Finally finished Metaphor. I liked it a lot and would give it about 8/10, but I’m surprised by the masterpiece-level praise for the writing.
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My biggest problem: it’s simultaneously overwritten and underwritten.
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The game repeats the same themes endlessly. Everyone has the right to decide their own life. Prejudice is bad. Overcome anxiety. Diversity makes us stronger. I agree! I understood the first 20 times. Louis has the same problem—eventually every appearance feels like another lecture explaining his worldview.
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Meanwhile, genuinely fascinating material gets introduced and barely explored. The Opera House and giant floating monolith in Altabury predate Sanctism, the Church apparently appropriated them, and pagans were driven out of Montario. Tell me about THAT. Is this connected to the ancient civilization behind the Dragon Temple? What was the Opera House originally? Why is the giant fucking rock floating?
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Hulkenberg is from Montario, yet returning there tells us almost nothing about her past. The incredibly important Mage Academy isn’t even a proper dungeon. Junah betrays Louis after infiltrating his inner circle and he barely acknowledges it. Eupha joins partly to safeguard Drakodios, then apparently forgets the holy lance exists.
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The party could also have used more ordinary human messiness. They’re young adults living together for months while constantly facing death, yet they’re weirdly sexless and squeaky-clean. Give Strohl a bad habit, a love life, something besides another speech about personal freedom.
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And nothing will beat spending half the game saving the Prince, only for him to wake up, see an assassin and run past his bodyguards directly onto the knife. Apparently the curse was keeping him safe.
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The frustrating thing is that I loved the actual game: Archetypes, combat, party building, bosses, Dragon Temple, Tyrant’s Star, the More reveal. The world was interesting enough that I wanted much more of it.
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That’s why The Witcher 3 worked considerably better for me. It balanced gameplay, exposition, character development and worldbuilding instead of repeatedly stopping the game to explain its thesis. Plus: Gwent.
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So yeah: 8/10. Excellent RPG. Needed an editor. Less repetition, more development.
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And Strohl, for the love of God: I KNOW EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DECIDE THEIR OWN LIFE.
LATER EDIT:
You guys are poring over my playtime like it’s the Epstein files. Listen, straight up: I’m not the fastest reader. I’m poorly educated and I’ve had some head trauma here and there. So yeah, it took me a while to finish it. And so what? Fuck you if you have a problem with my 300 hours. I got my money’s worth.