It might have sustainable replay in a decade or so. But fundamentally JA3 is a lite 0 calorie version of its predecessors. I know we are in the age of console games and simplification of all gameplay- and certainly there were loads of UI issues in JA1 and JA2 that nostalgia goggles make people forget (my page print out for keyboard shortcuts of JA2 1.13 was 12 pages. 12 pages) but it feels like they tore the engine out of the car instead of taking off the turbo's. If you want to play a mercenary management and tactical strategy game with the same complexity and variance as say, XCOM 2, you should absolutely give this game a try. It /is/ decent, but allow me to explain why I thumb it down:

There are two viable play styles: Door camping kung fu, and long sniper fire. Everything else will end up in a miserable experience. The inventory system has become far too oversimplified. The amount of weapon availability was deeply disappointing. How ammunition and equipment is managed provides headaches and sadness rather than interest in tactical planning. I've restarted this game twice after two major updates broke mods which made the game at least tolerable to play through, and I was no longer interested in getting 70% of the way through the campaign for the third time knowing that the fights would go more or less the exact same and I would be utilizing the same equipment. I enjoyed taking and defending towns, but the exploration of the towns felt so lacking and disappointing- towns were staffed with caricatures instead of characters, with few having any endearing charm or forever-quotable one liners.

I wish the towns people had the same level of attention as the Mercs did. In JA2, I felt like I was exploring a proper RPG such as Baldur's Gate 2 or Neverwinter Nights or Fallout. In JA3, it feels more like Shadowrun: Hong Kong or other very on-rails lite-RPG experiences, where the world is beautifully detailed but barely interactible. It led to me feeling as though I was exploring a painting or a pantomime of an island, rather than an actual bustling place with its own personality.

Everything feels like it lacks that final push. The websites of the built in AIM laptop serve no real functions and most are offline- a vestigial homage to JA2, but really feels more insulting and lackluster by half-implementing them. The lack of Bobby Ray's at release reveals a core issue- there's just not enough variations in weaponry and tactics. Tactical variation is about as deep as XCOM2, rather than the original Microprose X-Com that had dozens and dozens of variations. There are some very clever and fun elements in here for long-time fans- guest appearances, quest-locked mercs, and a fun and clever way to obtain Gus Tarballs of JA1 and 2 fame. Rather than elevating this game to perfection, they feel like floater-noodles designed to keep a product afloat.

The small but loyal community of people who have replayed JA2 for over 20 years, and I must admit I am one of them, will be left feeling like you're constantly playing a demo of a much deeper and larger game, with dozens of gameplay features waiting to be implemented. But no, this is it- and for all its charm, chuckles, and class, it is ultimately lacking in its current form. However, I sincerely hope that the success of this game leads to sequels that will provide a far deeper gameplay experience.

JA3 is a blend of pretty hardcore TBS with moderately hardcore CRPG elements (dialogue choices/alternate paths/crafting). It asks A LOT more from the player than typical TBS-with-strategy-layer games but this is what gives it its magic. Not always perfect, especially when it comes to UI, but gripes are minor (and a bunch has been added/fixed since I've played).

Highly, highly recommend. And good for multiple playthroughs!

Note: I was only vaguely aware of JA1 and 2 so can’t comment on how well this captures the nostalgia. So sorry if they retconned the color of Mario’s hat or whatever. 🙄

Brings back a lot of the JA2 vibes, really hits the spot. Lots of great callbacks, good writing, good mechanics and quality of life UX stuff. So many modern sequels don't hold up, but this refreshingly does.