This game had potential, and as a RPG fan, I wanted to love it. But a year has passed since I played this game and I do not care about it in the slightest. The story is the strong point of the game. It’s interesting and darker compared to many other games of this type of genre. I also liked that I could build my character however I saw fit without being restricted to a class. However, the characters are forgettable, the ending was disappointing and the biggest gripe I had with it was the gameplay. It drags on and on. In the beginning, it’s fine. But then you have to fight a party of spongy enemies again. And again. And again. And at some point, I just wanted it to end. I’m a fan of real time with pause because it gives me freedom to control the battle however I see fit, so I know I might be biased, but especially in this game, there was absolutely no point making it turn based. Playing it with friends, sure. But I played it alone. Why do I need to watch all 16 enemies do their individual turn? I don’t need the game to slow the fight down for me, I know what I am doing. An argument I see often is that “it lets you plan your next move”. In my opinion, I can plan my next move without that, but the fights/enemies also weren’t that varied. Once you found your go to abilities, they worked in almost every fight. And once you realized you’ll end up in a pit of fire in almost every fight no matter what you do, you stopped trying to counteract that as well. If you’re interested in this game, I would say watch a couple YouTube videos first, or try it out at a friends house. Some of the Elements of this game can be really a hit or miss.
I’ve played this 3 times in a row, each time I tried out a different life path and a different build for my V. I found that you can have different experiences depending on how you build your V or what Cybernetics you install. In general, gameplay and quests where, to me, just as good as the Witcher 3. Side quest are usually fun and you are free to play and handle them all however you like, or ignore all of them, if you so wish. This complete freedom you have about the way you play was exactly what I personally love in RPGs, and miss in many modern ones out there. Each playthrough I noticed new little plot hints I could add to my collection of theories, it’s rich in lore and carefully connected plot lines, which in my opinion has the ability excite any RPG fan that likes to speculate about stories and what could happen next. The endings are also fun to explore, I have played through all of them, and neither of them fell short, in contrast to many other RPGs. Here, all endings where fleshed out and extremely different to each other. The characters and the story are gripping, it’s very easy to be immersed and be invested into what is happening. In terms of the RPG-ness, you get a lot of choices that let you influence the story. Do we get to see many of the outcomes we cause? No. But the way this story is written, it seem to me as if the outcomes will carry over to either DLC or the next game, since almost all of them hinted towards another plot, while the main game is busy concluding Vs problem with the chip. Every ending is open ended on top of that and leaves a lot of room for speculations and theories. I would be very surprised if everything we did wouldn’t matter. If that would end up the case, I might change by rating but for now: I’m very excited for what is to come. I would rec this game to anyone who is on the lookout for a new RPG. Especially so if you love FPS and/or Sci-Fi. Personally, I can’t wait to start a new playthrough once the DLCs are out.
Definitely a unique RPG in my opinion. Setting and story stands out compared to other games, unique lore elements were fun and I really enjoyed roleplaying my protagonist and watching the story unfold. The only negative point I would raise is the combat, which was a bit clunky at times, but wasn't a major issue for me overall. If you have played many RPG's and you're looking for something new, I would rec this to you!
Fallout and Mass Effect's crackhead baby. It's great.
