Chasm between Presentation and Gameplay

[Sutherus]

So far, animations, characters, voice acting and story elements all seem super cool and interesting. They make me want to love the game. The voice acting in particular feels phenomenal for the most part. And if we were talking about an animated show I would definitely be interested in watching it!

This is, however, not a show to semi-passively watch but a game with interactive elements like exploration and combat. At this point I feel it's important to note that I did not even complete the first expedition's objectives and of course this is just my personal opinion so might not reflect the greater player base. From what I've experienced in the demo this side sucks hard compared to the previously mentioned aspects. So much so that I would've refunded the game by now if this wasn't a demo.

Combat feels bad in the same way Asterigos' combat felt bad to me. It's... weak. Nothing really feels like it hits hard enough. Of course, the bow is the worst offender here. I'm big on archer classes in many games but I would not touch the bow in this game at the current state. Even if it was my strongest weapon I don't know if it would ever feel that way on an emotional level. But sword and shield doesn't give me much more oomph in my attacks except maybe with a counterattack.

Movement feels too slippery, especially so in combat. The character feels too light, I guess? Not sure how to phrase it or what my actual problem with it is tbh. I just know that it feels off to me.

Exploration has not been worthwhile in the slightest. Largely because my inventory is roughly the size of my pants' left pocket but I know it'll be upgradable so maybe the focus is supposed to be on story progression in the beginning. At least it didn't feel like there was anything to really explore yet. The interesting landmarks I found didn't really give me any sensation of "Oh, cool! I found a thing!".

I'm well aware that I've only played a small part of the demo and that it might get better later on or I might have missed something. Maybe I would even keep playing if a friend told me something along the lines of "It starts slow. It'll get better". But as it is right now I would not feel like continuing and probably refund the game instead. I've seen a few other threads on combat at least so I hope this feedback might spark a change / improvement in that area.

[Concrete]

I am running around doing jumping charged two handed sword strikes that 2 shot frozen enemies. I also launch up cliffs with ensnaring blast. I have found every item and in each map. It is all feeling and working very well for me. I do agree that the bow is underwhelming currently. I need to find stuff to focus on making my fire bow better.