This is a good game with good story line. The graphics are great and the story flows well. My problem with the same is the last act (Arx). It's like it was written by somebody else. The level of difficulty goes way up, the puzzles are a royal pain and the last battle is really really difficult.
I wish that last act was more in line with the rest of the game. It would have made for much better memories and 5 stars for a review.
Actually, for 90% of content it's 5 stars. For other 10% it's very specific game, which gives you very bad feeling like you are cheated or backstabbed, both for story and for combat.
Here we have very deep and interesting, but in the same time strange combat system, with unlimited possibilities to cheese. To fight with this cheese, devs made majority of main story encounters to be ambushes with unpredictable flow of combat. If you play on sufficient difficulty, this ambushes are mostly wipes when half of the group is dead before your turn comes. Of course, you reload, adjust your positioning and skills setup and here we go, it's easy-peasy finished in 1-3 turns.
If you enjoy save-load-cheese "tactics" that's game for you. If you are used to something more classical (BG, PoE), I'll advice to pass this game.
This game is one of the best you can buy at the moment, and its value far exceeds it's cost. Loads of voice acting, choices to make, and more content than your normal rpg. The ONLY downside is that the GOG version isn't able to share save files with the Switch. Looking back had I known this I would have gotten it on the OTHER platform that does sync...
If you don't have a switch or not interested in having this to take with you then it's not a big deal, but it's definitely something I wish i had known before purchase.
As it stands now, the game suffers from way to many bugs, especially considering the game has been in early access for a year or so. None of the bugs that i have encountered (of which are many), are game breaking, but they do happen often, and in volume.
The story is really contrived, and has to many "plot twits", some of which are really predictable. At the end, you feel overwhelmed, and simply have a hard time following who is who, and in my case, i simply stopped caring. You may get that "OH" moment the first time, or few times after, but at the end it just feels messy. Speaking of the end, all of this is perfectly reflected in the final battle.
Luckily, the game retains all the positives from the first game. Freedom to solve the puzzles and quests in different ways, freedom to customize your character and the companions in any way you seem fit, freedom to explore and play the game at the pace you prefer, elaborate crafting, etc. All of which is why we love and play this game.
What i liked the most is the setting. You have this really dark and brutal setting. Some of the things happening around you are extremely brutal in fact, yet the characters or npc's often react with humor. The first area is the perfect example. The "Fort Joy", which is complete opposite considering the things happening there.
Regarding the puzzles, I have an impression that there are less hidden switches and levers this time around, but the puzzles still rely on trial and error, rather then logic, and some are especially annoying.
When it comes to combat, it tends to be extremely difficult at the begging of the game, until about lvl 4, then it gets progressively easier as the game goes on, to the point of having very few if any challenges until the end game. That is something we experienced in the first game as well. Please note that my experience is based on tactician mode, which is highest difficulty before the honor mode, which features permanent death mechanic.
Overall, i can't say that i am happy with the game. I don't mind the bugs to much, as they can be fixed, but the story can't. I remember when i first completed the game one, i immediately wanted to play again, here it just felt like a mess to me. Even the end game summary you get, feels like a mess. Jumping from one story bit to another in non cohesive manner, characters i was having hard time remembering.. etc. Some of which don't seem that important.
Anyway, it is a good game, but not as good as the first one.
One of the most charming, well made, passionate, rich, complex, deep, multi-choice experiences ever made in gaming. A must for anyone that doesn't despise that style of games. If not experienced with this genre, try the first time with the easy difficulty. Once you get to the 2nd act, restart and play it on the tactical (normal) difficulty setting. I am almost sure will not regret. And close to theBG3 release as we are, Larian is keep pushing the boundaries of how great a game can be made. I am sure some bugs will exist in the starting months as usual with such big and complex games. Be a bit patient gamers. And kudos to all the devs there!
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