So after 133 hours... This is what I have to say:



Gameplay: this is likely the best aspect of the game. No other CRPG has the many and So after 133 hours... This is what I have to say:



Gameplay: this is likely the best aspect of the game. No other CRPG has the many and unique features of DOS2, likely thanks to this game using its own engine. Unlike in other isometric RPGs, the game is fully in 3D and so it is possible to interact, move, grab and attack a large number of elements of the environment, allowing a lot of creativity when solving the problems that are presented to us. One of the most famous aspects of the game is the interaction between elements. Thus, the pool of blood left by an enemy being stabbed can be frozen with an ice spell creating slippery surfaces. Water can be electrified which will paralyze enemies and oil or poisonous clouds can explode if set on fire. The enemies are ruthless and intelligent, blessing the fire that you have placed around them and transforming it into a healing blue fire, or cursing the harmless pool of water at your feet to transform it into a lake of worms and disease. The duration of the game easily reaches 100 hours and the progression, although limited to resolving the 4 acts of the game 1 after another, is extremely non-linear within each act, allowing you to solve the situation at your own pace and your own way, which gives a lot of replay value. Also interesting how the game lets you kill every NPC out there and still find a smart way of reworking the main quest and at the same time create consequences for what you have done. DOS2 is all about freedom of choices, both gameplay-wise and narrative-wise, and their consequences. Added to this, a multiplayer mode that really lets up to four players to share a world and leave their mark on it.



Setting: the graphics are already over the top for isometric RPGs, but they could improve in how detailed are the models of, at least, the main characters. The world is instanced in 4 big maps, which are very open, beautiful and overall really well crafted, filled with detail and secrets that make exploration a rewarding and a very entertaining process. There is also just the correct balance between battles and puzzles, so both elements keep being interesting until the end without becoming a tedious experience. The cities feel alive and the NPCs wandering both the cities and the roads always have interesting (or at least funny) things to tell us and/or sell us, sometimes even presenting us an exciting side quest. The NPCs will react to us committing a crime such as stealing from their pockets or from the nearby table, confronting us in different ways or actively looking for the culprit if we are sneaking. Regarding the sound aspect, every dialogue in the game is dubbed (even the ever present narrator voice) which is remarkable, and the music gets the job done and even gets to shine here and there. As good as the setting is, things could still be added to make it even better, such as a day-night cycle and a weather system.



Narrative: the narrative aspect is likely the weakest part of the game, as it happened in the first game too. About its good points, I could say the story is delivered in perfect dosage, giving you pieces of the plot little by little, always avoiding being overly verbose, and shifting depending on your methods of approaching a problem, which includes which character you use for that. Also the game is filled with really entertaining side quests, and the personal quests of your party members are no exception, keeping interesting and relevant until the end by adding new objectives with each arc. Another innovative option is how the character creator lets you play as one of the party members which gives an obvious replay value. Despite all this, the plot is however, not at the level of complexity of popular CRPGs, nor are the party members that, even with their very good side quests, just lack enough dialogue to avoid flatness. Same goes for the antagonists, that lack the relevance you would expect from them and never get to the point they should be, being physically absent for most of the game and sometimes even bordering the comical and the cliché in their scarce appearances.



In summary, DOS2 is one of the surprises of the year and both its gameplay and its world should be the role models for the CRPGs to come. Regarding the narrative, there is still a lot of room for improvement. … Expand