I haven't played through the whole campaign yet or gotten that far in, but there are some pretty serious issues mechanics wise. There is no ability to do formations and since it runs between turns this means that whoever goes first has a HUGE advantage. And since you're literally leading the party, there's a distinct disadvantage if you aren't set up to be on the front lines (since enemy first combat will likely result in the main character pulverized as 7-9 different enemy characters all take potshots at a character designed to be in the back). The storyline is . . . Decent thus far. It isn't the second coming of Torment (or any other amazing title), but it isn't horrid either. Some of the characters are intriguing, but not absolutely amazing so not character driven either. If you want to give the game a chance it won't scare you off, but if you're expecting it to do most of the heavy lifting of hooking you, whelp, I advise a different title, eg: Tyrant (which was okay, but did manage to hook me). The writing in this game isn't -that- strong. If anything is a real hooking point it might be the quasi-historical nature of the game. I'm not familiar with the Vikings so I can't attest to accuracy, but if it is pretty close then the game might be worthwhile for folks who like games that teach a bit of history. That might be enough to help power you through the beginning of the game (again, okay, but not amazing) if that is your cup of tea. If not, I'm going to have to say it isn't really worth the price tag and might not be worth your time.
A few thoughts: This game is advertised as "RPG RTS hybrid" but, like, a lot of games that have tried to run under that it is more akin to a tactical game. Really in line with the Geneforge series except just remove ALL of the RPG leveling mechanics. So . . . You know, a tactical game only. There's also issues with representation. Pretty much our story is littered with white males. So, just imagine a world where about 9/10ths of the population is male and there is no variation in skin tone, except for the random minor character. Yes, it breaks immersion. Yes, there is no f***ing good reason for it devs. I may write a longer review, but for now . . . Go back and play Geneforge if you haven't for awhile.
What makes Undertale good is not any particular "part" of it. As such, if the music is too loud or too much, please adjust your volume outside of the game, do not turn the sound off. If you do you'll be missing a LOT this game has to offer. And the music at the start of the game is nothing compared to the sorts of sounds you'll encounter towards the end. Without giving anything away the jRPG bullet hell "with choices" is only a cover. As it is the individual parts of the game are mediocore, however they come together to . . . Deliver an experience. Honestly until I beat the game it was a 4 star game. However, the "complete" story has me coming back to this title, time and time again. Reviewing wiki articles, listening to the music, and thinking about the characters (who are fascinating from a literary perspective). I stopped gaming for about a month after beating this game because of that "Whoa . . ." moment. I've listened to Bergentrucken a million times now (and read up a bit on it), along with almost every single boss song. And listening to those songs has brought realizations regarding the story. Yep, it is *that* kind of game. This game has stuck with me, haunted me. To put it bluntly what people love about this game is not the "choices," so much as it is the whole package. The individual elements come together to communicate things that would be hard to communicate otherwise, and to make a unique experience. The mercy options give us additional information regarding the characters inhabiting this world. Boss attacks and the music along with tell us so much more about them. Even the most basic of things will take on additional meaning or be used in events. As it is, unless you're a total sucker for the feels the first 2 hours of the game won't be impressive to you. What is after that is the best bit of game design I've ever come across. This is the epitome of gaming and what it should be, from my perspective (holistic over parts, story matters most).
Sum it up: Gameplay is alright. Extremely similar to Sacrifice in places. Nothing new, but it is fun. 4 out of 5 Setting is METAL at first, but gets old quickly. "Oh look, more giant swords and guitars sticking out of the ground with meteor showers going in the background . . . Meh, seen it 30 times already." Could have been kept fresh, but ends up its own cliche. 2 out of 5. Story plain and predictable (no holes though). 3 out of 5 Graphics and music: Awesome. 5 out of 5. Recommendation: If you are eyeing this game I recommend playing Sacrifice, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, and Psychonauts first if you haven't already. All of them have wonderful stories and are of a higher quality. You'll get a better variation of the game mechanics out of Sacrifice, better humor out of Giants, and better story out of Psychonauts.
