This one kind of flew under the radar for me back when it came out but with all the hype surrounding the sequel, it seemed like a great time to play the first game ($30 USD).
Definitely have never played an RPG quite like it. It’s extremely difficult for me so far but not in a rage-inducing way, more like I keep dying because I’m playing it like Skyrim. It feels like a slow burn type of game, where the more time I invest in my character, the stronger he’ll become and the more enjoyable the game will be.
Anyone else playing the first game right around now?
It is not as bad if you approach it with open mind. I’m the person who quicksaves twice before hitting “save and exit” so it definitely took effort but the saves are not that bad. It is definitely more tedious at start, later you have enough resources to use the Saviour Shnaps (the item that lets you save whenever) more. Game also saves when you sleep so you just need to go to sleep when able and it’s alright. I don’t remember gear breaking tbh but you probably do have to do some maintenance on i to keep using it.
As OP says, it is very slow burn and can be difficult at start because the combat can be a bit janky, due to it being very different to what you may be used to - uses direcional inputs in a similar way as For Honor does, but has more directions. So you have to get used to thay but also your character is literal peasant who knows shit (you even have to learn to read) so it takes time for both you and your character to get decent at stuff. But I found it worth it.