Posted on: August 20, 2023
todda
Verified ownerGames: 228 Reviews: 22
Rich narrative with no room for your own
I was enthralled with this game through most of the first two chapters. The feeling of weight to what you were doing, the feeling that the game was watching you and reacting to your choices... that is until the cracks started to show. Between the railroaded narrative and the save-scumming, the shine started to fade. Once I saw how little agency you really have, I started to lose interest fast. Read on to see what I mean. The Good: Fantastic graphics despite a somewhat constrained camera, rich roleplaying choices and deep non-player characters highlight a very story-centric game (so much so that there is no room for your own... more on that later). A detailed world filled with life and history. Amazing character customization and deep, weighty combat. This game, at least at first, -seems- like an entirely new type of experience in RPGs. The Bad: A narrative so rich... that there is no room left for your own. You are railroaded through the plot with very little agency. It may seem like you are making weighty choices but you will ultimately end up in the same place. You are forced to be a disgusting *redacted* for the entire game. That plot drives everything you do, and literally nothing you do can relieve you of it. I would prefer an RPG that simply let me be the character I want rather than the one they have written, and built a story that served that aim. Instead, they build the story they wanted to tell and you are shoved through it. The chief conceit of BG2 (being a child of a god) left a LOT more room for agency. Final notes: Save scum or miss a lot of content, most of the romance choices are men, all of the romance choices are non-binary, and next to none are appealing. And wow, they really missed out on a great opportunity with the guardian. In summary: this game has a beautiful wrapper, and if you don't peel it all the way, you will find a lot to like. Unfortunately the plot railroads you, and you receive very little agency in the game.
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