I've been playing for a bit and it seems pretty solid all around.
It works. The soul gathering and the combat are all done well. The menu system is a shade confusing, but nothing too terrible. Visuals are a mixed bag. Environments are generally nothing impressive, some of the characters look good ona technical level, some don't, but the level of artistry on display makes up for any shortcomings. I mean, it's a good looking game. It won't win technical awards, but between competence and good art, the game looks nice so far.
The comic book-y cut scenes scream first gen title. Kind of a disappointment, because the presentation, including VA during the intro was pretty good. I am hoping we get more actual cut scenes as the game goes on. Again, not going to win any awards (should be the game's subtitle), but I kind of like the whole Irish folklore thing, even if it is filtered through a layer of Jappy shit. I wish this would have been made by a dev that could have turned the material into something that actually seemed Irish folklorish. It's a potentially interesting and underused setting for games. So that's a mixed thing for me. I like the setting, but it's not really using it as well as it could.
The very beginning of the game, in cutscenes, gives off a vaguely Silent Hilly vibe. It doesn't stick around for long, but it's there, in both the devices to get the characters to the village and in the music, which also sometimes displays shades of RE-reminiscent incidental music in cutscenes. I was worried they were going to try to survival horror this up at first, which would have been all wrong, but in the end, those elements work like spice.
I'll follow up in a bit. I have really just started. First impression is a solid 7, but there's nothing wrong with that, especially when the game is a little different.
Also, the little of the general game soundtrack that I have heard is rather nice, too. I am fairly certain that one of the tunes is a partial rip of a song from Hellraiser, heh.
