It’s been a long time since we’ve been this excited by a new PC release.
It’s so refreshing to see an RPG that isn’t afraid to be an RPG. It’s not trying to twist and contort D&D into Call of Duty, it knows what it is and is proud of that. Games don’t have to be dead simple and text free to be successful. Games don’t have to have big in game stores or battle passes to be successful. They just have to be complete, an earnest attempt at a creative vision. I would take a game that tries something ambitious and very occasionally stumbles like this one over the most competent trend chaser any day.
In addition this game is MASSIVE in terms of content. I was ready to wrap it up at the start of act 3 but man, if there’s content to experience still
I haven’t wrapped act 1 yet and I’ve been playing what seems like forever. So much to explore and do, and so many people to meet. I already have plans for a replay, but at this rate it will be 2024 before that kicks off…
I’m like 60 hours in and I’m still not passed act 1.
It’s insane how many hours you can put into this game.
Yes, I think that’s one of this game’s biggest strengths; it allows for a broad spectrum of player actions, and actually shapes the narrative (to a degree) around those actions. I do think there ought to be a way to avoid the >!boss fight at the end of Act 2,!< but overall the freedom you have is really impressive. I’m in Act 3 of my first playthrough (total dark urge murderhobo) and I’m constantly impressed both by the scope and depth of the bad guy route, as well as the sheer amount of content I’m completely missing by telling lost kids to kick rocks, and casually slaughtering dozens of fully-voiced, potentially quest-giving NPC’s. It’s a glorious game. Definitely in the top 5 of the last decade, along with Witcher 3 and Disco Elysium.
I was shocked when I found out astarion was a party character. I told him to take a hike because he just tried to kill me. Haven’t heard a thing from him. It just let me do that.
You can kill basically anyone, and the game just goes on fine. You face consequences for that, but you aren’t railroaded at all.
It’s not trying to twist and contort D&D into Call of Duty
Uh… That actually sounds like it might be kinda cool. Are there actually games that have done that? I’d check 'em out if there are.
Closest I can think of is the Dark Messiah of Might and Magic game from 2006, from Arkane (who later went on to make Dishonored and more recently Prey and Deathloop). First person, you pick your class between Fighter, Wizard, and Rogue, and most of the combat involves figuring out how to use traps, physic, and magic to kill your targets. Lots of ledges to kick monsters off of or spikes to knock monsters into, or creating ice on the floor as a wizard to make enemies slip to their deaths. Holds up pretty well for a 15+ year old game.
Aw… I was thinking a little more literally. A real-time, first person D&D game set in Forgotten Realms? Yes please. I know the rules couldn’t work and thus would need to be tweaked, but am I the only one who thinks that does sound fun?
