So, I did most of everything I wanted to do in the game and still had a few days left to save my family, so if you are scared of the timed main quest, you can pull it off just fine. You just have to be a little mindful of what you spend your time on, like wasting time segments unnecessarily looting everything or spending all your skill points whenever you get them.
I was initially sceptical (like a lot of people) of the whole limited time concept and for a good part of the game I wasn't even sure if I liked it tbh. But after finishing it, I think it's exactly one of the things that made the game so unique for me. Each day feels like you are actually getting closer to something, and it pushes you to think about what is worth doing and what can wait. It also gives the story more emotional weight because your family isn't just sitting there indefinitely while you spend 6 months picking flowers.
If you ABSOLUTELY have to 100% everything on your first playthrough, I can see it becoming frustrating. But personally it wasn't that big of a deal. I actually like that I still have things I missed and a reason to go back, especially because I don't feel like I've had enough of this game yet.
I do think the time mechanic could use some balancing in the future. Some things take a bit too much time for what they are, and sometimes "time" starts feeling more like an arbitrary currency rather than actual time passing. I would much rather see them improve that than remove the mechanic entirely though. I really respect that they took the risk with something like this in the first place. I wish more studios experimented with mechanics like this instead of sanitizing everything so the game can cater to absolutely everyone.
The game itself isn't massive either, It's more of a medium sized rpg, but there is a lot of attention to detail and I never felt overwhelmed by a gigantic map full of things I had to clear. Considering this is Rebel Wolves first game and the first part of a larger saga (I assume), it honestly feels like a really good entry point. Weirdly, it almost feels like one of those prequels studios make after a series becomes established, where you get a more contained story introducing the character and the world before everything becomes much bigger.
There are definitely things that can be improved. Combat got repetitive sometimes, especially getting locked into yet another fight with wolves or boars when I was just trying to get somewhere. It can be a little janky too. But I got used to it and ended up quite enjoying the directional blocking. I also liked that it wasn't frustratingly complicated. There is room to add more depth without turning it into something overly nuanced just for the sake of it.
And obviously there are going to be Witcher comparisons. Visually and atmosphere-wise I felt it too at first, but the actual story and world never felt like I was playing some modded version of The Witcher 3. It has its own identity and tone. The clothes, armour, character designs and overall dark gothic medieval atmosphere were probably some of my favourite things about it. Not every smaller quest felt worth spending the time segments on, but the main quests and bigger side stories were interesting enough that I genuinely cared about what I was doing.
Overall I really enjoyed it. It gave me exactly that gothic medieval vampire story I was craving and perfectly scratched that itch. There is plenty that can be expanded and improved, but for a first entry I think it's a great foundation, and I'm really excited to see where they take the next installments.
