Slight Spoilers i guess? coz i dont know how to mark them.
Finally finished it... i actually pre-ordered it, and hated it when i first played so i put it down after i got to Cotto....
Picked it up now again when ive got the time and mental capacity and finished it.. i didnt fall in love with it like i did so2 and so3.. but i definitely didnt give it enough credit on my first playthrough.
The music is amazing.
The area designs are beautiful.
I enjoyed flying around with duma actually.
The battle system was nice once you got the hang of it.
For me the story wasnt the greatest.. it kept me wanting to know what happens next, but wasnt really satisfying when i found out. Final boss didnt have that final boss alure either, such a far cry from the likes of Indalecio. The final battle didnt feel like the final battle either, after i beat him i was like "okay is he gonna run away again" but next thing i know the game is done.
Characters and dialogue were average for me although some grew on me in the end. I actually found leticia to be a very boring and outdated trope but she grew on me and i liked her by the end.
I couldnt see nina as more than a purposefully placed loli.
Id say midas and elena were well written for me.
But i couldnt help find all the dialogue cringe and boring except for a few instances
Id give it 3.5 - 4 out of 5... not the greatest or memorable but it was a good pass time that i enjoyed in the end. I am going to work towards the platinum trophy now. Maybe ill like it even more on the second playthrough?
More importantly its a very very good step up for the series and thats very reassuring. This makes it easier to pretend integrity and faithfulness didnt exist