The good: -The artwork in the environment is very good. The 3D rendering pulls few punches (talking about the environment here, not the NPCs) -It has some very clever puzzles -The battle interface is unusual, but once you get used to it, it is fun to play in -This might be the best class-balanced RPG I've ever played. All classes have their opportunities to shine, and all are necessary to the game -- and each is roughly equal in power. Very nicely done. -Haernhold. Don't miss it. It is the best place in the game -High level cap -Great voice acting The Bad: -Buggy, restarts due to getting physically "stuck" on something, and couldn't move off. Invisible enemies. Mastery slots showing as blank. None of the Fear based spells or poisons seem to work. Oscon's Halt Foe is a complete waste, as is deathcap poison. Enemies will visibly cower, but they still attack you as they normally would. This was a huge annoyance for me. I filed a bug report on this, and even made a video of it, but inXile didn't seem terribly concerned by it. -Too many puzzles. I'd say remove about 2/3 of the puzzles in the game, they are disruptive to the pacing of the game: Less is more. Also, the placement of the puzzles are almost entirely arbitrary, and don't make much sense within their context. -At normal difficulty, I found the game play a bit too easy -- except for Haernhold. I had to be on my toes in that dungeon. I almost missed it, because it is on a tiny island that I mistook for the another island I had already completed (not on map). -4 items of mastery. I have 105 Keys on my keyboard! What is the point in all the feats if I cannot use them? -NPCs look wooden -Ending is disappointing -Graphics are inefficient. I have a $600 card I bought to play this game... I still couldn't get smooth play. -Environment not interactive Summary: A great game if u LOVE puzzles. A good game if you don't mind puzzles, and you like the battle interface. If you HATE puzzles: pass on this one.
Wow. I just finished this game, and I'm blown away... If you haven't finished this game appropriately, you do not have a right to tender an opinion. This game is in a class by itself. It cannot be judged by the same yardstick you would use to judge other games. It has to be experienced in full. At least a couple times. The game is genius. It is wistful and terrifying... You are alone in the dark on this one... and no moral compass to guide you. The game is so much more than it mechanics or interface... It is dark poetry. There are no cheap-shots. Everything about it is purposeful. I never would have thought a top-down game could be so captivating... but the story, the mood...the backdrop.... the lighting... comes together so masterfully that, if you open yourself to the experience, it will change you. Those of us of a more thoughtful, cerebral or philosophical bent will get a lot of out this game. Those of us who just want to blow shit up and move on to the next big boss... will find little of value here. This game is mysterious, frightening and humbling all at same time. It should not be rushed, but savored for its revolting, enigmatic and terrifying mystique. Buy it. Play it. You have been warned.
Normally, I'm not a huge fan of Isometric games.. Normally, I like RPGs with a lot of voice acting, because... Normally, I hate reading large blocks of text on the screen. Normally, I don't go for games using the same engine I played in two or more other games. Normally, I don't get deep into sci-fi, preferring to stick more with fantasy-style games. So why did I back it? In short, because it supported Linux. I simply won't buy a game that doesn't. If you know anything about Linux and what the GNU and OpenSource movements are about, you will know why. If you don't, I urge to find out why these movement are so important. Despite my misgivings about its design, however, I was quickly enthralled. The creators of this game managed to do something I would have thought to be nearly impossible. They created a universe where fantasy and sci-fi meld, where robotics and sorcery merge, where constructs of metal and worlds of flesh seem somehow organic and plausible. Never did I find myself saying at any point in the game, "Oh my God, that is stupid". It is a world both as awe-inspiring as it is desolate and revolting. It is quite simply one of the most intelligently written stories I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in a video game. If you love story in a game, if you can appreciate intelligent and evocative prose, if you love interesting NPCs in a backdrop that is truly unique, then this is the game for you. While I normally consider it a bad thing, the class-builds/character development is relatively simple. You don't get bogged down a hugely complex compendium of spells, weapon specializations and special abilities. While it wasn't perfect, I found the turn-based fighting system they came up with a lot of fun to use. All-in-all, it is an amazing game. It provided a very thorough and enjoyable escape for me (while it lasted). I hope that there is a sequel some day that builds on this game's unique strengths.
