I played this game on release with my brother. We both cried several times throughout the story of the game. Once again in 2024 I cried again.

This game is so special to me. It's story is absolutely stunning from start to end. Honestly, Ironwood isn't even that bad of a segment. Bear McReary's score really does a lot of heavy lifting here and is a massive step up from 2018

The RPG Lite mechanics are back and slightly changed up. Unfortunately I feel that they are significantly weaker here in the base game, In Valhalla I think they work really well. The combat is absolutely a step up from 2018 with its increased speed and new moves.

The side quests are mostly solid. If you're doing something for a main character its on the quality of the main story, but the lost souls leave much to be desired. I didn't do as much side content in this game as I did the last one. Mainly because I found the Berserkers to be much weaker bosses than the Valkyries and the mystery of the crater was not at all intriguing to me. (Note: I did make it all the way to the berserker king)

I think this game is a masterpiece