A deep, reactive RPG that respects the player's time
I don't know that I've ever played an RPG (or game) that reacts to my choices as well as AOD. The idea that every playthrough of a game will be substantially different is often touted as a marketing tool, but AOD actually makes good on its promise. I finished the game with three different characters (merchant, assassin, lore-master), and each time I encountered different questlines, NPCs, even factions. The game is short for an RPG (roughly ten hours) making it very replayable.
Its very possible to avoid combat entirely, and I highly suggest doing so for your first run. The combat is hard. Like, really hard. It doesn't ease you in at all. When I played my assassin character, I had to restart the first fight about a dozen times. There's a tutorial, but quite frankly it sucks. I eventually got the hang of it and enjoyed myself, but the combat is definitely an acquired taste.
Playing as a nonviolent socialite is too easy, but still quite fun. I loved piecing together the lore of the world and manipulating factions against each other. Unfortunately there's no real challenge involved, you're just picking through dialogue trees and passing skill checks. Still, there are enough choices and branching paths to make the experience very compelling. I enjoyed playing a social character much more than I did in "Torment: Tides of Numenera" for comparison.
AOD is very rough around the edges. It began development around 2004 and the graphics are passable at best. Certain quest-lines seemed incomplete and/or shoddy. But the choice and reactivity is second to none, it really scratches that old Fallout itch. I can't wait to see what this team makes next.
