I cannot recommend, at least for the PC. Controls are anti-intuitive, requiring surgical precision to simply open chests. Automatic view and targeting options are non-existent. Monsters can easily interrupt your attacks, but you can barely (if ever) interrupt theirs. Anti-Blindside Game Mechanics: Why? Why even? Your split-second timing is rewarded with a crit to the face? Really? Bounce off the armor, to be sure, but punishment for accuracy in such a critical (no pun intended) game element? Boss Fights: Don't make any plans for the next half hour, and that's just a single attempt. Main character can sprint a total of 10 feet before getting tired (I'm fat and old, and I can still sprint 100 yards before I need to admit that I'm having a heart attack). Main character cannot climb anything - only jump down. Main character cannot step over any landscape feature larger than a dead squirrel, and will hang up upon encountering said landscape feature. Flying opponents will freely engage the group, though the group (despite having ranged weapons) cannot engage the flying opponents. What's more: Flying opponents will float along, completely ignoring you, despite all of your best efforts to attract them to combat... until you've passed under them - at which point they will ambush you from behind, despite your wariness of their existance and eagerness to engage them in combat. Those are the nits.

The story is kinda meh. The plot is kinda meh. I didn't expect a Shakesperian presentation, to be fair. I got exactly what I paid for, in those departments.

Boiling these things down: The game has the potential to be engaging and entertaining, if the raw mechanics didn't drag the progression to an intolerable slog.

Things might be better with some kind of controller, but if you're a hardened keyboard-and-mouse player like myself - save yourself the grief and pass.

I love the Star Ocean IP, but this could have been done ~much~ better.

I cannot recommend, at least for the PC. Controls are anti-intuitive, requiring surgical precision to simply open chests. Automatic view and targeting options are non-existent. Monsters can easily interrupt your attacks, but you can barely (if ever) interrupt theirs. Anti-Blindside Game Mechanics: Why? Why even? Your split-second timing is rewarded with a crit to the face? Really? Bounce off the armor, to be sure, but punishment for accuracy in such a critical (no pun intended) game element? Boss Fights: Don't make any plans for the next half hour, and that's just a single attempt. Main character can sprint a total of 10 feet before getting tired (I'm fat and old, and I can still sprint 100 yards before I need to admit that I'm having a heart attack). Main character cannot climb anything - only jump down. Main character cannot step over any landscape feature larger than a dead squirrel, and will hang up upon encountering said landscape feature. Flying opponents will freely engage the group, though the group (despite having ranged weapons) cannot engage the flying opponents. What's more: Flying opponents will float along, completely ignoring you, despite all of your best efforts to attract them to combat... until you've passed under them - at which point they will ambush you from behind, despite your wariness of their existance and eagerness to engage them in combat. Those are the nits. The story is kinda meh. The plot is kinda meh. I didn't expect a Shakesperian presentation, to be fair. I got exactly what I paid for, in those departments. Boiling these things down: The game has the potential to be engaging and entertaining, if the raw mechanics didn't drag the progression to an intolerable slog. Things might be better with some kind of controller, but if you're a hardened keyboard-and-mouse player like myself - save yourself the grief and pass. I love the Star Ocean IP, but this could have been done ~much~ better.