Gameplaywise 2nd one was better than the 3rd which was better than the first.
Half the fights in the 1st one are still introducing you to the mechanics, so there's only one way to win. It's less like an RPG than it is a puzzle until half way through at which point the combat opens up.
The 2nd one is the best in terms of combat because it gives you a full set of tools and battles are varied enough that there is no universal FOOS (First Order Optimal Strategy). The battles require you to pay attention and think about what you're doing. It's pretty damn fun.
The third one is theoretically just as open and demanding as the second one, but because of some of your new moves there's a FOOS that works until the very last few fights
Daystar, Gnome, regular attack until you have enough to Meditate (if necessary), Meditate, Slyph/Fallen Angel Dance or Undine depending on the enemy, attack until you can Daystar again while healing and refreshing summons as necessary, repeat until victory.
And the 2nd to final boss can be locked into pattern that can't kill you.
Storywise it's pretty good throughout. It's a really simple and standard type of JRPG story, but it's told really well and spends as much time fully embracing certain tropes of the genre as it does poking fun at them.
All-in-all as a game, not as porn and not as just a porn game, I found it to be a pretty quality series.
Log in to comment