I played the first Pathfinder and that game...stunk. I tried again with this one and Owlcat clearly learned a few things, but they still have a LONG way to go. Nearly everything about this game is simply off in some way or another. Combat is unbalanced even on normal difficulty--having monsters with a single illogical and hidden weak spot isn't challenging, it's annoying. There are too many powers for your character to have, and most of them are a waste. The companions are uninteresting and weak. The dungeons and puzzles make little sense--again, making something illogical isn't challenging. Finally the story--while vastly more interesting than the one in Kingmaker--is still a waste of time. I find myself having a really hard time caring what happens. It gets worse. The "campaign" you wage with soldiers is so dumb it's borderline insulting, and adds nothing to the story. Either have an RPG or a tactical battle simulator--don't try to cram the two together, because both suffer, as this game clearly shows. I have now tried to play it through twice and both times I got so annoyed at the glaring faults I've given up. Don't waste your money. If you want a good, balanced RPG with a decent story, stick to Baldur's Gate (both, but 2 is way better), Fallout (any except 3), or Neverwinter Nights. All are classics and done right.
This game is very, very good. Let's start with what the game is. It's a walking simulator with a few relatively simple, but interesting, puzzles thrown in. It is also a very darkly atmospheric game that in several places literally gave me chills, and even had a few solid jump scares. It is an excellent steampunkish Gothic setting that pulls you in and feels very realistic. It's a fairly long exploration with lots of different and interesting environments (including a spooky church that should be out of place but isn't). For your money, you will get a decent amount of playing time. Graphics are excellent and controls are better than most walking simulators I've played. What it is NOT: fast-paced, though there are some heart-pounding moments. It doesn't end at the right place--the endgame stretches a bit too long, and the textures are overused during that time. This is because the environment in that area is far larger than it should be (and in some cases unnecessarily complex). However, the ending is quite good, and well worth waiting for. The game is not difficult. Sometimes the graphics and effects are a bit annoying--shaking sometimes, and smears in areas that make the already very dark environments hard to see. I am a big fan of the Chinese Room's earlier offering _Dear Esther_, which to me is a near perfect walking simulator. _Amnesia_ is a worthy successor and fixes some of the issues with DE, including controls, length, and the addition of the aforementioned puzzles. Buy it, play it, and enjoy it--including the nightmares you might suffer after playing it!
I have always enjoyed games with good art, a good story, and something to accomplish. This game has all 3 in spades, and adds a fourth I really wasn't aware I wanted until I played this--emotional depth. You'll read a lot of reviews here that say the above but none of them really captured what I got out of the game. By the end of the story, I was nearly in tears. I felt a tremendous sense of loss as I got to know all these quirky, interesting people and their passions that they wear so plainly on their sleeves, only to watch them meet their demise. And some of them do not have easy answers--in some cases, you never find out exactly what happened. And then it all ties together at the end in an amazing way. I can't describe it without spoiling it but it's so clever you won't believe it. Within 10 minutes, I knew I was into something special. After I finished I adjourned to my back patio to contemplate what I'd just been through, and stayed there for an hour, quietly. It might have been the most peaceful hour of my life. I spent the next few days haunted by it. My thoughts turned to it at odd times, as things during my normal day would trigger a reminder. Eventually I played it again so I could revisit those experiences, and it was even better. I've owned it a month and I've completed it a total of 4 times. It's not a huge time commitment--you'll get through it in 3 hours or so the first time. It gets faster on the repeats. This is a walking simulator to a degree, but don't let that discourage you. This is a walk worth taking. If Dear Esther exemplifies the walking simulator, Edith Finch breaks the mold. In the end, this game is a treasure. Play it, and then play it again.
