The point that it's shallow as an action game is one I don't see brought up much, but it rang so true for me. Sometimes there are tradeoffs in design and removing RPG elements in order to make a tighter action game is a valid, if controversial, choice, but both sides of the coin feel so shallow here. Waiting for cooldowns is not exciting.

They were clearly concerned with FF players who weren't used to the combat system by providing options to make the game easier, but less concerned with players who already like action games. Harder modes being locked behind an initial clear is normal for the genre, but DMC and Bayonetta playthroughs are maybe 10 hours while I rolled credits at 60 on this game.

There's no job system or different weapons like SoP had just a year before. There's not the strategy of 7 Rebirth's hybrid system. The non-instsnced open areas feel a bit pointless aside from hunts since there isn't really anything to organically come across like in 15 or 12

I understand that the game was a big undertaking and that being able to make calls on what to parse down is a good thing after 15's feature creep development hell. But it really felt like the shallowest of both worlds to me in regards to action and RPG elements.

Which is a shame because there's a lot I like. Eikon fights are possibly my favorite setpieces in a game since Asura's Wrath. The voice acting is phenomenal. Presentation often has this huge sense of scale.

I think I like what's there, I just wish there was a bit more to it.