*Disclaimer* - To start off, PLEASE ignore all the trolls playing the game for less than an hour and giving the game a negative review. This is a MASSIVE game and it's very difficult, so I hope you prefer the opinion of someone who has put enough time in to leave a valid review. ------------ Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms is a wonderful yet imperfect gem. Underneath an incredibly difficult first few hours, a strange yet intriguing leveling system and some overall questionable design choices is a very really special amalgamation of RPG genres that oozes passion and is unlike anything else I've played before. Plamen is a beautifully realized high-fantasy landscape with a touch of Italian influence. I can't help but connect the games world to that of a Simon toy from the mid 90's: Each race (Dwarves, Orcs, Elves and Humans) holds a quarter piece of the pie, with a central area held by that of Alaloth, the evil demon hellbent on taking over Plamen for his own. A lot of the usual fantasy tropes are present and the main story is very narrow in it's delivery, yet the atmosphere and art direction really helps sell a world of waring factions fighting to stave off the oncoming threat. Each area is breathtaking to look at: from a towering castle at mountains edge, to a forest town haunted by the ghosts of its slaughtered denizens, every single location stuns. The player will interact with townsfolk, guards, Lords and Kings whilst picking up dozens upon dozens of quests. These can include anything from picking up a certain amount of plants, to killing a particular number of enemies, or tracking down NPC's to deliver items. It's a bit archaic in design, but it helps to funnel you towards the end goal: Destroy Alaloth. Lore drops are also found throughout all locations and can be completely ignored if you don't want to delve too deep. I do have to mention that there are quite a few grammatical and spelling errors, though they're not intrusive enough to ruin immersion. The developers are consistently hearing feedback and updating any reported issues with the writing. Gameplay consists of traveling around a large map, that almost resembles playing a board game, visiting stunningly rendered yet static cities, towns and dungeons, also known as Fighting Areas (FA). Thankfully, FA's are distinguishable via difficulty skulls placed under the names. These skulls go from 1 to 4, with boss arenas being accentuated with horned-skulls. You can enter any FA at any time, but the enemy numbers and their strength multiply with each additional skull. Enemy types consist of ghosts, bandits, demons, goblins, giants, elementals, and various wild animals and each enemy follows different attack patterns which helps to keep the combat feeling interesting and fresh. It's very rare that the player will be fighting just a single enemy and, for a game that has implemented souls-like combat, this doesn't always work. The targeting system can be very finnicky, so when you're surrounded by multiple enemies, frustration can ensue. I discovered you can mitigate this issue by making sure your first Talent Point, the games skills, is invested into an area of effect attack or minion summon. Otherwise, it seems kiting enemies around while you slowly pick off one at a time is really the only solution early on. And those early hours can be very daunting, as you will be constantly overwhelmed by groups of 2-4 enemies at a time while you wait for your 1 or 2 skills to ready. Luckily, your character will grow stronger as you complete FA's and obtain more points to invest into Stats, Skills and Proficiencies. Before long you'll be thrashing through multiple enemies without breaking much of a sweat. Speaking of skills, the build variety is staggering. There are millions of potential combinations from 5 different skill trees that include The Way of Arms, Nature, Gods, Elements and Arcane. Each tree can be accessed from the start and build variety is welcome. In order to level up whichever skill you grab all it takes is usage of the skill and having the necessary stat points (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom). Overall, it's a very simplistic system and respecing only requires a Shrine (an Anhk symbol) and an Orb of Chaos. I have noticed that Intelligence skills seem prominantly more powerful than the others, not only because ranged combat seems superior, but because there are far more skills that compliment killing multiple enemies at once. Some skills also seem mostly useless, such as undead focused abilites, since those enemies might only appear in particular places on the map or in a handful of dungeons. I'd love to see these skills adjusted to do moderate damage to everything, but excessive damage to undead. Melee combat plays much like a souls-like. You can target a single enemy while strafing, dodging and parrying. The latter will stun the enemy and leave them open to attack. The parry can also hit multiple enemies at once, so positioning is key. Combat overall feels very crunchy with a good variety of fantasy staples like axes, greatswords, staves, and spears plus an entire tree dedicated to melee playstyles, such as Warrior, Rogue and Archer. Once again, it's unfortunate the developers couldn't find a way to balance this combat style versus more than 2 enemies at a time. Once 3 or 4 enemies surround you it becomes a chore to jump between them whilst also watching your cooldowns, health, and stamina. After reading multiple reviews, it seems to be the primary reason most people give up on the game. Perhaps an early quest that leads you to one of many companions would be a welcome addition to mitigate this frustration. At the end of each FA players will find a large chest. These simultanously end the dungeon and reward you with loot. While the game doesn't shower you with endless amounts of gear and items, it does consistently drip feed you with upgrades to your current build (or other builds if you choose to respec). It does a great job of keeping you hooked and looking for that next epic weapon or piece of armor at the end of a quest line or higher level dungeon. I'm not entirely sure if there is a lot of randomization to drops in dungeons, but what you get at the end of a quest is set in stone. This means, if you can remember where you got something, on later playthroughs you can build entirely around a specific weapon or piece of armor. The games score is a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the tunes feel bombastic and overly loud, repeating far too often. Others are whimsical and relaxing, transporting you to the fantastic place of their origin. Thankfully, they all fit the location they're in. The Orcish lands of Baga, desolate and without life, carry sounds of hollowed horns and beating drums, while the Elvish forests of Larastir offers gentle whispers of the harp and flutes. It's honestly well done, if inconsistent. What's most impressive, though, is how each area, whether town or dungeon, has it's own song; Nothing repeats. Also, I have to mention the games jingle that plays each time you rest, as it grows on you the more you hear it: simplicity at it's finest. Overall, I love this game. Is it perfect? Far from it. In fact, it has a lot of imperfections, conflicting systems and frustrations, especially early on. But I can't help but appreciate the massive amount of dedication and risks a small studio took to bring this entrancing world to life. A DLC is on the horizon and I cannot wait to jump back in with a new build and explore Plamen all over again. Honestly, far more people should be playing this, and all who aren't are missing out on something truly special. 8/10