The highs of this game are so high. I LOVE the relationship between Antea and Red, and the main story takes them on a wonderful, emotional journey together. Were I able to focus on just this, it would have been one of my favorite games this year.

But the game is just so bloated. Reading about this game, you're going to hear about the giant world map full of "checklist open world" type content, and that is part of the issue. It doesn't really serve the core successes of the game and instead distracts from them.

It also suffers though from side content that is narratively compelling and, generally, pretty formulaic. It is hard to feel like I'm untangling the mysteries of a settlement when every story plays out with such a strictly adhered-to pattern.

I wish I could have loved this as much as I did Vampyr