My game of the year and honestly it’s not even close. Belle Epoque France reimagined as this doomed fantasy world hooked me from the first hour and never let go. Floating brass metros, painterly streets, the Paintress counting down humanity’s final years. Every year she paints a number and everyone that age dies. The expedition trying to stop her before she reaches zero.
The combat system is the best turn-based combat I’ve experienced in years. It mixes strategic planning with reactive timing in a way that feels completely fresh. You queue up your skills but then you have to nail timed blocks and critical presses during execution. It’s not button mashing and it’s not purely menu driven. It’s this perfect rhythm where reading enemy patterns and timing your responses becomes second nature. Parrying a brushstroke attack feels incredible every single time. The stance system forces you to actually think about party composition and element swapping mid-fight. You can’t autopilot through this game and that’s exactly what makes it special.
Each encounter feels meaningful. Rewards mastery.
The atmosphere is what sealed it for me though. That thick melancholy hanging over everything but punctuated by genuine warmth in the party banter. Every district told deeper stories through environmental details and NPC conversations. The dialogue never missed. It walks this perfect line between existential dread and human levity without ever feeling inconsistent or forced. These characters feel real and their bonds matter.
The art direction is breathtaking. The painterly visual style doesn’t just capture Belle Epoque aesthetics, it elevates them into something dreamlike and haunting. Combat effects are striking and beautiful without cluttering the screen. Every frame could be a painting. The soundtrack complements the melancholy without overwhelming the moment. It knows when to swell and when to pull back.
I spent forty-two hours to platinum and savored every moment. The quality never dipped. Not once. The art direction stayed consistent, the combat kept introducing new tactical wrinkles, and the story built to a genuinely satisfying conclusion. The side content wasn’t filler. It was substantial and tied back into the main themes in meaningful ways.
The JRPG I’ve been waiting for. Fresh combat system, unforgettable setting, perfect execution from start to finish. Sandrock Studios came out of nowhere and delivered a masterpiece. Game of the year 2025.