Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Review (Thufir)
This is one of the best isometric 2D CRPGs I have played. It might even be the best. I'm almost stumped at what to say about it because it's hard to think of anything that will do it proper justice, but let me try.
The IP is fascinating to explore. Owlcat has constructed a story-rich world with over a hundred hours of gameplay in the main campaign and DLC, and Rogue Trader has never been mined this way in a CRPG. Usually Warhammer 40K products revolve around the Space Marines and their travails, or occasionally larger-scale space battles or 4X type games. I liked the idea of the IP but never really immersed myself in it. Turns out Rogue Traders and their retinue are a great roleplay way to introduce and suck people into the setting. My knowledge of WH40K was peripheral before I played this game and now I'm hooked.
The story is well-written with tons of nice lore touches and a great set of companions and NPCs you can lose yourself in. Enough of it is voice-acted so you have a good idea of how major characters are saying their lines even if what you're reading at the time doesn't have voice acting. There are lots of romance opportunities and some of the characters have more unusual romances than others. Storyline choices matter and can have far-reaching effects later in the (long) game.
Gameplay is turn-based combat with cover and if you have played XCOM and/or games like it you will be familiar with the system, although melee is more important in the 40K world than it is in most turn-based cover shooters. The mechanics seem to be based on the 2009 Rogue Trader RPG, which in its turn was based on the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay system, using the same stats and a similar way to resolve hits, damage, and skill checks (in and out of combat). I like that system a lot as it is relatively simple and easy to use. If there is a problem with it, it is that early in the game combat is quite tough, but not that much later in the game it's pretty easy to make some broken characters and wipe out most enemy groups on turn one with just one or two of your guys needing to take turns. I finished my game on Daring difficulty with Grim Darkness mode on (after a lot of false starts and failures), and currently I am in an Unfair Grim Darkness game that was pretty tough early on but seems to be sliding into the broken characters deal. (A little aside for your early game - if you use Idira's psy powers she will occasionally summon some horrible daemon that will wipe your party early so consider benching her or turning her into a sniper for the first part of the game!)
The character generation is kind of a subset of gameplay but deserves its own paragraph. You have an extensive selection of options and they all matter. You pick an origin and an archetype among other things and in some cases the origin is almost a class in itself (like psyker or navigator). The development of your character goes from there into picking a series of talents every time you level and the list is long even at the very beginning of the game. What you have at the end is a ton of possible builds, and if you back yourself into a corner with a crappy one you can always go to the High Factotum on the bridge and call a do-over, which is very nice. The companions the game gives you will always be better than a mercenary you can generate, as the companions have special talents that you can't otherwise get in character generation, but you still have the option to hire/build mercenaries and may even take it to fill your party ranks early. My personal experience btw if you want help building characters is that there is a lot of dubious advice out there in internet land, so take your time and play around with what is right for you.
The graphics are quite good for a 2D game, not anything to write home about but enough to evoke the feeling of the setting and its characters. Character portraits and cosmetic customization is not extensive, but if you pick the right portrait/origin combos you can get portraits that actually match your character's appearance, clothing and all, which I thought was a nice touch.
Overall I hit this game harder than I have hit an RPG in a very long time, even including Baldur's Gate 3, the current reigning champion of them all. As I write this I am going to go back and try another run as my brain is teeming with character builds I haven't tried and story branches I want to redo the outcomes of. It probably helps Rogue Trader that science fiction CRPGs are relatively rare so if you need to scratch that itch this is a fantastic way to scratch it in a deep and satisfying fashion.
As a post-script, the DLC is quite good and has been integrated into the campaign at the very beginning, coming with its own long storyline, a new cool companion, and a couple of solid archetypes. If you buy this game, buy that too.