This is a review that I'd hate to write. But it had to be done. CDPR has lost their way, drunk in their own glorious past. I didn't follow the news on this game's development closely. I never did jump onto that hype train. I ran the game on a decent pc setup, and throughout my full playthrough, I didn't experience any game breaking bug at all, apart from some hilariously immersion-breaking visual glitches. So why did I rate this game as a mediocre game at best, and speak so terribly about it? [The UI and gameplay design] This game's UI needs a lot of work. There's no multi crafting / dismantling button. There's no warning or confirmation button for dismantling Iconic equipments, so if you accidentally dismantle them without looking, the whole upgrade tree is gone forever. [The AI] The enemy and police AI needs A LOT of rework. Police simply spawn out of thin air behind you, and never give chase on vehicles. You can even just sprint away to remove the bounty. Enemies will just cower in cover even when you're using a cover-piercing sniper rifle, making many combat encounters meaningless. [The Factions] You can slaughter hundreds of a particular faction's members, and it won't affect your standing with ANYONE. In fact, they're all (including their leaders) are just there as props. I solo butchered the entire top echelon of one of the factions in the main story, and they're supposed to be this all-powerful and enigmatic cabal of netrunners. They were written in just for the sake of writing. Which brings me to the next point.. [The Writing] The writing of this game is polarized. It can be quite good for the main story missions, but horrible for the side gigs. Lizzy's gig is an example of this. At the conclusion of the gig, there's no option to report her to the MaxTac officers right across the street, or kill her. You can only either help her, or not. Such lazy writing. Don't let me even start on how lazy the "lifepaths" system is. What happened to you, CDPR?
This game, it will test you. It won't spoon feed you. It will knock you down, but will help you back up. It's the RPG that you've been itching to see all these years. First, the Good. Companions and companion quests are nothing short of stellar. Some duller than others (looking at you Harrim and Amiri) but the game compensated it with their personal quests. Jaethal's quest is my personal favorite, in terms of writing. The character progression and combat system is well built, and sophisticated enough to make you feel that your choices matter. Every level up will have me spend at least 10 minutes in the character screen to shape my builds on all companions. Pure RPG goodness. The main story is palatable, with a not-so relatable villain, but the supporting casts helped propped the whole setting. The setting about the First World and its denizens I found to be quite over the top, but your milage may vary. The other thing that I absolutely love is how this game managed to translate lore into game mechanic. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Soul-eaters in Vordakai's Tomb can only be fought by the characters whose names the Crow learned. The final boss' curse really have an impact on your party. And so on. They really make those story moments impactful to the gameplay. *END OF SPOILERS* Now, the Bad. Bugs are still prevalent in this game. I had to reload a few scripted boss encounters due to the interaction glitching out and not registering the next act. IIRC it was Pitax final fight. The difficulty curve is also quite unforgiving. I can imagine if some players might be put off by this. This game really requires the player to THINK like a real adventurer group. Going on a far away excursions? Load up on those resting supplies, but watch out for the weight! Crypt or tomb exploration? Death ward is a must. But what this effectively gives us is the sweet sense of achievement as we solve each encounter. Conclusion ; If you're a CRPG fan, this is a must buy.
