Possibly the most inaccessible game of all time. Requires a PhD and an ADHD or autism diagnosis to have fun.

Despite its massive flaws in gameplay—owing to nearly ten years of content bloat—Warframe still remains one of my favorite science fiction settings of all time. The drip-fed story of the Tenno's compassion and the Orokin offer one of the most fascinating takes on the destructive legacy of empire, while the modern antagonist factions have unique insights into eugenic fascism (Grineer) and the corporate bondage of capitalism (Corpus).

After Pillars of Eternity, Deadfire returns to high-fantasy Eora in a refreshing colonial islander setting, similarly tackling its predecessor's themes of human self-determination and colonization from a different angle.

PoE was built on nostalgia for CRPGS like Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment, and as such, was beholden to certain ideals and gameplay standards while developing its own unique system. While CRPGs following familiar rulesets to tabletop games is a way to link branding and ease newer players in, it frequently comes off as a clunky practice since old-school CRPG combat uses real-time with pause, while their progenitor tabletop games are built on turn-based combat. Pillars of Eternity's system built from the ground up allowed for gameplay rules that fit the demands of the game, rather than trying to fit a square peg in a circular hole. Deadfire further divorces itself from the Dungeons & Dragons system, such as dropping any reliance on per-rest class abilities and instead opting for a per-encounter standard. Where combat felt like a slog in Pillars of Eternity, I found the action system far more enjoyable in Deadfire. The addition of multiclassing also does wonders for experimentation and replayability.

The player's also dropped in a setting you don't quite often see in high fantasy. The unique setting opens for salient storytelling about tradition and colonization. I found each of the characters are fleshed out and compelling. I did find that a lot of the side stories were more compelling than the central narrative. I haven't played the DLC yet, but I expect the storytelling to be quality there.

Deadfire deserves its spot among my top games.

Original review edited from Steam on July 30, 2021.

Recently [two years ago, maybe] 100%'ed the game and enjoyed every second of it. If you're looking for an action RPG with lots of puzzles and exploration, you should definitely check this out.

The art and music is just fantastic. Watching the Devolver Digital E3 reveal games with creative art styles after a sea of boring hyper-realistic designs in the Ubisoft Direct was just chef's kiss finally some FOOD. The soundtrack only has 50 tracks in it, but they're all quality. The plot is fairly simple, but engages relevant questions about the various ways we deal with mortality in real life. Some of the bosses are pretty challenging but its incredibly satisfying once you finally land that last hit against a boss you've died eight times to.

I have very few complaints about this game. Mainly, the isometric perspective can make it a little hard to tell if attacks are on the same plane as you are. This is most prevalent in the fight against the first Giant boss, which drops homing energy balls that float a while in the air before dropping and shooting towards you. Sometimes, I'd swing to hit them back but they were actually above my sword swing, which can be annoying. The game also doesn't show you any damage numbers so it's hard to tell which spells and which weapons are the best. How much does burn damage compare to a charged bow attack?

I played using K&M and found the controls easy to use. I received this game for free as a gift, but it's appropriately priced for an indie game. Average playtime should last around 12-14 hours.