The best fantasy RPG I've ever played (so far, at least). This game did not start as GOAT for me. However, it has become clear to me Larian may be one the most responsive (if not *the* most responsive) game developers ever. When you look at how this company responded to criticism, feedback and suggestions, a great deal of this was constantly incorporated into the game over the course of over 16 months. It shows. It's why this game is now as great as it is, and I've played many over the past 20 years. Most of those games were pirated, but I happily paid for this one and don't regret it: Larian earned every penny with this game. In some cases, the level of contingency planning for plot deviations is impressive and borders on obsessive. Companion relationship development is engaging and, due to the occasional adult content (which was carefully and tastefully implemented) is downright brave of the company and its developers. The game is not without its frustrations, it's steep learning curve and inventory management being among them. But these are relatively minor when you take in the plot, character development, graphics, music, easter eggs and the endless supply of YouTube videos getting into every nuance of the game. And there is a LOT of nuance. There's a dedicated wiki as well. When I posted a bug in the wiki, it was fixed in 60 days, and I didn't even submit the bug to the devs; they apparently read the wiki and patched it on their own. It's a shame there won't be full-out expansion packs, given the failed wrangling behind the scenes to make that happen. If you like RPGs, you'll probably love this game. If you've played D&D in more than a passing way, this game will probably enthrall you. One of my favorite things is it feels like a well developed MMORPG, but can be fully enjoyed playing completely solo. It's that deep. This game permanently raised the bar and set the standard for all future RPGs to beat. I belive very few will.
