It could have been very good, but the main story is not that interesting, and the voice acting is not the best (at least in english), it tried too hard and that made it a little boring and repetitive. Nevertheless, i did play it until the end mostly because of the characters.
As an older gamer I'm a bit burned out on most games. I find mechanics often very tiring, and getting in my way. I was doubting to buy this game for a long while now, being put off by some of the negative reviews. Boy was I mistaken. I would score this game 10/10!
The graphics are simply amazing, the atmosphere, the detail, the medieval setting, the voicing in French, everything is just AAA quality.
The gameplay: I just loved the difficulty, nowhere did I get stuck, the story kept going at a very brisk pace and never did the gameplay hinder my progress. Just enough challenge for me to enjoy, puzzles only require a minute or 2 of thought, and then on with the game again. There are also so many quality of life features, why don't other games employ these? The presence of guards is subtly indicated on the sides of your screen, after reloading you still have the item equipped that you did before your death (such a lifesaver!). Cinematics are pausable! This game really, really respects your time. There is no filler whatsoever!
So the major downside for many reviewers, the simple gameplay, is something that I really loved.
The story is also really intriguing, and I hope the sequel continues on that. There are a few loose ends at the ending.
I didn't encounter any bugs, the pathfinding of the npc's is excellent and guards only get alarmed on seeing yourself, not your npc's. So good!
If I had to give one minor, very minor critic, is that when using the French audio (did I mentiond how good the voice acting is?), the English soldiers also speak French. I would have preferred them to speak English.
Yes, the game is completely linear and I felt absolutely zero need to replay chapters for the few collectibles I've missed. That's not what the game is about.
I immensely enjoyed a break from the repetitive grind and fetch quests of "open world" games with "endless replay-ability" and endless little things to collect. This is the first game I've actually finished in a while and the first one in even longer that I've taken screenshots of for my friends.
Absolutely stunning visuals, a great story, great characters, great voice acting. Excellent stuff, can't wait for the sequel.