There's a guide for the tech issues if your floor glitches (a CFG/text file edit fixes it, sadly the other setting files are impossible to open with notepad for some strange reason). The core gameplay loop is a good ARPG where you can cast spells via either combos (fighting-game style) or hotkeys you set by pressing the hotkey button while hovering your mouse over the spell in your spell menu (or on your hotbar; either way, the menu can be accessed while paused to change your settings on the fly, even during dialogue, I did my first level-up while talking to the combat tutorial professor). For giggles, the health stealing spell can even be used on the final boss, which made it a lot easier for me (especially when combined with having the blood summon and shield spell to absorb a few attacks). Note there are a few distinct "points of no return" so try not to miss completing your quests, and be aware that yes there absolutely are optional side tangent areas pretty much every step of the way. Finally, the puzzles all had good clues except for the soul crystal one relatively early on which as far as I can tell has no hints in-game and seems to rely on trial and error (or a guide), although I will admit the second to last I basically eyeballed (it was literally a puzzle, supposedly recreating some art but I'm not sure where exactly that snake design would've been), and there were a couple of times where I ended up using my phone to photograph my screen to get whatever glyph sequence I needed for some puzzle or other (I didn't have note paper & pencil on hand lol). Overall, it's a fun old game!

nice enough