Currently Online 
I was unsure about three things early on in this game, things that worried me. The loose narrative, the gameplay which looked like TW3 and very basic and Atsu's appearance which I thought would be a sign similar to DA Veilgaurd and some shite modern politics would find it's way into the writing.
All three fears have been alievated and this game has a 10 written all over it, perhaps not a masterpiece as the English Dub amongst a few minor gripes I have yet to see if they permeate the entirety of the game.
The loose structure actually works, not once have I felt like I was following the main path and doing side quests along the way but a feeling as just exploring I have been doing the main quest, it's my story. No following map markers just incredible that they got this to work and in some ways better than RDR2 which had paving issues because it tried to do this while also hanging onto GTA3 mission design. As for the narrative it has revealed itself to be a case where I now care for Atsu and I'm routing along her revenge, it's not fantastic but it feels the same as the open world, fluid but also tight at the same time. Vast but not overwhelming. It has moment like the Low Roar songs in Death Stranding 1 and the riding bits in RDR2 that hit hard, not quite at the level of those games but more like Death Stranding 2.
Atsu is not the best looking charscter but she has won me over, She reminds me of Geralt. That said her VA is nagging as an adult but repulsive as a child. Japanese subtitles would alleviate this but I don't want to be taking my eyes off the screen in such a gorgeous game.
As for the combat, it is basic but it feels so good and it really depends on the difficulty. Lethal difficulty forces you to engage and stay focused, it makes you do the stealth and the narrative also doesn't make you feel bad for stealthy styles of play and also the stealth has been improved dramatically. Swapping weapons is just basically a stance change but you aren't forced into swapping, they just work better for certain situations. My only complaint is the Disarm mechanic, it's such an annoying counter that I just dodge it and if you fail, you're dead instantly.
I feel bad for the people boycotting this game. There is no signs (At least 14 hours in) that modern politics was inserted nor is the writing terrible. If this does happen, I now know I won't care cause the game has already cemented it's philosophy. It would have to be a ridiculous turn of events like Atsu saying she's non binary out of nowhere.
Last edited by LegitHyperbole - on 08 October 2025
