danr83

It started off great! About 8 hours in and I felt like the game had just started opening up, the RPG systems were kicking in, and it finally felt like the adventure was about to begin. Then I made the mistake of asking Theresa a simple question. Suddenly the game locks you into a multi-hour flashback where you play as a completely helpless character doing chores, feeding animals, and sneaking around enemies you’re not meant to fight. Normally that might be an interesting change of pace but the problem is the game gives you no warning and no option to leave. What should have been an optional side story becomes a mandatory detour that completely kills the momentum of the main quest. The pacing whiplash is brutal. One moment you’re excited to explore medieval Bohemia and develop your character; the next you’re stuck in a long sequence of chores and stealth with none of the mechanics that made the game fun in the first place. It’s baffling that such a well-designed RPG would include a quest that can accidentally trap new players for hours right when the game is just starting to get good. A simple warning or the ability to exit the quest would have solved the entire issue. I think the core game is excellent, but this is easily one of the most frustrating quest design decisions I’ve encountered in an otherwise fantastic RPG.