Short (I 100%ed it in about 11 hours, and that's a fairly long playtime for this game) and solid but not amazing mechanically, but the storytelling was fantastic and really spoke to me. Faced subject matter I never expected a game from a major publisher like Arc System Works to engage with, and with a lot of power and sensitivity to boot.

Suffice it to say that as emotionally difficult as it was (I cried), this game touched me enough that I'm actually sad I've hit 100% completion because I don't want to say goodbye to J.J. and Emily yet, and that if SWERY were ever to return to these characters and show us what they get up to after the events of this game I'd be all over it.

I will say, while there's a light at the end of the tunnel, this game hit me like a truck and messed me up but good and I still can't get the bleedin' theme song out of my head. The constant cycle of death and rebirth is a fitting gameplay mechanic given how much this game hurts, so be forewarned. Though it might also be exactly what you needed.

Short (I 100%ed it in about 11 hours, and that's a fairly long playtime for this game) and solid but not amazing mechanically, but the storytelling was fantastic and really spoke to me. Faced subject matter I never expected a game from a major publisher like Arc System Works to engage with, and with a lot of power and sensitivity to boot. Suffice it to say that as emotionally difficult as it was (I cried), this game touched me enough that I'm actually sad I've hit 100% completion because I don't want to say goodbye to J.J. and Emily yet, and that if SWERY were ever to return to these characters and show us what they get up to after the events of this game I'd be all over it. I will say, while there's a light at the end of the tunnel, this game hit me like a truck and messed me up but good and I still can't get the bleedin' theme song out of my head. The constant cycle of death and rebirth is a fitting gameplay mechanic given how much this game hurts, so be forewarned. Though it might also be exactly what you needed.