Why do I even need to leave a positive review for almost a 1.5 year old game with already overwhelmingly positive reviews?
- For those who come after.
[h3]Story - 10/10[/h3]
Just... experience it yourself, really. And avoid ANY spoilers. This game will repeatedly subvert your expectations, surprise you, make you smile, make you cry, make you feel excited and determined to change the fate itself in one moment, and then utterly helpless and broken the next. Live through it yourself. Meet it's characters. Saying goodbye to them at the end might prove harder than it seems.
One important note I have to make, though - it is a linear story. Your choices matter little, there are two endings and you choose which one you want manually. The only RPG elements are builds, progression and excellent story. But you don't really get to roleplay; just immerse in the story you follow through the protagonist's eyes.
[h3]Gameplay - 7/10[/h3]
It's not for everyone. It is a JRPG formula (like older Final Fantasy games), with turn based combat and party system. The only major difference is the rhythm-based defensive mechanics. You don't just tank the incoming attacks - you're supposed to dodge and/or parry them, like it's some soulslike. It CAN be annoying. It CAN be tedious. But it does get better, it has a lot of potential for different builds and the ability to create something incredibly OP with the right skills and gear. But what truly matters is that for it's story - those caveats can be ignored.
[h3]Graphics - 7.5/10[/h3]
From technical standpoint, it's nothing mind-blowing with the exception of motion capture in cutscenes (just cutscenes; the in-game facial animations are just okay) - those are spectacular. The textures can be a bit low res at places, some spots do feel like just royalty free assets thrown in together in a messy, yet stylish manner. But the overall art style is great. It works, it works exceptionally well for it's intended purpose. Once you realize what the world you're traveling through really IS... it will all click.
[h3]Sound - 10/10[/h3]
Voice acting remains amazing throughout the whole game. Soundtrack is something one couldn't possibly expect to be made by a relatively rookie composer. And yet it was. And it is nothing short of a masterpiece. Just... be sure not to listen too much to it's lyrics if you know French (especially archaic French) well - it does tend to spoil a lot of the story twists waaaaay ahead them actually happening, lol.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
9/10. It's one of the few titles who claimed the GOTY and actually earned it. The only title they received that, in my opinion, they didn't deserve, is the RPG of the year. This title rightfully belongs to KCD2.
