So far this game is like beating the same 6 year old at checkers over and over and over again...and, because it's a stealth game, it's not even fun like speed checkers but slow and methodical and thus feels repetitive. It's the exact opposite of rewarding, and sure, it might be a pride boost the first time you win a game of checkers against somebody that doesn't stand a chance, but the 30th time?
I understand there are many ways to go about somethiing, but they all boil down to beating that 6 year old again and they all boil down to the same stealth ideas that have been established and played out years ago. Which, by the way, to make matters worse, is fundamentally gathered around a 6 year old AI I feel like I've already played a thousand times before in other games as well. I mean, they act EXACTLY as predicted if you ever played a stealth game before in your life.
Yes, I have more powers than I usually have in a game like this, but they get old and repetitive as well because of how damn straightforward they are and how damn straightforward the AI is. You can give Ryu new moves in the next Street Fighter iteration, but if the opponents don't block, who cares?
And the story: let's just say it's definitely a game made in 2012. They spent more time establishing that canal locks exist than establishing any of the characters I'm supposed to be hating, avenging or caring for. And yet, they try, they try like every modern game tries. At the end of the day, my motivation: zilch. Errand boy, that's me, from quest numero uno even after wasting so much time with story.
I guess I'm enjoying finding runes more than anything else at this point because then I might unlock something and play with it for 5 minutes, realize it's rather straightforward function on the next couple of AI clones, and get some enjoyment out of that. Too bad there are so many clone enemies in my way in the process that slows the exploratory pacing to a crawl.
I knew the game lost me when I got caught after the AI turned around at the worst possible time and said, "screw it" and just sword fought a house full of enemies as they charged in and was relieved to do so. Now I could go explore and enjoy the atmosphere without interruption. In that sense, when some people said this game was like Bioshock, I have to agree with them but probably in a way they weren't even thinking about.
I'll stick with it, but I don't really know how much longer.