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Surprised there is no topic on this one!

So, game just game out today, and it is a lot of fun. If you enjoyed good Bioware RPGs, you would likely enjoy this.

It's not perfect though, as there are a few issues. The lip syncing is pretty funny for instance, but so far I have really enjoyed it.

 Sasori wrote:
Surprised there is no topic on this one!

So, game just game out today, and it is a lot of fun. If you enjoyed good Bioware RPGs, you would likely enjoy this.

It's not perfect though, as there are a few issues. The lip syncing is pretty funny for instance, but so far I have really enjoyed it.

I've been on the fence about it. . . I have liked the aesthetics of the videos released thus far, but have been hesitant to jump in until I've heard/learned more.

How is the game play? How would you compare it to games many of us are more familiar with (ie, how does combat controls differ from say, Skyrim)?

Of the reviews I've seen so far, you're not the first to mention Bioware positively in terms of voice acting, so that could be a swaying factor for many.

Had my finger hovering over the purchase button when I saw it come out today.

Keywords : RPG, Open World and Single Player tested my resolve. I told myself I’d be best served by putting some research into the gameplay and such before I pull the trigger.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Sasori wrote:
Surprised there is no topic on this one!

So, game just game out today, and it is a lot of fun. If you enjoyed good Bioware RPGs, you would likely enjoy this.

It's not perfect though, as there are a few issues. The lip syncing is pretty funny for instance, but so far I have really enjoyed it.

I've been on the fence about it. . . I have liked the aesthetics of the videos released thus far, but have been hesitant to jump in until I've heard/learned more.

How is the game play? How would you compare it to games many of us are more familiar with (ie, how does combat controls differ from say, Skyrim)?

Of the reviews I've seen so far, you're not the first to mention Bioware positively in terms of voice acting, so that could be a swaying factor for many.

Combat reminds me of a simpler Witcher, You have fewer options but it's still fun. Bosses are very cool, but enemy variety is somewhat limited. I would say about a 6/10. To be fair though, most of the fun is from doing the storyline and the quests. Some of the best quests I have ever had in an RPG. You have skill trees to modify your build, as well as the softskill stuff like lockpicking, science and what not.

Overall, for a pretty small studio I am very happy with it. It's not quite as polished or as in-depth as a Bioware game, but it should scratch that itch. I don't think you can go wrong picking it up.

I haven't had any major lag or bugs so far.

I've been waiting for this one since the first announcement trailer, so I had it preordered. Played through the prologue last night, and while it's got a few issues, there's so much to like. Even in the tutorial area, most of the quests had multiple solutions and at least two of them opened up new outcomes because I'd done other bits for a given faction previously, which does bode well for the faction system as a whole. Likewise, ways through and whole areas being locked off because I chose Charisma over Science or Lockpicking as my starting skill, so it seems your progression choices really will matter (unlike, say, Skyrim, where lockpicking only gets you into side rooms or chests nine times out of ten).

It's not the prettiest game in the world, but the art direction and general aesthetic charm more than makes up for it. Lip synching being bad is probably the most notable graphical issue, but I think that's in part because we're so used to motion capture performances in AAA games these days. The acting itself is pretty good, especially for the lead characters, and they seem to be written well so far. There's definitely a lot of Bioware in its DNA, with a dash of Fable (mix and match combat, general aesthetic) and Fallout NV (major role of the Factions system).

Combat is similar to Dragon Age Inquisition, with the party mechanics, tactical pause and hotkeyed abilities, though with added real-time dodges and parries that aren't as punishing as something like Dark Souls but do have a similar feel and function. If you're used to something like The Witcher 3 or AC Origins/Odyssey, it'll feel a tad slower and more deliberate, unlike those you can't cancel out of animations to dodge or parry, so you'll need to be a bit more restrained with the button mashing. The weapons do all feel good to swing, you get nice weighty impacts and both you and your enemies will get thrown around a lot by the bigger impacts. The other thing worth mentioning is that combat (at least in the prologue) is surprisingly sparse, in the couple of hours I played, I got into about 5 combat encounters, a couple of which were avoidable by stealth or diplomacy. You spend far more time talking than fighting in that first area, though that might change as the world opens up.


On the whole, from that prologue/tutorial area, I'd give it a recommended if it's your sort of thing. Yes it's a little janky in places and a bit of an information overload when you start up, but when you consider it was made by 30-50 odd people and with a fraction of the budget that Dragon Age or TW3 had, it's still ticking all the right boxes for me. Great aesthetic and art design, a fascinating setting, roleplaying front and centre and a fairly meaty combat system backing that up. It's probably not for every one, but it does what it says on the tin, so if you like what you've seen then it'll probably deliver on that.

Some more thoughts after another couple of sessions. I think I'm now at the point where the game really gets going, possibly a little later than I might otherwise have got there as I've been being fairly thorough with some (surprisingly lengthy) side quests. Nonetheless, I've got all the companions now, met all the factions, and the story does seem to be beginning to actually move along now.

On the whole, it's still the RP stuff that I'm finding most impressive. Quests do generally seem to be quite open-ended, even if the game flags a certain optimal path to you ('drug these guards with a sleeping potion then sneak in', for instance) you still have the options of sneaking in, using disguise/charisma, or just doing some light murder if you don't care for that faction's loyalty. Likewise, the locking off of areas behind skills persists from the tutorial area, and surprisingly it's not just the technical skills that do this, I've seen plenty of areas only accessible by climbs/jumps that my more Rogue-style character can't perform, so it seems a fairly even spread of usefulness across the skills.

Speaking of, I think the combat really becomes more interesting when you're far enough along to start working on a specific playstyle and using your allies to cover any weaknesses within it, rather than early on when you have to do a bit of everything to some extent. I've settled on using guns/bombs at range, while manoeuvring round the back to get some high-damage strikes in with a rapier once the armour's down. Seems to be working well with Kurt tanking and drawing aggro, and Siora or Aphra providing defensive or ranged support respectively. For the few boss fights I've done thus far it's worked well, as dodging hits seems to be a far better method than trying to parry/tank them in those cases.

Still very much enjoying it, it's got a very clear notion of the type of game it wants to be, and within the constraints of its budget and small dev team, it's really delivering that so far. It all feels very sincere in a way a lot of major releases these days aren't, in that it's not pretending to be something it isn't, which in turn means I'm more than happy to cut it a lot of slack when certain corners get cut (like fade-to-blacks instead of animations for a lot of NPC actions) as you get the sense they're only that way so they can fit more of the stuff they really wanted in there.
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I have played all the games by these guys and found them to be flawed but fun experiences so I will probably give this a go if I can get it at a decent price.

I would say that if you have not played them that there other games are on steam for literally a couple of quid each at the minute.
Bound by Flame is a really good RPG that is almost ruined by a final boss fight that would give hardcore souls players nightmares.
Technomancer is ok but buggy and short but still fun and worth playing.
MARS is a bit weird and there 1st game but it is worth a go if you like the sound of it.