I think once I'm up to speed I'll love it, but I hate having to learn stuff (I'd rather there was a short tutorial that got it all out of the way, and then let me play the game with all the info, rather than drip-feeding it to me). And I very nearly really like the art style of the comic book scenes (it's good, it just could be slightly better here and there). The text has actually been pretty good (for videogame standards, at least) so I'm not begrudging it that, and clearly I've not got at all the mechanics yet. I'm one and a half hours in, and whilst I've enjoyed what I've played there's been a lot of text, and a lot of stuff to digest. How long does it take to get into this game? Does it have a long intro per game/run? My gaming time is properly restricted at the moment but this sounds like what I hoped Octopath was going to be. It's very much its own thing, is what I'm saying. As these have become legendary/mythical characters, they can often end up being subtly (or not so subtly) different from what you remember changed by the retelling. Meanwhile, each time you start a new campaign, despite their stories being distinct, you may end up encountering characters from your previous campaigns. Meanwhile, the main 'campaign stories' make up maybe 20% of the actual storytelling the majority comes through random events, the nature and outcomes of which are influenced not only by your decisions, but by the nature and relationships of your characters, which are themselves a mixture of random chance and player choice. And indeed, the stories are very different in scale: we're talking multiple, discrete campaigns, each telling their own story, that take maybe six hours to complete (themselves split into several mini-campaigns).

However, it's a lot more lighthearted generally, and said relationships are dynamic, rather than hard-coded into the plot. Also like Banner Saga, large parts of the story come down to character dynamics/relationships, rather than being monofocussed on The Plot. In structure it's a little closer to Banner Saga: you have discrete story, tactics and strategy layers, and like Banner Saga decisions in the story can affect the other two elements by gaining/losing/changing available characters (though unlike Banner Saga, having characters get downed in the tactical layer can also lead to them dying/being injured). What's this comparable with? Banner Saga? Slay the Spire? Divinity OS 2? This does sound exactly what I want to play right now though. I'd put it on my wishlist after reading the OP and the EG review, but I've been trying to clear up a Game pass backlog, and also save cash. Oh, you bastard, I'm probably going to have to buy this now. If you're a DnD nerd, then this is a why haven't you bought it yet, you absolute moron? If you like fantasy even a little bit this is a must buy. She's had all kinds of mad adventures since then, but I don't want to spoil the game any more than I already have. And then she got cursed with a rat's tail for trying to steal a magical artefact. In the first story, her head transformed in to a crow. My favourite character so far is one I played in my first game and I have recruited in every game since if I get the chance. The way the game is designed basically guarantees that they'll have some unique or quirky aspect to them that you'll remember for when you can recruit them in other stories. Absolutely great game, and you really feel attached to the characters you take through the stories. In particular, it has a wonderful, terrain-based take on magic, with mages conjuring spells from objects, ensnaring attackers in vines or using trees to teleport.I bought this a couple of weeks ago and have put 40 hours in to it already. The game’s battle system is straightforward – player and computer take turns to move characters around a square grid – but it’s well-wrought and quietly inventive. Sadly, the threats evolve and multiply, too – by the end of a session (an evening or two’s play) even rank-and-file pests may have become deadly opponents. Heroes also age, with play broken into chapters separated by decades: if they survive long enough, they might raise children to continue the struggle when they retire. My current game includes two unlikely lovers, one with a wolf’s head and the other with a talkative parasitic infection. But, more importantly, they grow as people, kindling romance and rivalry, acquiring scars to go with their trophies and venturing on strange, personal quests that often leave them totally altered. Your heroes – each a bundle of abilities and traits such as “gritty” or “romantic” – grow as fighters, trading pitchforks for jewelled spears and enchanted capes.

Wildermyth the great one