I have a LOT to say about this game!

The melancholy music that plays during several parts of the game is one of the best songs I've seen in a game. The vocal version (see Spotify or the game's trailer) is even better.

This is one of those rare games that doesn't use levels. After most fights, you're given a choice between an item and regaining SP. Since SP is used for all your cool moves, and the game rarely gives you an opportunity to rest and recover, you're going to want that SP. In a nice twist, sometimes the item on offer is a unique accessory.

You're going to want those accessories, and any other equipment you can scrounge up, because this game also doesn't have money or shops where you can buy new gear. Instead, you can find (or improve!) your equipment by scouring the maps for treasure chests, completing the many side-quests, and keeping an eye out on secret passages. If you neglect that, the battles will be much harder.

And they were already pretty difficult, even though I took my own advice. You'll want to figure out what each of the six characters is good at. For example, Ivan LITERALLY will not equip a weapon or use any damaging items from the inventory. However, he can boost the entire group's stats and cure almost any condition. Plus, his Boost command (which gives one ally a random benefit) doesn't cost anything to use. Since SP recovery is a rare thing, you'll need to think through each battle about just how much of your SP you can bear to part with.

I don't have much in the way of complaints. Combat, while rare, is also longer than it needs to be. There's brief delays between activating a power and seeing it execute. If you buff multiple people, you have to wait a second for a dialogue box to clear for each ally. Ivan's ultimate power raises THREE stats for ALL party members, which gives you enough time to check your notifications on social media.

And the final dungeon seemed a little long, especially with the boss having more than one phase.

But those are small potatoes in the light of what the game has to say, what that means, and how well they execute the story. My time with these characters was engaging, if often painful, and the message of hope keeps the story from dragging into pointlessness.

I highly recommend checking out this game!