This is game we are been waiting for ever since BG2 and NWN2. Sure, story is bit weird, but combat mechanics are awesome. Want build options and ability to fully costumize your character - this is for you!
The game is a decent entry in the RPG genre, but one that feels unimpactful and slightly chaotic. I had fun playing it, but had trouble staying with the game - my first playthrough took me almost half a year to complete.
So let's start with the game's setting. Graphics are really decent, with well designed spell effects, environments, and character models. It is mostly a pleasant experience. Music is OK, some tracks are absolutely excellent, with some exceptions of bland mediocrity. I particularly disliked the common combat theme, as well as the music at the very beginning. It gets better, but nothing spectacular. Voice acting is fantastic, with most characters having their own tone and cadence.
Where the game really shines is the world - the cultures in the game, people's stories are absolutely remarkable. The names and languages, religions and beliefs, backstories are really well written. In fact, most of the writing is also really good.
The game has a huge problem with its main story though. While everything is executed really well, it just doesn't stick. It's bland. It's unrewarding. It drags on. It's as if someone really wanted to put something on top of the story of PoE 1 and just came up with this bunch of nonsense. There was not a single moment in my playthrough where I was genuinely interested in what comes next.
The other problem of this game is combat. Naval combat is pretty bad, it's not complex, nor is it interesting. It's done in the pen and paper style, but the writing and mechanics of it are just boring. I found myself either pushing for a hand to hand combat, or running away. Not that hand to hand combat is actually good. It is slightly too random and too imbalanced. Even if you micromanage, you will find it hard to win seemingly easy fights.
All in all, it's a decent title with some good sound and graphics design. Ultimately though, it's unrewarding and slightly bland, and with it's mechanical faults, it's hard to grade it higher than 3.
This has become my favorite game. The breadth of experienes it offers players is no small feat, and I enjoy the depth of it's themes, but mostly, it's just fun to play.