izigame.me

NO SPOILERS
I feared that I would never be able to get the same satisfaction as I once had while playing Divinity: Original Sin 2... This game very closely captivated in a very immersive manner, the same way Divinity once did.
For those who are on edge or unsure, a couple of pointers that may help you to make up your mind.
POSITIVES
1- Very immersive setting, highly inspired (but not wholly accurate) from events in history. Remember, it is a game of fiction where certain details are purposefully detached from reality. But on the whole, this game will make you feel as a Roman like never before. Huge plus for enthusiasts of the era.
2- Decent challenge along the way. The game manages to find things interesting, even after 30 hours, I felt that I was under some pressure to make the best of the bad decisions I had made earlier on, and I am a veteran XCOM and Divinity player... Punishment is real, but forgiving (except in some serious cases). Customization allows for the game to play out in the way that you prefer.
3- Integrity of the events, well this is a personal favorite of mine. Some actions and decisions taken hours ago may lead to unexpected outcomes, but more importantly, the dialogue is very deep and you sometimes really need to listen to what people are saying to get the significant hints out there.
4- Cleopatra...
5- Base, legion, morale, item, resource management... Though not deep, it adds a certain flavor to the game that other RPGs in the same category do not present.
6- Soundtrack. All real gamers out there know that the soundtracks are important as they are the best way to enhance the atmosphere and the sensation a game is offering. This one hits the spot just right, having played games for well over 20 years, I have grown resistant to such tricks. Yet, this game broke through my guard and actually touched my soul with the timing and quality of its soundtracks... I am looking at you Awjila

7- Characters... Personally, I somehow got connected to a few characters without realizing... When you actually take a pause in the game and stare at the wall blank for 5 minutes straight, you understand that the game already made a good impression on you with its characters.
8- Opening up: This one is a very, very welcome feature. After playing the game for 10 hours, I thought I saw all the game had to offer, alas, I was mistaken. 15 hours in, a new feature pops up, 20 hours, an expanded game mechanic presents itself, 30 hours, things get slightly chaotic and you realize you are not as safe as you once thought due to certain dynamics changing... The game does a decent job at spicing things up and prevents itself from getting stale quickly.
9- The plot. As of writing this comment, I am far from completing the game, I am probably at around 40-50% mark and I am totally engrossed in the story and I am seriously looking forward to see what happens and how I can affect/change/partake/witness it.
10- Cleopatra...
11- A tiny detail, but I loved the studio behind this work. They are quite open to criticism and they even mock their own past mistakes and choices in their previous installments. They listen to their audience and shape their game based on the gamer profile. This is a magnificent game compared to their previous ones, which are also decent but far from being as good as this one. This already shows that the devs can be reliable and worthy of support.
NEGATIVES
This part has to be clarified as well... As with any game, there HAS TO BE certain drawbacks, anyone who denies it is lying. As much as I love this game, I still find certain parts in need of some polishing.
1 - Overwhelming introduction of mechanics early on. The game has a strong filter early on and tests how willing you are to play the game. In mere minutes, while you are trying to get used to something, game gives you something else to consider straight away. And this happens a bit too rapidly early on and can indeed feel like it is becoming heavy. If you can persist, the waves die down and you can sail in peace as you get familiar with all of them as hours pass away. Still, a bit daunting at first.
2- Certain key properties are not practically accessible... This can be my biggest complaint, something trivial, but with constant repetition that the game includes, it can slowly become tedious. You will want to access a particular component of the game, but you need to make a transition and go through a loading screen to access that one small thing that will probably take a few seconds of your time. You then have to go through the same loading screen again to back at what you were doing... Not a big deal, but stings after awhile.
3- Speaking of repetition... Things will get repetitive, this is probably true for all games out there, but you get to feel it in this game a bit stronger somehow. They are amazing and interesting the first few times, challenging even, yet after awhile, you will feel not that into that particular event and may not wish to participate... Though the rewards are generally satisfying, the amount of time it takes puts it off. Luckily, the game does not bombard you with those, though you will still probably go through a few of them.
4- Refund unlikely due to the amount of hours the game needs for it to totally open up and show you what it has to offer in full detail. This game might not be to the liking of everybody, obviously, so a refund feels like a safe bet. But in this particular case, it may not be a valid option to rely on since the game will still need a lot of your time to expand more and more to give you an even better sense of satisfaction and challenge.
CONSENSUS
It is good. Get it... If still on doubt, wait for sale, then definitely get it, and try to persist through the early game. Although it may be tempting, try to refrain from watching streams or YT videos about the game as it may contain spoilers. You may not wish to ruin the setting for yourself as even some dialogue can give important information regarding the plot and events. Well, I recommend seeing how it unfolds and gets you grasped in its story. If not, well, you can always ignore me and see how the game is from a few sources and decide for yourself of course.
Edit: Corrected typos
I will keep the comments open in case anyone wants to ask a specific detail (I fear I cannot go into much detail if it has to include spoilers from the game) so that I can answer to the best of my abilities.