Atelier Sophie 2 ~The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream~ – Gameplay-wise there wasn’t any issue, it’s exactly what you’d expect from the franchise in terms of gathering/crafting and the combat is basically the same as the first Sophie game. The problem is the visuals; everything is very zoomed-in to the point I kind of felt like I was playing an emulated N64 game.
Bravely Default II – This game, meanwhile, has a decent field of vision but unfortunately suffers from incredibly dumb character behavior. Ended up shutting it off in disgust mid-cutscene.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox – Chronologically taking place after the earlier Ys games (Dogi lookin’ real old) this one also features some dumb character behavior. Not enough to be a deal killer on its own, but when combined with the lack of environmental variety (you’re trapped in a single town and its subterranean tunnels) certainly starts tipping the scales in the wrong direction. A bigger issue personally however is the combat; it’s extremely fast-paced and heavy on enemy numbers. To the point where Flash Guard/Dodge can’t really be used strategically in non-boss fights and you’re often reduced to just button-mashing to clear everything out.
Partway through the third chapter at the moment and unsure I want to bother pressing on. Think I’m going to take a break to poke at Elden Ring for a bit instead, maybe if I bounce off that game like I did Sekiro and the original Dark Souls (while I’m fond of Souls-like games, actual Souls games tend to just feel clunky to me) I’ll give it a second chance.