Soundtrack, sprite work, and combat all deliver big time. Feedback on really nasty hits feels great and it's rewarding to figure out the nuances of the game and see your tactics pay off.

I'm playing through on normal difficulty and I've found it to be challenging but not insurmountable. I've only had to repeat a handful of fights since they were ambushes and I hadn't grasped the utility of skulking around with the stealthy party member.
I'm hooked on the story. It's gritty and grim, but isn't edgy for its own sake. There's good people along with the bad running around on Idra...that said, it's still Lovecraftian Horror - expect tentacles, gore, and non-euclidean madness.

A few quibbles: the sprites are excellent and the world is crisp and fun to look at. There were several parts that managed to creep me out, despite the retro style. The only notch against it is that traversal in some parts is a little stop-start, since some details look like detritus you can walk over, but actually have collision. This isn't a problem if you use the mouse to navigate, but I've accidentally hit buttons and activated mechanisms since I prefer to use WASD, which will activate things in addition to moving your character.

The other quibble is the vendors. I wanted to spec into a two-handed sword build but it was several hours before I found a vendor that had one in their inventory. I eventually got enough of things together to take advantage of my build, but I was running around suboptimally for awhile with the best equipment I could manage. I hadn't noticed vendor stock update or refresh at all, which might be a decent compromise. I also understand that this isn't the kind of game where all shopkeepers have every item type at all times. The situation is DIRE out there!

EDIT: the vendors refresh, I just got some unlucky rolls it seems lol

This game is incredible. It has been a LONG time since I enjoyed something this much that came out within the last couple of years. I got pretty bored of Baldur's Gate 3 around Act 3 and haven't picked it up in months; I hit Act 3 an hour ago and am already looking forward to my next playthrough. The quibbles are just that: quibbles. I wish I could recommend Skald twice.

[h1] The Pros [/h1] Soundtrack, sprite work, and combat all deliver big time. Feedback on really nasty hits feels great and it's rewarding to figure out the nuances of the game and see your tactics pay off. I'm playing through on normal difficulty and I've found it to be challenging but not insurmountable. I've only had to repeat a handful of fights since they were ambushes and I hadn't grasped the utility of skulking around with the stealthy party member. I'm hooked on the story. It's gritty and grim, but isn't edgy for its own sake. There's good people along with the bad running around on Idra...that said, it's still Lovecraftian Horror - expect tentacles, gore, and non-euclidean madness. [h1] The Cons [/h1] A few quibbles: the sprites are excellent and the world is crisp and fun to look at. There were several parts that managed to creep me out, despite the retro style. The only notch against it is that traversal in some parts is a little stop-start, since some details look like detritus you can walk over, but actually have collision. This isn't a problem if you use the mouse to navigate, but I've accidentally hit buttons and activated mechanisms since I prefer to use WASD, which will activate things in addition to moving your character. The other quibble is the vendors. I wanted to spec into a two-handed sword build but it was several hours before I found a vendor that had one in their inventory. I eventually got enough of things together to take advantage of my build, but I was running around suboptimally for awhile with the best equipment I could manage. I hadn't noticed vendor stock update or refresh at all, which might be a decent compromise. I also understand that this isn't the kind of game where all shopkeepers have every item type at all times. The situation is DIRE out there! EDIT: the vendors refresh, I just got some unlucky rolls it seems lol [h1] The Bottom Line [/h1] This game is incredible. It has been a LONG time since I enjoyed something this much that came out within the last couple of years. I got pretty bored of Baldur's Gate 3 around Act 3 and haven't picked it up in months; I hit Act 3 an hour ago and am already looking forward to my next playthrough. The quibbles are just that: quibbles. I wish I could recommend Skald twice.