17 hours into the game and about half-way through, I can't force myself to play more and to finish the story. As a lot of the gaming colleagues in the reviews point out, the combat is pretty good and fun (★/★); the user interface is snappy and a step in the right direction (★/★) — hence the two stars for two things excellently made. So if you are here for an XCOM-like experience and no more, this might be your jam. On the flip-side, it would seem that the game's ambitious role-playing scope was too much for the devs to handle. The story is bland, the quests are uninspired, and the worldbuilding has too much unrealized potential (☆/★). The dialogues are horrendously written and even the voice actors seem to be having trouble delivering certain gratingly out-of-tune lines. (We're talking about "My face is tired" levels of bad!) This is such a big issue that I stopped listening to dialogues half-way in my playthrough, even though they're the main plot delivery device (☆/★). I'd reserve the last star for the overall feel of the game, its soul, of which... there is not much. I have not met any memorable characters, least of all the main characters. There are no salacious side-quests, no dramatic cutscenes, no notable betrayals or gotchas. Soul: (☆/★). Grand total: ★★☆☆☆ Play it for the UX, don't play it for the story.
