yeah, re: the magical gameshow - it was very boring and even yucky to put so much emphasis on "royal magic" that takes control of the destiny of the entire state, even in the physical absence of any royals. I guess it just felt so nonsensical, especially compared to some of the more grounded aspects of the writing that I was enjoying before that moment.

Big journey across the world with your pals does sound pretty great tbh. The fast travel thing does sound annoying, but I'm very used to ignoring the fast travel in games for the most part, just because I tend to enjoy it more that way, so maybe I could get away with doing that here as well.

I've had another look through my finances and there's no way I can afford it this month, so I think I'll just channel this energy into playing Yakuza Like a Dragon (which I got on a steep sale a while ago, and still haven't given it a fair go), or FFVII. I'll see maybe I pick up the "Golden" version a few years later and have a fun time with it. Or maybe I won't give a shit by then, which is also cool.