the graphics are extremely good, but so is the cinematography.
every sydney scene just has killer camerawork.
The opening prologue alone gets that across too, and the protagonist would fit right into an action movie. Ashley Riot basically starts as a sword wielding James Bond-style secret agent, and then - similar to Casino Royale (2006) - the events of the game deconstruct him a bit and asks "What makes a person like this, unfazed by danger and unyielding in their service to the state; a cool, methodical killing machine."
I adore the way the game plays, but I'll admit that progression can feel clunky now; the elaborate gear-training system was very unique - and still kinda is, honestly - but it was straining what was capable on the Playstation, I think. You're forced to save constantly just to interact with your stash of items and the blacksmithing mechanics. I still have my memory card from high school with a 200+ hour save file, and the sheer number of times I must have saved to that one file has to be well in to the thousands.
You don't *have* to min-max and grind, but about halfway into the game you'll start noticing you do practically zero damage to bosses without specialized weapons. (To be fair, if you start prioritizing which weapons and gear to use against certain types of enemies right from the start you don't have to grind too much, but no one knows that the first time through).
The combo system means you can still slaughter any enemy with correct timing - wearing them down with escalating combo modifiers - but that's easier said than done, and the game has a RISK meter that builds up that amps both the damage you do and the damage you take when you go hogwild chaining strikes and defends, so it's a (sorry) high risk/high-reward option.
I think the biggest downside I see from most people who have tried it are the puzzle box rooms. Most major areas have one or two geometric stacking riddles to solve, with a variety of cubes with different movement options. (This one can be picked up and placed, these can only be slid along set paths, yadda yadda). They aren't everyone's jam, and while I understand they wanted something to break up the combat a bit so it didn't feel monotonous, these just don't have anything to do with the rest of the game. Feels like a hat on a hat, sometimes.
All of that said, if pressed to actually pick a favorite on the system, this is the best PSX game to me.
