>>53698739"Less weird saccharinity" is a good way to put it. Gens 1 and, to a lesser extent, 2 definitely aren't especially dark, but they don't shy away from some of the shadier or more sinister things you might encounter traveling around. The casino is kind of sleazy and run by the Yakuza, the concept of death is touched on, Lt. Surge references a war, etc.
It's obviously not much, and there's definitely plenty of whimsy and adventure to be had. But that's sort of the point: It more closely resembles the real world, just with magic animals.
