The presentation of E33 is so incredible, so *obviously* tremendous, that I almost don't think it's worth talking about. The environments are rich and varied, the music is in a league of its own, the combat effects are extremely satisfying, and the introduction is one of the strongest I've ever seen. Accordingly, while you read the rest of this review, know that I think the game is worth checking out on these points alone.

The combat systems are solid, with the turn-based mechanics having been heavily inspired by the latest Persona entries. It's fast, fluid, and can be easily controlled via mouse & keyboard despite the game's claim that it's played better with a controller. The number of party members is somewhat limited, though each has a unique meta mechanic with a number of distinct skills to unlock and choose from as you level. Weapons have progressively-unlocked synergies that alter how your characters function. Up to three items called pictos can be equipped as a form of special bonuses, that can be unlocked after a time to allow any character to equip them as lumina. The amount of lumina you can equip is determined by a separate capacity which is increased with a commonly-found item over time. This allows for a lot of character growth as the game progresses, though I found myself finding a comfortable build by mid-game and "merely" enhancing it through to the end; this kind of hampered the combat variety in my game. Just about every enemy attack can be dodged or parried, which is just about mandatory to engage with due to the amount of damage enemies can put out. I was able to manage *mostly* fine with dodging, despite generally being bad at timing attacks in video games. The more proficient among you will parry your way to an easy victory, in which case you should consider the harder difficulty setting. It sucks that enemies don't have visible levels, as I was often left guessing if I should engage with certain side content now or later.

The character development for the most significant two party members is so wonderful that it really carries the bulk of the game's narrative. Without delving into spoilers (which is *very* difficult in discussing this topic), I found myself really attached to them, their backstories, their motivations, and their performances. The other party members are great, but comparatively fall short in character development, especially as it intertwines with the story - they feel more like side characters as a result. There are also friendly non-human characters who feel so wonderfully designed that you can't help but be endeared by them.

I do have some issues with the narrative as experienced through the bulk of the game. There's a lot of mystery throughout the adventure, but the reveals felt slow to arrive and incomplete when they did. I found myself frustrated at times with some of the concepts and ideas being presented, as they felt poorly explored despite being so significant to the plot and characters. Again, it is so hard to articulate without immediately getting into major spoilers, but I would sum up with saying that the narrative was too loose - there's an execution stumble here that left me wanting. That said, it was at least still reasonably interesting, having well avoided the mortal sin of being boring.

All in all a lovely game. Not perfect, but what is?