Review: Kai no Kiseki

Honestly, this game deserved its own blog post for how I felt and experiences during the 110hrs of playtime.

This was, in totality, one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. From beginning to end, this title was a thriller character drama that tied together the “world”.

That is how I feel as the credits roll across my screen. My emotions are an amalgamate of happiness, satisfaction, sadness, grief, awe and a number of other messy emotions. And through that confusing storm of emotions all I can think is, there is nothing like Kiseki in the world. It is my single-most beloved work and this game feels like a love letter to that passion.

Right from the start of the game, the story holds no punches in setting the tone and atmosphere. And from there, it feels there is a new reveal, some new pay-off in every act of every chapter. The writing in every aspect between the main story, the bonding events, the character dynamics, the side quests, the Grim Garten Remembrance's feels poignant and purposeful. Arkride Solutions Office truly embody the feeling of a "found family" throughout this game and the character writing between them is at its best within this game. I cannot speak enough about how much care was put into depicting how close this beautiful family has come, and how well Falcom depicted their beautiful everyday life. Class VII finally returns and in such a focused manner-- marking the route as a fluid continuation of Sen IV and Hajimari. I genuinely felt like I was "home" seeing Rean, Crow, Altina, Fie, Towa and Mint! on screen again. Their growth, their journey and the pay-off of their experiences are so emotionally captivating. You can see the weight of their journey and their response to the "future" they secured through so much despair. And we can't forget the Imperial Picnic Front also returning as villains.. villains of the culinary world that is. Picking right up from Hajimari and 3rd, Rufus and Kevin are a sight to behold alongside Nadia, Swin and Lapis. And while I could sit here and expound on how much their conversations genuinely put a smile on my face or made me laugh, this was true for all th cast members in every route. It was so much fun seeing this rotating cast on screen because it genuinely felt like "Kiseki is home". There was an undeniable focus on delivering a tight experience between these characters and Falcom absolutely delivered. It was something Kondo had even mentioned in a pre-release interview and I'm glad to see it come to fruition with such impact.

And wow, the combat in this game is phenomenal. I'm a little biased because I retain Sen still has the best gameplay but this game is so much fun to play, and their newest additions between ZOC and the on-field transformations are a thrill. And a lot of the gameplay adjustments make SHARD skills in Command Battle so addicting. On top of that, Grim Garten is so much fun. Hajimari's Corridors are still my favorite but Grim Garten is such a significant improvement over Marchen Gartnen. Despite not disliking Marchen Garten, it felt like something was missing and Grim Garten bridges that gap brilliantly. I'm also a huge fan of Simeon and Mare's aesthetic taste if I'm being honest.. transforming it into "The Demon King's Castle" and giving us our "Adventurer's Respite" as a collective camp was ridiculously clever. Before I forget, this is the best Kiseki has ever looked. Between the character models, the world, the environments, the animations, the S-craft's, it is crafted with love, care and precision. And seeing this game as it is after 10 years of being a passionate fan is euphoric. It feels so fulfilling to see Falcom deliver such a beautiful work. That isn't to say I dislike how the prior one's look, in fact, I'm probably one of the few freaks of nature that just love the Sen 1/2 visuals but man, this game does look good. It evokes in me how I felt going from Sen 2 to Sen 3, then Sen 4 to Hajimari, then Hajimari to Kuro.

That OST as well.. man. I really do love the tracks as a whole this time around. KOGUCHI THOUGH? BATTLE JUNCTION 1209 I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Koguchi, Jindo and Sonoda absolutely knocked it out of the park this game, and don't get me started on the absolute one-two combo of the final dungeon theme, and the final boss track. Good lord. GOOD LORD AHHHHHHHHH- We are blessed by the undisputed king even beyond wherever he is right now. It's also hard to bring up Falcom OST's without bringing up Singa but I felt that shifting to using Koguchi more was a brilliant choice for this arc in particular. His composition style fits the feel of Calvard, the Arkride Solutions Office and this arc in context of the world, the best. Overall though man, this game was such a treat to listen to. The crispness of the sound effects, the "alien", futuristic almost modern feel of the OST combined with the impending sense of change throughout each track was just the icing on such a tantalizing cake.

All of that is to say, I had a number of expectations going into this game between reading and translating every single new interview, piece of information whether it came from Japan or China, Famitsu reveals and spending hours, upon hours on this title prior to launch (over)-analyzing all the marketing we were fed. As well as doing what I do best and committing to my yearly replay of the series to prepare myself for this game. The joy I had felt leading up to this game was only surpassed by playing the game itself. I genuinely believe this. Kuro II, I believe was great but there were certainly missteps that made the game feel more like an interlude at times. However, Kai no Kiseki feels like the genuine sequel to both of those entries. It is a genuine step forward for the world of Zemuria, the player and Falcom themselves. It is a love letter and a promise to continue delivering impactful stories with a world, characters, players and devs impassioned by a 20 year journey. And all I can feel is a profound happiness, and gratefulness that I could experience this journey.

I wish I could erase the last five days to experience it again. However, that would be disingenuous. The journey each of us have experienced in Zemuria, whether good or bad, is our own personal treasure. And rather than favor a grand reset for ourselves, to hope that someone else may experience this journey once more is what I believe is at the core of Kai no Kiseki - Farewell, O Zemuria.

This game is one of my top 5 favorites, without doubt. (Top 2 even!) And I am eagerly, with every passing day, looking forward to wherever the next step in this journey takes us.

The End is the Beginning, and the Beginning is the End.