Of course we can (should) expect a lot of fighting here but... this balancing makes things painful... At the start of chapter 3, the hesitation between reducing the difficulty and simply stopping becomes worse and worse. .. Fights, fights, fights and search for the best build is not what I expect from a rpg. At all. I am not a pro builder neither. But I played BG1, BG2, Torment, Icewind Date and so on. Even Kingmaker... All over. But that... that is too much. Far too much. Fights... Unfair fights, at each and every corner (absurd AC, absurd levels from nowhere, everywhere). I tried to give myself some time and clear my mind by going through Through of Ashes... which simply froze after a few steps in the second zone. While the game did not suffer from technical flaws until then, this was the last straw. That and the fact that they explain first than in this DLC, we should gain xp reaching milestones rather than fighting. And really... That sounds good to me... until before the freeze I had no choice but ... to fight again... Twice. So I doubt about that. And I will probably never know because this game is back on the shelf and probably stay there.
A really enjoyable game. A very pleasant surprise. Action exploration, a bizarre atmosfear, a solid lore. It's been a long time since I finished a game with the feeling of "oh shit, it's over... damn I still want to continue". Of course there is content, we can continue with the DLCs (with links to the Alan Wake series) which gives a solid playing time (30-40 hours). A well-illustrated feeling arriving at the end credits of the main story, with this excellent song by Porpucine Tree <3 fitting perfectly with the overall atmosphere : beat the encore !
