Horizon's Gate

Just finished 100%-ing the game. First, the nitpicks: - When your party becomes too crowded (30+ people) it's hard to manage classes/skills/passives/equipment it becomes a chore just to have a decent defense party on your boats. - The last boss is not conveyed properly. I was undergeared, underleveled, and have unoptimized build and team comp. I wondered why the boss was super tough and unfair... Little did I know it was the last boss. I was softlocked into the area so either I load a very far save or bash my head against the wall. In the end, I managed to beat it after maybe 7-9 tries via pure ingenuity and I was surprised the credits rolled. At this point I only explored maybe half of the map. Lol. Afterwards, I went for the achievements. - Controls are rather poor. At first it's not noticeable. But after fighting so much I realized the End turn key (Enter) is so far my hands hurt. In retrospect, I should've rebinded the End turn key. Positives: - It's like pixel baldur's gate in terms of combat - The discovery in this game is insane (look system, gossips, crafting) - Pretty well balanced combat - Lore is great - Music is great - Lots of unique game mechanics (Invest, Factions, Home Port, Trading, etc) Overall, it was super fun. Totally recommend. I haven't touched mods yet, I will do another playthrough with mods.

Yes, but not really. Voidspire tactics is better, you should try it first. Combat and character building are great, but Horizon's Gate dilutes Voidspire's interconnectedness with kinda samey open world. Also it doesn't quite work as a pirating-privateering game, world here is too peaceful and sweet. Even writing tone reflects that. Fractions do not wage wars, it's very easy to outrun sea monsters, and actual pirates are rare breed. There are no danger to travel, and sea dogs don't get drunk at the taverns, no, they discuss whether cake is a pie. On the other hand, it does work as exploring game. You can set sail into uncharted map and find something.