Gonna be honest, I went into this game with low expectations but thought I'd give it a shot anyways. And MAN was I wrong. Despite a few relatively minor criticisms (such as random encounters being too frequent, even with encounter decreasers) the game was such a refreshing experience to play.
First off, the soundtrack (which was my main draw to the game, given the tracks of MS+) was an absolute banger and by far, my greatest praise for this game. It not only sound great but also does a really good job of setting the tone of different events and encounters throughout the story. The various characters were unique, memorable, relatable, and overall, well written (I really liked Hygluk's character arc the most). The humor was pretty good and the game is self aware enough to know when to not overdo it. The graphics are serviceable, but the game doesn't use it as a crutch. In terms of combat, the game doesn't strive to be innovative (aside from some of the gimmick fights, which were pretty cool), but it is clear that its not the main point of the game anyways.
One of the things that makes or breaks an RPG game (or any game for that matter) is its ability to keep me meaningfully engaged. I felt that the game always had something to surprise me with, whether it was something funny or plot-related. As of writing this, I have completed the game including all sidequests and secret encounters, which shows that the game was able to do that well.
I've yapped for far too long so I will conclude with the following: This game truly is a hidden gem and I hope that more people can find and play it. I don't think I will be forgetting this game for a long time. If you are reading this, Jorel, thank you for creating such a memorable and soulful game. It might sound funny that aside from Deltarune, I genuinely struggled to find an RPG game that kept me engaged enough to not quit it a couple of hours in. I am eagerly looking forward to playing whatever you may put out in the future.
Final rating: 7.5/10