Having enjoyed the original and wanting to play it again, I was pleasantly surprised to find this on sale. The game has much faster pace than similar Paradox games. Unlike them, it also has Total War like battles, so that mountainous terrain can work two ways now if you outmanouver the opponent. The trade and economy are also less complex with fewer modifiers, which makes it more accessible for new players. Especially, because once you buy it you don't need to spend another 100$/€/£ on DLCs to get the full game. Overall, a bit simpler than CK or EU games, and a lot cheaper, yet more gamey and fun too. Though, probably too basic for hardcore players and maths undergrads.
Having played around 150h of the main game (no DLCs), I can say it was an enjoyable experience. I didn't get it immediately at the release, so didn't experience many bugs, there were quite rare to be honest. The graphics, sounds and acting are are top class. The really dark nights when there is no moonlight really add to the atmosphere and actually force you to use light sources and nighthawk potions unlike some other games. You can actually hear the difference in the choice of clothing/armour you're wearing and they affect your visibility, which made my stealthy play really immersive. The quests at the very beginning add to the immersion as they reflect your novice status and your lack of skills. Thus, you do a lot of grinding collect herbs, hunt rabbits, etc. which help you develop your skills before taking the main quests. At the moment, I'm near the end of the main quest line having completed most of the side quests and maxed out the character level. However, at this stage I do find the game doesn't match your character progression as you get plenty of grinding style quests which kind of water down the build up towards the finale. You're given tedious tasks worthy of a novice not a multiple tourney champion who has dealt with numerous bandits and uncovered the whole conspiracy. However, my main gripe with the game is the stupid fast travel and wait/sleep mechanic the first of which is not fast at all and makes you watch a figure move on a map for a minute or so, while the second inexplicably slows down to snail's pace in the last hour - so if you have to wait for 1-3 hours, might as well do something as the wait mechanic will make you wait just as long for the time to pass. All in all the game is very good, but it requires you to commit a lot of time to grind quests, spend hours looking at sleep timer or travel map, which is not actually playing or enjoying the game, but just wasted time.
