This game had a story, set of characters, setting, atmosphere, and music that I will never forget. Getting to know Stella and her friends and family through this medium was very special and deeply affecting; every single emotional moment landed for me, and I teared up multiple times throughout, most especially when saying goodbye to Stella herself. However, the gameplay itself got to feel like a bit of a grind by the end, and I don’t see many ways to organically play it to make it feel like less of one. It became mostly checklist-filling and repeating processes often, and by the very endgame when I only had a couple of passengers, I was filling the time until the next quest checkpoint arose. Also, and I'm not sure there is really a solution for this other than a complete overhaul, the islands ultimately left a lot to be desired. I understand the need to give the map a lot of space and places to land, but so many of these areas felt desolate, even the ones that were supposed to be the more bustling ones. These are the only reasons that it’s not a full-on 10 out of 10, perfect game, all-time favorite. Even still, those emotional moments will be with me always.
Reviewed on Sunday, March 26th, 2023, 12:12pm.
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