Flawed action adventure with numerous ideas but also a slew of shortcomings that will require multiple patches to fix.
The story revolves around a child who wishes for his cat to live forever. Because the local vet repeatedly refuses this request, which is obviously impossible, the kid receives an invitation to a magical place. He is whisked to the top of a mountain, where he is purportedly granted his wish. However, upon there, he realizes that it will require a lot more effort.
After a brief stage in a house where you can look at objects from the first-person perspective and score a few fast achievements, the game transitions to a regular third-person action adventure with all of the usual commands and skills. A few auxiliary actions, such as snapping pictures and spraying water, still allow for first-person vision.
Almost all basic abilities are available from the beginning or in the first area. The first thing you will notice is floaty controls, which are a side effect of a "meaty" hero. This means that your characters behave as if they have mass. When you turn while running, your momentum will carry you a little further, and you will not turn in the intended direction on the spot. This might frequently push you over the edge of a platform due to an extra step after releasing the button.
I recommend that you play the game using a keyboard. Although gamepad is supported, the sensation is unpleasant, and several actions are unplayable. Aside from movement and jumping, you have a parachute for riding air currents or controlling your fall when falling from great heights. Your character can also pull himself up while jumping near the edge of a platform or a cliff, although the jump and double-jump heights are limited.
While the stick deals with enemies and wooden things, which frequently hold gold that automatically flies into your pockets, the bow allows you to knock down dangers from a distance. The only limitation is the amount of arrows. The game is easy overall and you will rarely die or feel threatened.
The world is open, and you can go anywhere. However, it contains numerous random activities and items that appear to serve no purpose other than to make the game appear to be something it is not. For example, you can modify your haircut, surf the internet, play with your cat with a laser pointer, swing a butterfly net, and collect a variety of seemingly worthless items such as rocks and weeds.
There is also a crime system with stars that sends the cops after you if you do something wrong, like burn a wheat field with matches. Because they are not particularly smart, dealing with or escaping them is simple.
You’re still encouraged to stick your nose into every corner, but all you’ll find is chest with gold or random items. By the way, you can pick a lot of things. Since your inventory space is limited (it can be expanded), you need to drop or sell stuff you don’t need.
Sadly, inventory is bad. First issue is that you can lose unique items. This includes clothes that are found in chests and let you customize your character and sometimes increase armor. Although you can buy these items from traders, it feels like a waste of money. Inventory is restricted by weight rather than space. This means that, even when items stack, each one adds exactly one extra weight.
There is no need to be concerned about losing your way because the primary quest will lead you in the right path using waypoints. The same helpful waypoints are accessible for secondary tasks obtained from various NPCs. The main issue is a lack of quest and character identification. Another issue could be a shortage of usable maps. The available one merely displays your present position as well as a general outline of the world and regions.
Characters like traders and quest givers are not marked so you have no idea what they are offering. This is a shame because some missions are rather enjoyable. One of these is an espionage mission in which you fly camera birds to collect clues and sneak about to snap images.
Finished missions provide experience and skill points, which can be applied to a variety of stats. If you choose to enhance just one stat, you will gain access to additional benefits such as faster leveling, wall-running, and even the ability to ride animals. Strangely, I was able to choose only three stats.
The final criticism is that there are too many bugs and a lack of polish. Some flaws are minor, such as grass floating in the air or a broken cart system that is supposed to transport you between areas but instead spins on the spot. Another broken mechanic is driving; it has no steering and crashes into everything.
Other issues may disrupt the game or tasks. You are relocated to new maps without notice, missions may state you failed but may still be finished, and characters do not display their text. Since you can save at any moment, this may not be an issue.
In the end, this is a game with a lot of stuff but none of it is done good. It feels like a playground without a clear purpose and mechanics that work in more popular titles. It definitely delivers a few moments of fun, but not many will play until the end. Achievements are often rewarded for doing unordinary things and some appear to be missable, which is another reason why you might lose interest.
