It’s clearly a very streamlined experience and the foundation for a larger game/platform. The RPG systems are there but very few of them shine through. The exploration is limited and almost compulsory, but it still feels rewarding. The story, atmosphere and world building are top notch, especially during the "murder mystery" part of the game. The ending left me on a sour note because of the annoying enemy waves and a couple of story twists that felt unnecessary. Overall, I really enjoyed it playing it, though, and I look forward to the sequel, which is considered the best in the trilogy.

If the setting (cyberpunk Singapore) appeals to you, or if you're a sucker for detective games, play it. Even fpr all of its faults, Chinatown Detective Agency manages to immerse you in this time and place, and for the majority of its runtime it really feels like you're a detective, thanks to its light sim / management elements, stunning pixel art, and real-world deductions.

Having said all of that, this isn't a polished game at all. Even 6 months after release, it regularly has basic issues that can impact gameplay. They're workable, for sure, and maybe in the future they'll be patched, but some of these issues speak of a general lack of time and resources to edit and polish the final experience. These range from super obtuse puzzles that even the hint system gets wrong, to annoying audio bugs, where most voice-acted lines won't play -- even the ones that are clues for a puzzle!

I also wish there was an in-game browser, with cyberpunk interface and music while I look for the solutions. I also wish everything was voice-acted, or nothing at all, and that the written lines matched what the actors said. I wish the managing elements were a bit more intense and that you could play all client cases in one run (or at least that it had a "point of no return" save to jump to after beating the game). I wish the soundtrack had more tracks and that the ending wasn't bugged so I could get the perfect resolution. Oh well...

Overall, a short and sweet experience that could be easier to recommend in a more polished state. I hope the devs have the opportunity to improve the game or at least apply these learnings to their next project, because the potential is there.

Expeditions: Rome is a very welcome surprise. It’s a very narrative-focused XCOM-like, or a CRPG with tactic and objective-based combat. Or it’s a mix of both and very refreshing for that same reason. It takes cues from Larian’s Divinity: Original Sin 2 (Rome’s developer, Logic Artists, were supposed to make a tactics Divinity spin-off) with its reactive elemental surfaces and extremely good voice acting, but keeps things focused and snappy, with dialogues never using more than two or three lines, back-and-forth conversations, and great 2D character art that immersive you in the cruel but extremely attractive world it presents. Everyone here is hot, so why not make companions romanceable? And they do – even if the romance arcs are a little sudden and rushed.

But combat is what you’ll be doing for 80% of the game, and it’s never boring thanks to its class variety and puzzle-like encounter design. The legion encounters are a different story. Simplistic in nature, neither challenging nor rewarding, they serve as a minigame in between main stories. But the fact that you have to grind them out to get resources or simply progress is what end up making them tedious.

Overall, Expeditions: Rome offers a great tightly packed story with memorable characters and dialogue, plenty of meaningful choices, and a surprisingly engaging tactical combat. The legion battles and conquest progression overstay their welcome, but never managed to bring down my enjoyment.

Really enjoyed my time with it. The main story is kind of predictable but it really picks up near the end with longer missions, new and more inventive areas, and overall higher production values. The UI and tutorialization are top notch and elevate the pretty faithful D&D 5e-based combat system to a very satisfying, well-translated video game experience. Most of the game are combat encounters, with very little design variations, so I think they made the right choice of focusing their development efforts there. Everything else (graphics, side quests, voice acting/directing...) is very serviceable but not really the highlight.

I actually think this is better than the original Life is Strange and way better than True Colors (which I played before 2). DONTNOD really tried to not only improve every single aspect from the first game but evolve and be more ambitious in terms of scope, themes, choices, representation, etc. I realize now why they left the franchise, because they tried to do so much with this game that probably didn't know where to go next. The easy choice would be to go back to basics, which is what Deck Nine did with True Colors, but what wouldn't satisfy a studio like DONTNOD and I respect that. Life is Strange 2 is a fork in the road, and Deck Nine decided to simply go back.

The journey Life is Strange 2 takes you through is incredible, and way more profound and varied than I expected. You feel these characters grow and you shape them at the same time. The relationship between Sean and Daniel feels authentic, refreshing and extremely well performed. The story goes unexpected places and doesn't end with a perfectly happy ending, but that's life.

Overall I'd say Life is Strange 2 is one of the boldest games I've played. From the themes it tackles to the way it defies expectations. DONTNOD said "ah, you think you know what is a "Life is Strange game"? Then watch this!". Maybe your definition and theirs don't match, but it's undeniable they achieved what they set to make. And, luckily, it really spoked to me.