Recent reviews by Brandcommand

So I beat this game in just under 80 hours of play and I could've easily done another dozen finishing up my quest log if I wasn't so engrossed in the story. I've been playing the tabletop RPG for over a decade and to have the first 40k CRPG come out with this level of reverence and respect for the setting and everything that comes with it made me so happy. Owlcat really do understand the world and its a delight to take part of their vision. 40k is an absurd setting full of satire and it really shines here.

Everything you's want in a rogue trader experience is there: Don't want to talk to the person who is beneath you? Your seneschal has your back. Want to create a cold trade empire? You can overthrow the mafia and place yourself at the head. Want to go full for the emperor? He protects. Want to side with the ruinous powers or xenos? Sure, why not?

This game is very text heavy and while some of the companions are partially voice acted, there will be a lot of reading but its so engaging. There were so many moments where I laughed out loud or had a difficult choice that I sat for minutes pondering the ramifications of or some truly heartfelt moments that really made me connected to the world. If you aren't a fan of reading then probably pass on this game because that's where a lot of the game's strength lies. What at the time I thought were small decisions kept coming back to have repercussions later in the game when I was least expecting it.

The combat can be very crunchy if you let it. Some classes more so than others and it does feel like officer is a touch overturned with how it interacts with the action economy but Owlcat did a great job adapting the old 2009 rules into a fun new system. I did leave wanting for more options when it came to psychic abilities and it often felt like my psykers were forced to take a class for the sake of having one when all I wanted was to make their psychic powers better. I would recommend playing on the default difficulty if you want to avoid most of the crunch and opt to up it if its too easy rather than the other way around. Despite that it is extremely satisfying when it clicks. Having your party work together to take out the enemies of the Dynasty is a joy and very fun to learn and toy with.

Now for the elephant in the room: the bugs. I experienced (or rather noticed) three different broken quests that I had to install a mod to progress correctly. I experienced enemies running in place for 2 minutes only to end their turn having done nothing. My player model vanished. I once got stuck in my chambers and had to reload just to be able to click the door (though I think at the time of writing that one has been fixed). I can only assume these bugs will be fixed as Owlcat has stated they're going to support the game further with more DLCs and they've been patching bugs but its sad that they're there and so numerous. If you're able to its probably best to wait for at least a little bit to play the main story while these get patched. If not, install toybox and you'll be able to progress the quests correctly at least.

Overall probably my favorite game of the year but that's because in a lot of ways I am the intended audience for this game. If you're a fan of CRPGs and want a new one to sink your teeth into playing in its current state is very fun. However, if you're patient and wait for the DLCs and the bugs to be fixed you'll probably enjoy it all the more.

I have a feeling that this game is going to go down in the annals of CRPGs as one of the GOATS.

Thanks Owlcat for the amazing game

One of the best soundtracks in all of gaming set to a visceral game play cycle. Some of the best first person melee combat out there with a plethora of play styles to make it your own. Regular updates keep the game fresh and as of writing this no paid DLCs, just in-game cosmetics. Pretty much an ideal game for any fan of horde shooters or cooperative gameplay.

Fantastic gameplay, colorful story, loads of fun mods. Not much more you could want with a game with this much base content

Its amazing how the human voice and music really sets this game appart from anything else i have played. It's easily one of my favorite games.