I ever encountered was slight boredom when facing the same enemy several times consecutively, making those fights feel somewhat tedious. However, throughout my entire playthrough, I experienced this feeling very rarely. Realistically speaking, it's impossible for developers to create a unique enemy for every encounter, as this would introduce too many unknown archetypes and hinder narrative progression. I genuinely think they struck an incredible balance here—so much so that I wouldn't genuinely consider it a significant downside given how perfectly everything else is executed.

Please play this game at least once in your lifetime...