I wanted a handheld that could run the new retro-inspired titles that keep getting me hooked, because I didn’t feel like I wanted to be chained to my desktop to play twin-stick shooters and pixel art platformers.
What keeps me hooked is its versatility and ease of use. I finally have something to take my Steam catalogue with me on trips or just sit on the couch, away from my PC.
For me it wasn’t the fire that kept drawing comparisons to Divinity. It was the writing. The opening is beat for beat Divinity tropes and it was off-putting. It took hours more gameplay and character development for that edge to wear down, though it has probably permanently shaded my first playthrough. Perhaps that opening was one of the first things written, and thus the most akin to its predecessor.
Once the game settles in, things feel less Divinity and more Faerun. The fire metaphor is apt though. Things do creep in from time to time to remind you who built this adventure. It’s like a signature. I don’t always like it, seeing the hand in this case is more jarring because of how sensitive I am towards the setting and gameplay. But the craft is so thoughtful otherwise, it’s broken through those barriers for me.