I really didn't think an IE style game could hold my attention with the decade plus of 3d games slowly chipping away at my attention span towards isometric style, but damn has this game surprised me. I honestly don't think I've been this engrossed in an rpg since Fallout 3, and well, the IE games before that. The writing is so fulfilling, I love the descriptions, definitely fills the void I've been feeling since these kind of games left the scene. Some of the character intros are so well done, especially
.
Combat is just so satisfying, to be able to get back into party management like this feels like I didn't skip a beat from the last time I picked up BGII. It's tough but I dig the challenge, but will probably be cursing up a storm as I work my way through The Endless Paths.
Only criticism I have is it feels like the larger cities art wise leave a bit to be desired, some of the districts feel so sparse with a lot of empty space, I felt like Athkatla had the perfect balance with density of shopfronts and detail to make it feel like a lived in place. Budget wise it's understandable though. I seriously don't want this game to end, hope it lasts me a good week or two. I rarely do restarts soon after completion but I just might with this game, feels that satisfying.