If there were one word to describe the game: Clunk. Overall, there is a lot to love here! Very expansive world with lots of cool stuff to see and do. Magic is a really engaging part of the game (cool concept!) There's a definite pull to explore the nooks and crannies, and the game rewards and punishes exploration in fairly equal measure, meaning: you truly have no idea what you'll find around any corner. This keeps players on their toes constantly -- and that's a really good thing! But then...then...comes the clunk. I honestly can't think of single thing about the game that works fluently. Every aspect of the game introduces something interesting, then covers it in a generous coating of clunk. Movement is imprecise and clunky. The terrain is clunky. Inventory management is clunky. Both assigning and using abilities and powers is clunky. Crafting is clunky. Cooking is clunky. Casting spells is (very cool, but) clunky. The dialogue is clunky. Even the audio is unclear and clunky at times. But, the combat...oh...the combat...is a different level of clunky, altogether. I can deal with the clunk inherent in the other aspects -- even magic! -- but not the combat. Best I can describe it is this: Take a game like Dark Souls or Dragon's Dogma. Dip your K+M or gamepad into thick honey, until it's gotten into all the crevasses and everything sticks. Then, try to play. It's a real shame, because it never gets better. You can figure it out. You can begin to win most of the encounters. But it never begins to feel fluid. At the best of times, it will feel staggered and anticlimactic. Most of the time, it just feels like a broken coin-op. I'll definitely make it back to the game at some point. Tremendous potential! But the execution just isn't there. It's like a pizzeria that makes great food, but the delivery is always an hour late, and there's something wrong with the order every, single time.
