Genuinely impressive visual design, good characters and voice acting and the gameplay mechanics aren't all that bad either. Pacing and level design wise however this can indeed feel like a slog the further you get into the game.
This game needed a lot more budget to fully realize its ambitions on all fronts, because once you get past the first chapter the combat gets super stale super fast I respect the hell out of it but I prefer the first game
I respect the hell out of it but I prefer the first game