It's a hot, unfinished mess, but the good elements shine through. To get the bad out of the way, this is the ugliest game of the XIII trilogy. It has many unused and unpolished assets, and two of the main locations you visit are 50% empty (desert and plains). One of the five main story segments (the one I was looking forward to the most) has that type of ending where you realize that nothing of significance was accomplished. The combat also needs some polish. It took me roughly 5 hours of trial and error to understand it let alone use it well.

With that said, this is my favorite game of the trilogy. Despite the lackluster graphics, the two main cities you visit are my favorite locations of the trilogy. They have a lot of personality and culture to them. Despite my gripes with some of the story beats, Lightning Returns has what I think is a very satisfying conclusion. I believe the developers once said they wanted an ending where Lightning could finally smile. Let's just say they pulled it off. However the side stories also deserve some praise as they give you a lot of insight to the NPCs who have been stuck in basically limbo for centuries. They were surprisingly emotional and satisfying. Finally, while the combat is way too different from the previous XIII games I became addicted to finding good combinations of fighting styles that you can equip. While I've never cared much of customizing characters it was satisfying to find battle attire that not only was effective in battle, but looked good in combat. Also worth mentioning is that the time limit is not as bad as you would initially suspect, and even becomes fun after you better understand it and the mechanics used to freeze time.

Overall I really enjoyed the game, but I understand that it will be a frustrating experience for many. I would recommend this title only to those who want to experience the conclusion of the XIII trilogy, and frankly I think you will not be disappointed.