I absolutely love this game.

While people may have issue with the minor issues, I personally only ran into one bug every few hours. Something simple like having to crouch to get up some stairs or my horse magically getting balanced on a fence. The bugs, besides trying to navigate a forest at night (slipping and sliding around and getting stuck can be extremely frustrating at times), are easily manageable.

What the game does right:

Historical Setting w/ Some Spice: Yes, the game isn't 100% to the dot correct and accurate. Name one game that completely is. They took a topic, did immense research into the events and people of the time, and created an enriching and stimulating open world environment. It's the kind of game where I actually enjoyed sitting at a bed and reading the books the game had, as they did pertain to real life people, and their thoughts on events. History within history. Plus, the game allows you to wander deep into the woods and find the most interesting of things, like a rundown tower that seems to be the home of a serial killer that only kills women.

Combat: This might shock a few people, but I actually liked the combat system. It took For Honor and just gave it a few more combos, but made it much faster paced with more switch ups. It felt much more realistic and actually thrilling. Pulling off a combo move on someone that is much tougher than you feels great! This is also the first game to actually make the user TERRIFIED of more than a 1 on 1. That alone is fantastic. No longer are you some demigod roaming the world as an unkillable death machine. While archery is a mixed bag, I actually listened to the tutorial and practiced. It felt more realistic than most games, me having shot plenty of arrows in my time. You cannot hold an arrow at a draw for the longest of time. Plus, no crosshair was a very nice touch. The game also allows you to go to various places and practice things like sword fighting or archery, and scores you on so. That is very well executed.

Saving: While I too have been really annoyed at dying, only to spawn undoing 1.5 hours work, I enjoy the system. It doesn't hold your hand, and makes you scout your environment to look for places to sleep and rest. You aren't some demigod with more energy than the sun. And to all of the people crying about some expensive potions that weigh .5lb, that is RIDICULOUS. Go out and kill 3 bandits, that is enough money for a potion, and takes 5-10 minutes. This is the first game in awhile that does save your progress, but doesn't baby you and actually makes you really think: "Do I want to fight this opponent, knowing I might die?" instead of charging into the frey.

Soundtrack and Art: I really liked the instrumentals with time appropriate instruments. Plus, Czech lyrics! The in game calligraphy and art was done with fine detail, truly a well done representation of the craftsmanship at the time. Probably my favorite world map to look at in a game.

What the game needs to work on:

Clarity: The tutorials need some work. The horse part at the beginning for example was rather annoying, but I got it the second time. They need to have more clear and concise instructions, I think they over elaborated and made learning in game mechanics reading a 3 page paper.

Horse Combat: Takes immense practice, and no field and dummy to practice on. Horse archery is possible and fine, but using a sword requires the enemy to be within hugging distance, where they can easily knock you off your horse.

Collisions: This game needs to sand out the rough edges. Trying to cross a small stream, with vaulting then sliding down the stream can be incredibly annoying. Some of the most frustrating moments in the game was simply trying to walk though some basic bushes (not the thick brush). Add a two foot tall mound and climbing it is hiking up a cliff. Not being able to climb up stairs at certain moments can be annoying too. But, they released a patch that can fix some of these issues.

Performance: This is where the game makes my heart bleed. I love the game, but I have to give it poor marks here. I have 2x GTX 1080s, 32GB DDR4 RAM, and an i7, yet trying to run 4K at a high graphics setting is almost IMPOSSIBLE. It needs to be optimized badly. Going over 1920x1080 with higher graphics at this point is unheard of.

Overall:
Despite some bugs and performance issues, I really cherish this game. It makes you emotionally invested into it, and has that “just one more!” feeling that Civ 5 has. I put 40+ hours in 3-4 days. I just couldn’t put it down! I still haven’t beat it, as I like to take my time and try to get the fun achievements. I eagerly await the future of this game!

8.8/10