PSYCHOBABBLE

Bandai Namco’s latest original game aims high—this is an action-RPG hybrid festooned with Devil May Cry-like swordplay and Monster Hunter weak spot targeting, bottled up in an epic narrative that seems to explore a new high-concept sci-fi theme with every chapter. In the margins you’ll find a Persona-ish relationship system, an interlocking network of psionic powers, and a boatload of frilly, cosmetic customization options. It’s a wonder how close it comes to pulling all of that off at once.

You take control of either Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall, two young members of a paramilitary fighting force called the OSF. They’re tasked with exterminating horrific, eldritch beings known only as The Others who are laying siege to our futuristic, mysterious, and slightly uncanny society. Both characters have their own full campaigns that crisscross at certain junkets, giving players a lot of content to chew through once they finish their initial trip through the plot. (Like many other games and, um, , there are plenty of lore-bombs hiding out in each of those crusades.)