I have never genuinely played a CRPG. I once played Fallout 1 for maybeee 5 minutes before I quit and went back to playing Counter-Strike. The only reason I stumbled upon this game was because of a YouTuber that I love reviewed it and it seemed like an awesome game. Let me just say this right off the bat, 9.5/10 experience. A great game. As a player new to CRPGs, this is quite the challenge. I'd say it's like learning how to play action games by starting with Dark Souls III or Elden Ring. Underrail is a very immersive and story-rich game with incredibly difficult combat. The game is built around the combat. YOU WILL DIE, A LOT. It's just part of the game. As a new player to CRPGs, this was quite frustrating. No matter what item I used, I could never make it through the Junkyard or most of the early-game caves. For the most part I gave up, until I started using every tool at my disposal. Almost every single encounter you face you will not be able to face-tank ("Run in and win"). You will need to use EVERY tactic this game has to offer to beat most of the challenges. And that's incredibly fun. You will look for routes and choke-points, and easy attack angles which give you the advantage. Having started my CRPG journey with this game, I've kind of spoiled it for myself. I have not played another CRPG that makes me feel the way that Underrail makes me feel. The environment, story-telling and atmosphere are incredibly immersive and very enjoyable to see. The gameplay is incredibly challenging but very rewarding for when that tactic you used actually works and kills the mutant dogs before they swarm you. Of course there are meta-builds you can find online, but a blind playthrough of this game was such an amazing experience. I have roughly 90 hours on this game, and I don't think I've even made it halfway through. On my main playthrough I got to Core-City (the major location of the game) after about 75-80 hours. For $15 this is an amazing deal - on sale, even better
