So far I've played the game approximately 8-10 hours. After a rather slow start, the game seem to gradually pick up pace and more side quests open up. The game's narrative is rather linear, but you're not restricted from exploring areas that are not related to the main story line. The games biggest strengths are it's strong characters and well-written dialogue. Music is generally well-composed. The game's graphics are nothing to write home about, but they don't get in the way of immersion either. The game's turn-based combat easy to get into, but it also introduces some depth in the form of quartz magic, which is somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy 7's materia magic system. Much like in FF7 the characters also have "limit breaks" that they can activate after battling enemies for some time. The first 8-10 hours you'll be mostly journeying with only two party members, but occasionally you have to escort helpless civilians to safety - they will also take part in the combat, although you can't control them and they mostly just run away from enemies. The biggest complaint I have about the game so far is it's lack of optional content. The world is rich in lore and very open for exploration - there's a lot of houses and isolated forest areas to go explore, but these optional areas don't have any chests to loot or any unique enemies to fight. Exploring towns is relatively meaningless, since the only thing you're going to find are NPCs that might have interesting stories to tell - they never offer quests or give you rewards. All the questing in the game are done through an adventurer's hall, where you can search for new missions and collect your reward afterwards. This has been clearly done to make keeping track of quests easier, but unfortunately it also makes exploration less enjoyable. To sum up, The Trails in The Sky is an enjoyable RPG with an interesting story and character, enjoyable combat and a truly open world to explore. I warmly recommend it to everyone.
The definitive first person scifi-horror-RPG. One of the most immersive gaming experiences I've ever had. The only downside is the rather steep learning curve but after this game gets it's hooks in you, there's no turning back. Works perfectly on any modern computer. Before starting new game remember to customise movement keys to WASD. This is truly a great day for all gamers - System Shock 2 has returned. Everyone who values games in any shape or form should buy this game since it's truly a monumental milestone in gaming history.
KoDP is not a perfect game. So why do I think it's worth 5 stars? Because what KoDP does it does perfectly. It immerses you into the world of Glorantha and forces you to learn the somewhat twisted internal logic of the Orlanthi people and to adopt an archaic view of the world. If you have ever been interested in early 20th century anthropology, you are going to love this game - you feel like an anthropologist trying to make sense of the different deities, stories that directly affect the future of your tribe and the complex politics of a bronze age society. There are no easy answers and you can never succeed by just trying to play "the good guy". You are walking in the steps of your forefathers and their wrath is truly terrible to behold if you betray the teachings of your elders. Taking slaves and committing honor murders can be just and honorable deeds as long as they are according to the traditions of your tribe. Most games that are often mentioned as the best PC games of all time are highly flawed games: XCOM, System Shock 2 and Ultima Underworld all have huge flaws. But people are willing to forgive these flaws since these games offer something that highly polished, dumbed down games can never give. Count KoDP as one of these flawed jewels.
