The overall presentation of the game is really good. The visuals, music, and sound create a majestic atmosphere. The game follows an episodic structure and is split into 8 episode (6 main story + 2 DLC), each filled with plenty of twists and cliffhangers, which sets up the upcoming sequel quite nicely.
The story has an interesting premise and creates a world, which if you like ambiguity and speculation, will be your cup of tea.
In contrast, the gameplay kind of felt like it was neglected, leading to a bit of a mixed experience.
Checkpoints are sometimes placed a bit weirdly, forcing you to replay large sections if you die.
Due to the way the character is presented, I don't mind him having stamina, but the decision to not add a visible stamina bar was odd.
Playing optimally is indirectly discouraged, at least on normal difficulty. You have very little reason not to waste a lot of your items, since not only do you get a lot of them, but they get taken away from you at the end of each episode anyway.
The worst offender, however, is the camera. It's placed so close to the character that when you try to run from enemies, you don't have much of a choice except to either blind dodge and hope for the best, or turn it around and hope you don't get hit. Unfortunately, the overall levels are pretty narrow and there are plenty of instances where a lot of enemies will chase you, further accentuating the problem.
Overall, the story and presentation are great and create an interesting world, but the gameplay feels lacking, although if you're used to clunkiness, it won't feel as bad.
The story has an interesting premise and creates a world, which if you like ambiguity and speculation, will be your cup of tea.
In contrast, the gameplay kind of felt like it was neglected, leading to a bit of a mixed experience.
Checkpoints are sometimes placed a bit weirdly, forcing you to replay large sections if you die.
Due to the way the character is presented, I don't mind him having stamina, but the decision to not add a visible stamina bar was odd.
Playing optimally is indirectly discouraged, at least on normal difficulty. You have very little reason not to waste a lot of your items, since not only do you get a lot of them, but they get taken away from you at the end of each episode anyway.
The worst offender, however, is the camera. It's placed so close to the character that when you try to run from enemies, you don't have much of a choice except to either blind dodge and hope for the best, or turn it around and hope you don't get hit. Unfortunately, the overall levels are pretty narrow and there are plenty of instances where a lot of enemies will chase you, further accentuating the problem.
Overall, the story and presentation are great and create an interesting world, but the gameplay feels lacking, although if you're used to clunkiness, it won't feel as bad.