So HM Echoes of Teradea was delivered to my door 2 days before the release date. I was hopeful that this game would be better than the last Natsume game I tried (Light of Hope).
Well, folks, I'm not even through the first day tutorial and here's my thoughts. There really won't be any spoilers here because I'm going to be talking more about controls and mechanics than actual game content.
The very first thing I noticed is how long every. Single. Loading. Screen. Is. And they put a loading screen on EVERYTHING. I feel like I'm playing Tree of Tranquility again it's so bad. Like you finish a dialogue? Loading screen. Walk through a door? Loading screen. Attempt to walk into a locked area? Loading screen. Genuinely nearly unplayable.
The second thing I noticed is that, while the character art is better than Light of Hope, the characters are doing the same stupid facial expressions and repetitive movements that I absolutely DESPISED in Light of Hope.
The world from what I've seen is essentially empty. The controls are slow and dragging. It takes forever for the camera to pan.
I've talked to a couple of townsfolk and while I can see that they're setting the stage for the story, it feels lifeless and unemotional. None of the characters stick out to me as intriguing in any capacity.
I will be the first to say, I'm a tough crowd to please, but my god even the worst SOS title is better than this based on controls and loading screens alone.
My recommendation? Stick with Marvelous. I regret my pre-order and I honestly doubt I'll play this game for more than a couple hours.
ETA: Playing on the switch - maybe controls are better on different systems!