izigame.me

I've 100% completed the base game (I don't own the DLC). While I obviously really like this game, I think this game has some clear pros and cons. I've sorted this review via 3 sections, each starting with pros then following with cons.
Lore:
- Amazing attention to detail to aesthetic and design of Demacia (especially the attacks of champions)
- The notes you find reference all sort of different champion(s) and Legends of Runeterra followers, great if you're invested in the lore
- Story is very compelling and well written, some narrative beats are obvious but they still managed to surprise me
- Unfortunately we don't hear or get any additional understanding of Sylas' journey to the Freljord, one of the main stories we have of him prior to this game's release. This was a disappointment for me in particular
- Side stories were less interesting to me by a long shot. They didn't feel like they had any connection to Sylas' objective and you could tell they were just added in on the side
Gameplay: (PC only)
- Very fun, in a mind-haze button-mash sense. The weight of the attacks and spells are there and it makes me feel like I'm doing some cool, but you can kind of button mash through a lot of fights.
- Good variety of enemies, from different spells (some more utility based), different enemies, even different enemy types. It feels like you keep meeting new opponents that you have to deal with/learn their patterns.
- Controls can feel somewhat clunky, especially when there's a ton of enemies all attacking at the same time, it doesn't feel like there's much precision control for copying spells and how you fight.
- Combos with the other rebels are cool but there feels like clear winners and losers. Wind combo feels vastly inferior to Fire combo and Ice combo is more reliable than Mystic, etc.
- You don't have to customize as much as I'd like you to, in my run I practically just ran Ice and Fire combos and doing the same fight pattern most of the game (hook in -> fire AoE -> dash -> ice combo -> reset). This worked too well even against enemies that are resistant to such attacks.
General:
- The layout of the menu and UI is really well done and I figured out how it works really easily. It flows nicely, and I'd imagine it flows even better on controller.
- Easter eggs and collectibles like the silverwings is very fun and cute. The designs directly reference Legends of Runeterra. The collectibles aren't that difficult to find though, in my first run of the game I only missed 2 silverwings, the rest I just found without even intentionally looking for them.
- The base camp doesn't feel like it's fully utilized as a place to hang out. The infirmary and tavern for example have nothing to interact with. I think it'd be more interesting if you could for example play cards with the mage in front of the tavern.
- The pacing of the game feels alright, there's some transitions that feel very abrupt (especially towards the end) but the game overall could probably be paced better.
Is this game worth $30, personally I would say so if you like the lore of Runeterra and is already invested in art and design. I personally am an artist and this game more so felt like a "whoa that's well made pixel art and animation/sound design" and less of a "I'm fully addicted to this gameplay it's so fun." This is one of my first reviews so sorry for the disorganization and muddled thoughts, but I hope this helps.