This game is unplayable if you can't or won't put some work in: You have to make a save game directory manually to get the game to even function. I looked it up and it took me about 15 minutes to solve that problem. It has not been an issue since. Also, the game is ridiculously tedious to play as a caster, but there is good news! There is a functional cheat engine table, so you can adjust the tedium/difficulty to your heart's desire. This game is one star without a working cheat, but since there is at least one, and the game is free, just adjust and enjoy!
I bought the game a few days ago and I have been playing it solidly ever since, with absolutely no performance issues - at the time of this review I have 24 hours of playtime. The developers said this game was intended to be a love letter to RPG's and I have found that it is indeed an homage to the genre. If you have picked a lock in Skyrim, you will know exactly what to do here, if you have fished in Stardew Valley, you know how to fish here, I found a "starborn" crystal to mod my weapon, etc. All these things are in addition to continuing the excellent lore and story from the first game. I have elected to play as a stealthy caster, which is conventionally squishy, so there is no winning a toe to toe fight with anything. , however, the game provides you with the means to succeed if you take careful stock of the environment - I defeated an impossibly tough stone guardian by hiding behind a pillar and plinking it to death with the ember spell. I defeated some animated statues by simply kiting them. The dash mechanic has saved me countless times. If you are out in the open you can kite most things, in enclosed areas there are crevices, ledges, etc., to exploit. I am further along in the game now, and I have a little army of skeletons to do the dirty work for me! The game has done such a good job immersing me in its the dark, desperate, and hopeless story that I have to take breaks and do something "happy" IRL to offset the gloom! I can't wait to see what other surprises the game has in store for me, and you shouldn't either!
