I'm near the end of the game
I'm apparently at the Point of No Return at 25 hours. I have a shitload of apparent side quests so I may just spend the next two days or so knocking those off.
It's a great game. Definitely not for everyone. It's a little bit too easy and forgiving when it comes to time management, but it's forgivable because this is a pretty unique game and the fix feels like the sort of fine tuning that could only happen in a sequel, once they know how people react to first game. The open world aspect is also a little bit too forgiving for my tastes. They need to include more timed quests or make some of the characters have daily schedules or something. As it is, almost everything you need is just right there all the time, with only the day/night state change really altering things. Feels kind of static in a world that otherwise feels very alive. Also, this is especially susceptible to save scumming.
But none of these complaints are important--my complaints are essentially the game is too forgiving and easy. However, the game never feels trivial or like it's actively wasting your time. The writing and humor is a pretty much constant payoff regardless of difficulty. I want people to play this and laugh like idiots, so "too forgiving and easy" may actually be a good thing. I can rec this game to people that wouldn't like Torment, which is a fucking terrible chore to play without a trainer.
The line-by-line writing will regularly make you laugh even if you aren't baked. The narrative unfolds nicely--the story feels like it's happening around you and not being dictated to you, unlike most games--but if you consider it, it's pretty basic. The world building is pretty well done, and there's quite a bit of it. I want to see more of this world. The game can get a bit too verbose when you're dealing with a world building-type dialog, but you usually know you're walking into one, so you can avoid them if it isn't your thing.
