It's definitely a masterpiece. Unlocking the Jet Mode has added a completely new dimension to the game for me, akin to unlocking the Skells and, later, their flight module: it completely changes the way you traverse the world, making it extremely enjoyable just to go from point A to point B. Prior to that I was getting a little burnt by the usual teleport just to visit some character, or location, speak/battle/collect and get back to the city to complete the mission and get the reward. The routine of getting a mission, popping up the map, teleporting, metting the objectives, popping up the map again, teleporting again, etc. after dozens of hours and side missions was starting to bore me. But with the Hraesvelg jet mode its so fast and enojable to get to any part of the world that now I travel that way to almost every destination, even if it takes longer that teleporting, just for the joy of it. Also, I can spend hours just flying, passing down arcs or big enemies, making loopings and just enjoying the beautiful world from my Hraelsvelg cockpit, to the point the game has almost become a flight simulator for me.
To point some small flaws, I would just mention:
- There are TOO MANY side missions. Even if many of them are really meaningful and imply very interesting ethical/political debates, I would have prefered that they ditched some of the simpler ones. I know that these are optional, but you never know if one side mission is going to be awesome or meh and, since there is so much content, I've came to a point where the "meh" side missions have become a non-enjojable step that I try to complete as fast as possible just to get rid of them.
- Having collission detection with the mobile objects in NLA (cars, helicopters, skells...) would have been nice. I still don't get used to be walking through a road with my characters and being passed through by a car with no consecuences =P
- Just for the wishlist, I would have loved if they had included something like simple "races" or speed challenges to add a little more variety to the gameplay, since all the "ingredients" are there to make it work. From time to time I find myself thinking how cool would have been to have a character that challenges you to go from point A to point B with the Hraelsver Jet Mode, or with the Skells' vehicle forms, or even walking, in a limited time. It's something very simple to implement that would add a lot of variety and enjoyment to the experience. You could have even included "pass through the rings" like challenges, ala Starfox/Pilotwings!
- Oh and, like in Breath of the Wild, I would have loved to have missions to rebuild/finish the construction of NLA: I can't stop thinking on those unfinished roads and how cool would be to see the city grow and change phisically with new roads and buildings popping in the "free" space left.
So these are my 4 main critizisms with the game. Aside from that, I love every inch of it. So much, that I'm already feeling the need to stop writing and get hands on with my Switch =D
P.S.: Edited because I just came across with another of these filler missions I mentioned previously... A guy in North LA ("Julian" I think) just made me go FOUR TIMES back and forth between him and a concrete insect colony on Cauldros to kill first 1, then 2, then 4 and then 6 enemies of the same type. I killed and go back to him just to get asked to do exactly the same thing over and over again. I do not deny that the side-story reasons for it can be interesting, but gameplay wise, making someone go back and forth over and over again is a terrible decision. Wouldn't have been better just to desing the mission in any other way? For example, just update the mission on the go telling me to go to a diferent nearby point to kill the increased individual number of enemies, but not forcing me to either travel dozens of miles back to the guy who requested it or pop in and out the minimap and teleport over an over again... Good that there are so many awesome side missions, but the design of the lesser relevant ones is truly anoying...
Last edited by Zarkho - on 24 April 2025
