I'm personally a fan of neither Gwent nor CCGs in general, but I love The Witcher and I thought that might get me over the line. The fact is, CCGs just aren't for me. That said, the presentation is beautiful, especially the isometric portions of the game. And the small amount of story I experienced was well written and engaging. If CDPR had made an isometric RPG (a la Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity, etc.) in this art style, then I think I'd be in love.
I'm giving this game 5 stars, even though it's not necessarily a 5-star game, at least as you might imagine. It certainly lacks some polish, and hasn't aged that well. This is somewhat offset by a couple of easy community patches (check the forums), but Arcanum is still a rough diamond. Why does it deserve 5 stars then? It's because this is the quintessential classic RPG. The amount of freedom is staggering. You can approach any probelm in any way you want. Seriously - there are almost no dead ends. The story is also excellent, and there is a great twist on the whole "Chosen One" trope that really pleased me. Arcanum is like no other game - exceedingly ambitious, and it trips up several times along the way. But what it does achieve is incredible, and for that it deserves a place in every RPG fan's library.
If I'd know this was coming to GOG, then I would have waited, but I already have amassed over 100 hours on Steam. This game has a lot to love, and in my mind has more depth and enjoyment than an unmodded Warband. However, it is important to note - this is an Early Access release, and things like balance are still being adjusted, not to mention the fact that there are a few bugs here and there. If you're looking for a polished game, this isn't for you. However, if you can look past some of those shortcomings, then there's really nothing quite like Bannerlord. As of the start of October 2020, TaleWorlds have released the first official modding tools, so its safe to say that over the coming months, the amount of user-created content in this game will explode, and the experience will be somewhat more remeniscent of a modded Warband. Bannerlord has heaps of potential, and is already a really fun game. It's lacking polish, but that's a small price to pay for the hours of enjoyment you'll find.
