i don't think i can say anything about it that hasn't already been said. it is indeed an obsidian classic - a fantastic well-written story that digs deep into the meaning of power an authority that has a lot of promise and potential, and that is obviously unfinished because they ran out of budget midway. it hurts to even think about. it's incredibly short for a CRPG, and i think anyone should just go and do a stab at it. the writing is well worth it. small details like being able to circumvent kyros' time limit in the edict and such are so fun lol. the gameplay is heavily biased towards lore and magic, but i prefer speech/magic classes so it was not an issue for me. i liked the companions, and i liked their relations with the main factions, and how they gained different skills depending on how they viewed you. idk there's a lot of good in it.

unfortunately, it really just Ends midway with no clear resolution or explanation. it feels like act 1 of a much bigger game :( it is also quite buggy, and it's easy to lock yourself out of all routes other than rebelling because some of the levels - for me it was always the library - just leave you with no other choice due to bugs. the enemy variety also sucks. i also think that throwing players into the conquest part right away is quite a hurdle because you already have to read a lot and engage with the game world right away, and the choices you make there play a big role - but the game is so short that it hardly matters. it does have a lot of replayability thanks to all the background and conquest options. i really should try and play it again myself