I picked up this game after watching a YouTube clip. I shamefully admit that it was a romance scene between the MC and another character, and my interest was piqued thinking that I could have a Medieval-style save-the-world-again typical RPG. What I ended up getting was an entire world. I must admit that there were definitely cringeworthy moments of lines cheesier than pack of cheetos, but this was an immersive experience of political intrigue, class struggles, and religious turmoil. Every decision you made influenced the shape of the ending as your choices determined key leaders and events. As a savior-figure, it really took your input to the extreme as the story unfolded to reflect your approach, your temperament, and your set of beliefs and morals.
In particular, I genuinely enjoyed how the story really took the time to develop these characters and what they represented. I liked every single character so much that I would take time to rotate them through my party regardless of how useful they were in actual combat. They were not just another knight or another mage; they were the condensed representatives of a specific worldview. Take Cassandra for example. She was a Seeker, a sect of the Templars who were in charge of maintaining order and sought not only power but truth (super simplified version). But, as one might expect, greater knowledge also comes with a deeper understanding of what power is capable of, and Cassandra's never-wavering moral compass is challenged again and again as she can no longer approach her decisions with her blind faith. She reminds very much of Lady Justice, a figure who is blind-folded and holds a sword in one hand and scales in the other. But Cassandra often finds her blindfold is tied very loosely, and as she sees glimpses of the truth of the political and religious corruption within the very organizations that should maintain what she seeks to protect, she finds herself questioning the very system that gave birth to her. Eventually, she figuratively removes the blindfold herself and makes a very brave decision to face these problems head-on rather than hopelessly give up on her broken world.
I could go on and on and on about this. I know there's an incredibly larger lore for the game (since this is just a sequel out of many), and there were many moments where I got lost in the details and didn't really care for all the little things. But, I was very pleasantly surprised by this game. One of these days, I'd like to analyze these characters in more detail, but I've rambled far too much so I'll stop here.
