The gameplay loop was solid, but not completely original.

But the lore of the world was interesting and was dolled out fairly well. Neat little chunks of lore that felt like a reward when you get them.

Add in great art and music, and you have a game that you can build a fan base on.

Add in the free expansions and fan friendly developer, and you get a robust fan base.

Which leads to expectations for the sequel.

I think the soundtrack along with the challenging boss fights was the main appeal for me.

I’m into my 5th decade of gaming and to me it wasn’t anything special, good game though.

However my son who was 8ish when he first played the first game ate it up, and I think it’s sort of for the same reason we have those same pedestals for our games from that age.

It’s a genuinely good game with an engaging story AND they dangled a carrot successfully for years.

It’s one of the games that I’ve sunk too much time into during the pandemic. It’s got a special place in my heart. I think I’ve also purchased it on every platform available. It’s good. It’s tight.