Recent reviews by Ash Holiday

Berseria is a game with a multitude of ups and downs, but in the end it ultimately shines.
The characters are engrossing and their exploits are always a treat in the here-and-now, with the story's willingness to "go there" a pleasant surprise. However, the main villain's motivation and role in the ulterior plot felt flat and one-dimensional to me, which cheapened the story's climax somewhat.
The combat system is fast and fluid. The tide of battle going back and forth is highlighted by the landing of status effects transferring precious resources as well. Its only flaw is that it sometimes feels immersion-breaking to have to edit your button setup to accommodate each different enemy type or else risk losing super-effective damage multipliers.
Equipment's benefits can be mastered to keep part of the effects, which is either a positive or a negative depending on your outlook. On one hand, it's a neat idea to be able to master every armor and amass passive bonuses, but on the other hand, you can basically never wear up-to-date gear until you're finished mastering everything you have.
The map design is also one of its weakest points. Places feel samey enough to make you want to avoid fights just to get through them. Overall, I feel that its predecessor, Zestiria, nailed the world-building much better (both geographically and story-wise), but Berseria nailed the characterization much better. After all, in the end, it's not Adventure_Field_Map_13 that you'll remember long after you finish, it's characters like Eizen and Magilou.

My relationship with this game is odd. For a time, I felt negatively about it because some of the story elements' impact on me were dulled by some unfortunate spoilers... but in retrospect, I can't blame the game - when viewed objectively, it's great (possibly even near-Undertale level).
Story - 5/5 - Great mix of lighthearted and dark; hopeless and hopeful.
Gameplay - 4/5 - Nothing novel, but it plays the "point and click adventure" well. Puzzles make more logical sense than most adventure games, and no item or solution is too obscure. What really makes this game shine is its blending of gameplay and story - without spoiling it, there are elements that break the fourth wall and require interaction you might not expect. This element alone would have earned its Gameplay 5/5 if not for the fact that its adventure game mechanics are fairly simple and its pace can be a bit slow (though one might argue that that makes it atmospheric).
Presentation - 4/5 - It has charming pixel graphics that rise above the average "typical pixel indie game" due to great use of lighting and lack of "black borders." Its UI is clean and efficient, and it offers possibly the most user-friendly fast travel system I've seen.
Music - 4.5/5 - The music is a strong accompaniment to the story. It captures its intended emotion and duality quite well, and can be quite atmospheric. While it doesn't necessarily highlight any important moments, the sheer strength of some of the area soundtracks make exploration memorable. I find myself listening to several of the tracks long after completion for inspiration.
The Verdict - There was a free RPGMaker version of this game which I assume is still available, but if you feel like supporting the devs, or you want the "finished" version - which DOES come with updates that provide a more complete ending, get this game. Due to some of the mechanics, it's best experienced an entire playthrough at a time, so just keep that in mind, and clear 4-5 hours from your schedule and run with it.