OL wrote: Ah, you know, I'd forgotten about the Snake Flower Triad thing. Been a while since I played either game, so yeah, I could just be remembering it wrong.
But I do still hold that the focus of Y3 compared to earlier games leans more toward Kazuma and the different aspects of his character, rather than the big, explosive events going on. I remember that feeling very clearly. The events are still there of course, but they aren't quite as much the focus as is Kazuma's reactions to everything, the way he handles his responsibilities, relationships, etc. The change in writer between Y2 and Y3 was a major contributor to that, of course.
That focus probably contributed a lot to whatever perception of "size" I had about the game.
We pretty much agree, but call it differently. The narrative of Y3 is just like you said - more personal. At the same time, though, the story itself is on an even bigger scale than in Y2. It's a strange mixture, I must say, but I personally liked it a lot. The dichotomy here is quite fresh, although I have to admit it's cool only during the first playthrough. On the subsequent ones, the slow Okinawa parts become a choir because you just can't get in synch with that kind of narrative after knowing the whole story.