'Almost great' is certainly meant to be a compliment. If you enjoy games that are challenging and require a great deal of thought and longer term strategy, Lords of Xulima is probably something you would enjoy. I am definitely having a very good time playing the game. For the most part, the graphics are beautiful, there's quite a lot of content, and the mechanics are pretty solid. However, there are a few things, some that are subjective, that keep it from entering the 'great' territory, for me. I would chalk up a bit of it simply to inexperience, and I look forward to seeing where the developers go next. Here are the primary ones I can think of: - A premade lead character - I understand why this was done, and I'm sure there are people that like/prefer this style, but its not to my taste. - Ill-described mechanics - The game actually does have a great number of tool tips, but there are keywords that just doesn't seem to be explained at all. What's 'action modifier'? 'Complex' weapons? What does 'Materialize Essence' do? The game can be fairly unforgiving, and not giving the player all the information they need to make informed decisions causes it to sometimes feel like a crapshoot. - Randomness - This is particularly aimed at combat. Of course, most RPGs have a degree of randomness in combat, but I feel there's a bit too much here. I can't exactly point my finger at one thing and say 'that's the problem,' but I often feel like when I win or lose, its not because of any particular decision(s) I made. Honestly, when I originally saw this in development, I had a 'meh' feeling. But, I figured I would support an indie. However, I'm glad I picked this one up. If you're looking for something both original and familiar, I recommend at least considering Lords of Xulima.
