This was fun. Enjoyable characters, good combat system (I like when RPGs decide to not actually be about resource management, and adapt their mechanics accordingly), great style and visuals, and a fun silly overcomplicated plotline.
It mostly suffers from trying to be a bit too big for its own framework. The attempt to be big scale, yet "episodic", is laudable, but there's just not enough... stuff... mechanics... bits... in the game to make a 40 hour runtime, with multiple interlocking plotlines, not drag on a mechanical level. Even though the dungeons provide some pretty fun small puzzles.
Like, honestly, if this was split into three separate games it would have felt a lot better to play through.
P.S: The search system in the overworld is awful. I hate it. It's a small bit of the game but also, like, why.
P.P.S: I wish these games went a bit harder with the Western theming writing-wise. Like, the aesthetics are there, but often the theming feels more like a gimmicky set-dressing over very rpg-y games and stories, rather than an earnest attempt at capturing the Western genre. Which is fine, I don't even care much about Western movies other than The Trilogia Del Dollaro. But i think this would have been a way funnier game if Virginia was a Clint Eastwood-like antihero.
P.P.P.S: I'm claiming Virginia on behalf of the trans community. She is trans now. No taksie backsies.
It mostly suffers from trying to be a bit too big for its own framework. The attempt to be big scale, yet "episodic", is laudable, but there's just not enough... stuff... mechanics... bits... in the game to make a 40 hour runtime, with multiple interlocking plotlines, not drag on a mechanical level. Even though the dungeons provide some pretty fun small puzzles.
Like, honestly, if this was split into three separate games it would have felt a lot better to play through.
P.S: The search system in the overworld is awful. I hate it. It's a small bit of the game but also, like, why.
P.P.S: I wish these games went a bit harder with the Western theming writing-wise. Like, the aesthetics are there, but often the theming feels more like a gimmicky set-dressing over very rpg-y games and stories, rather than an earnest attempt at capturing the Western genre. Which is fine, I don't even care much about Western movies other than The Trilogia Del Dollaro. But i think this would have been a way funnier game if Virginia was a Clint Eastwood-like antihero.
P.P.P.S: I'm claiming Virginia on behalf of the trans community. She is trans now. No taksie backsies.