Thanks to @Detectivefail's very in-depth and well-written review of this game, and my urge to try yet another CRPG, I jumped right into it. 175 hours later, I can confidently say this is one of the best in its genre.

Like many others, I was immediately overwhelmed by the myriad choices during character creation, especially since I had no prior knowledge of the Pathfinder systems and ruleset. During that time, having rewatched the late 90's Berserk anime, I opted for a character reminiscent of Griffith. In hindsight, this choice was fitting with the theme of governing my own kingdom. Since I typically play neutral good characters, trying out a lawful evil one offered a refreshing new perspective on RPGs for me.

The writing for your companions is consistently excellent. A standout example is Valerie, a somewhat snobbish ex-noble paladin devoted to an art-loving deity, which doesn't quite align with her general demeanor. She just wants to live life on her own terms. Throughout the game, she and my main character had fantastic chemistry and often took on leadership roles in our diverse group of deep and non-clichéd characters. Overall, the dialogue is so vivid and crisp that it pulls you right into this world, making you lose track of time and your surroundings. This is one of those games you just can't play for only two hours a day.

The overarching plot is fairly typical for a CRPG, with godlike beings plotting schemes and manipulating "lesser" beings for their own benefit. It starts surprisingly slow and down-to-earth, without immediately overwhelming you with lore. Instead, you're gradually and organically introduced to the larger schemes as you progress.

As someone who usually prefers turn-based combat, I appreciated the option to use a turn-based mode. However, after some time, I noticed that the game is clearly designed for real-time combat. It often felt tedious when facing large groups of enemies, and there are many encounters like that, especially in the endgame. I switched back to real-time with pause, and it turned out to be a much better experience than I had anticipated.

What I didn't expect was how often I was completely obliterated on the 4th of 6 difficulty settings. In comparison, Baldur's Gate 3 feels like a walk in the park. I had to learn a lot and adapt to its systems just to stand a slight chance in most battles. Especially the final dungeons of each chapter introduced new ways to experience the battle system, making them particularly engaging.

The kingdom management was also quite addictive and well-integrated into the game. It's one of the few games where I genuinely enjoyed building something up from scratch. The political and role-playing choices during the numerous events felt deep and engaging, although they often lacked real consequences.

I'm really glad that games like this still exist today. From an economic perspective, it's quite daring to develop a 120+ hourish complex beast of an RPG, knowing that only a small percentage of players will even start or complete it. According to Steam, only 9.8% did.

I considered giving this a 5 out of 5, but I want to leave room for improvement, especially since Wrath of the Righteous is supposed to be even better.

I'm sorry, ex Fullbright, but this game missed the mark for me. It's the first game from the studio that I can't say I enjoyed.

The premise of a mother-daughter road trip to uncover a hidden family secret was very intriguing to me and fits perfectly with Fullbright's style of storytelling through letters and environmental cues. With the back-and-forth between the two characters, some of the magic of discovering things for yourself is lost. About 80% of their conversations are just exposition dumps. While the voice acting is great and there's chemistry between Tess and Opal, some of the dialogue just doesn't feel right and is honestly sometimes even poorly written.

The flute ambient soundtrack is annoyingly lifeless and lacks emotion. They even missed playing the essential radio songs during the car rides, which is a must-have for a road trip experience, why not add some nice early 2000 indie track? totally missed opportunity there.

The 2D character design against 3D backgrounds kind of works, but the lack of animations during dialogue is very noticeable. As Dusk Falls handled this much better, where scenes naturally flowed into one another. Here, it's just a monotonous sequence of the same three animations that sometimes don't even match what the character is saying or feeling.

Story-wise, it's somewhat okay. I see what they're trying to tell, and the message isn't lost; it subtly develops into something substantial by the end, and I could connect with it to some extent. It's even more frustrating because there seems to be a great script, but everything around it just feels off. I sincerely hope they get another chance to make a game without the development turmoil, as I really appreciate the way they use this medium.