Age of Decadence is one of the few games in recent years that made me feel respected. Unlike so many of its peers, AoD doesn't take my motivations or time for granted. No inane fetch quests, no "kill 10 rats" quests, nothing of the sort. No pointless and slow backtracking for the purposes of padding content, if anything the game rushes you too much by teleporting you exactly where you need to go after conversations (if you choose that option). Just as importantly, the game respects my goals and character motivations. It's not assumed I will want to do everything just as the questgiver asked. It's entirely possible to betray, backstab, and turn traitor multiple times per playthrough, should you so choose. AoD's core strength comes from its system of choices & consequences (and thus its replayability). Seemingly every little decision you make will have repercussions further down the road. I've played through three and a half times now, each time with a different build, and it feels that each playthrough was almost a completely separate game. The way a trader with the Merchant's Guild interfaces with the world is going to be completely different than a mercenary with the Imperial Guard, and the same goes for Praetorians. Your build matters, a lot, almost to the point where it's overwhelming. This is not the sort of game where you can max out all skills in one playthrough and see everything. Combat is strong with a good deal of variety, although it will be prohibitively difficult for "talking" characters (as designed). The game is strict but fair, no bullshit "rocks fall everyone dies" but enough danger to keep you on your toes. The game might respect you but the characters certainly do not. There's a persistent cynical tone every interaction, you can't take any characters at their word.
