Quote Originally Posted by Jophiel View Post
I don't think it's a fun or interesting game to watch, especially since so much of it is just solving tiny puzzles or tasks as you run around. Weirdly enough though, I find it a lot of fun to actively play. I completely get the reviews where the author lists a bunch of small defects but still gives it a 9/10. Each time I fire it up, I'm thoroughly engaged. Watching someone solve a math puzzle then chase a flying key then levitate a statue to get a book page then sneak up on an eyeball chest is probably dull as heck.

But it'll still be the same game when it's $30 or $15 and, even if you know the story twists, the story isn't really what makes it good anyway.
Yeah, I think this would be unusually boring to watch (though I can't say I find most games any fun to watch, that's just a bad movie with way too many repetitive fights) because the general gameplay is very low key. But it is extremely satisfying and engaging, I think because while it's very much a collect-a-thon, the actual collecting requires a bit more input and effort than usual. Except for crafting mats, everything requires a specific spell or observation or solving a problem or some combination of those. It's quite excellent.

As it stands now, this is going to be a serious GoTY contender for me. The only things on my horizon that really threaten it are Age of Wonders 4 and Company of Heroes 3, which are so completely different I'm not even sure how to compare them. In terms of third person action games I don't see anything coming up that's gonna rival it. The world is fabulous, the combat is quite good, and while the story isn't great on its own, it's a very good videogame story,l. By that I mean it provides pretty reasonable explanations and motivations for going and doing videogame stuff, has decently engaging characters, and doesn't get in the way or make you think the game director really really wanted to be a movie director.