For BOFIII, my main problem is that the first half is really good and the second is disappointing because of it. In part one you deal with a very personal conflict with a very real, tangible threat constantly looming in the background, and an epic final showdown with them near the end. The best parts of the second half are when loose threads from the first half are resolved. While the more overarching story is interesting on paper, the game never sets it up properly - and does it really poorly if compared to the masterful pacing of the first half. You’re told you need to go kill God suddenly, you don’t ever really get to see why it’s so important, and a lot of stuff just comes out of nowhere later on. What I’m saying is, the God plot would have worked much better if it had been better represented from the start, so that you’re driven do see it to the end as much as you were driven to kick Balio and Sunder’s fused ass once they were cornered.

Though the reasons I prefer IV are many, I will say I feel the game does this element better too, since you have plenty of build up for what comes later as you go along. And yes, Fou Lu’s Story is done better, but then there’s stuff like Ershin’s arc or the reveal of what happened to Elina that can hit very hard - much harder than the final bit of BoFIII did to me.