This game is special. I dropped 150 hours into just one playthrough and couldn't stop thinking about what I would do next time. The combat is truly excellent with many fights requiring me to use every option at my disposal, at least on tactician difficulty. The social aspects and exploration are also top-notch and are setting a new industry standard. I felt really connected to this party and enjoyed getting to know them. However, there are so many little things that irked me throughout. Certain questlines and romance paths have such specific triggers that you have to hit with no way of knowing what you need to do. Like I wanted to romance Karlach, but because I didn't talk to a random NPC in the corner of a large settlement before clearing the goblin camp I was completely locked out, EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN FIND AND TALK TO THAT GUY LATER. Friendly npcs would constantly walk into my area of effect spells or even just terrain effects and then aggro onto me causing me to have to not use some builds just because of the dumb ai. Characters would consistently get caught on random objects when jumping, causing it to end early even though the game told me that the jump would succeed. Some party members were clearly given more things to do in the story and their own personal quests, meaning that some feel a little out of place. There are tons of these little things that were frustrating, but I can't give this game anything lower than a 10. The fact that a 100-hour crunchy number turn-based rpg based on Dungeons and Dragons was able to see mainstream appeal is insane and a true testament to how good this game is. It is a truly special and unique experience.

Souls-likes are my favorite genre and this one stands out in this overcrowded market. The style is really fun and the devs have a sense of humor that really resonated with me. Level design is great with tons of shortcuts and optional areas, though there are like no optional bosses after the midpoint for some reason. Platforming is fun and gives this game a unique identity, plus it has a grappling hook so it has to be good. Combat is where I have my most issues, though they aren't too bad. I was kind of struggling at the beginning of the game, but after the mantis shrimp, I never died to a boss for the rest of the game. Specing purely into strength seemed to be the best option and carried me into the endgame. Overall, a very cute game with a surprisingly good story and excellent level design, though brought down a bit be the combat for me.