Had a really good time, but honestly felt like I was missing something, waiting for a set piece or a cutscene or whatever to knock me sideways. There's some mad stuff for sure, and the post-game had me momentarily stunned, but overall I'm not in love with it. Maybe it's just been hyped up too much.

There's an unfinished vibe permeating the world; quest lines that wither to nothing, tripwires in the wild that don't seem to belong to anybody, what are those big empty cages for, a vague lost-in-translation plot, etc. A climactic moment referred to my "beloved" and I was like...her? Honestly feel like I accidently skipped some important stuff, or it didn't trigger, or something. Or again maybe I was just expecting too much.

It's a testament to how fun (and funny) it is that I simply ignored stuff that I've properly grumbled about in other games, like the generic fantasy aesthetic and the excessive amount of materials for crafting (which I managed to almost completely ignore by just having magic pawns cover all the healing and buff/debuff business). Combat is a hoot, and the party system makes for a grand adventure. Even when I'm not sure what I'm doing next (which is often), I'm happy to just pick a random quest from my list and head out with my scantily-clad entourage. Plus the Bitterblack Isle stuff is some good solid dungeoneering.

It's good! I'm not sure it's great. Though there were definitely times when I muttered quietly to myself "this is better than Elden Ring".