Promise, wrapped up as a hugely frustrating mess.
The story is packed with choices, which sounds and seems like a great thing...if not for two things: you're on a timer and everything (including yourself) depends on limited, mostly obscure, one-time choices.
This means a huge bias for playing "optimally": to do things "the right way" and to shove as much of it as possible in a timeframe.
Some things you're bound to be unable to do - not because they're naturally exclusive, but simply because you're not allowed by timer. Choice, agency? Nah. For example, you don't get to decide how physically strong of a dragon you want to be - in fact, you don't really get to decide if you're going to be strong at all. These are limited by select few opportunities, which if you're lucky, you'll cherry-pick dancing around eggshells, potentially conflicting with your other choices story-wise and roleplay-wise. You won't be screwed on a playthrough and will be satisfied only in case you somehow manage to balance this frail construct, if possible at all.
This puts you into a nasty position where instead of being in control of what you want to be and how you want to act, facing the consequences, but rather being a consequence yourself, sort of a hostage of how things just happened.
In other words, it is build to go in blind, with no real agency over anything, not even over your own development.
I agree, there's some appeal in just letting the shit happen and roll with it, without care and the feeling of presence. You know, "whatever", just accepting anything.
Otherwise, unless you enjoy "playing" by the walkthrough and/or constant save reloading, or starting numerous playthroughs and do things over and over again, you will be left lacking and disappointed.
The story is packed with choices, which sounds and seems like a great thing...if not for two things: you're on a timer and everything (including yourself) depends on limited, mostly obscure, one-time choices.
This means a huge bias for playing "optimally": to do things "the right way" and to shove as much of it as possible in a timeframe.
Some things you're bound to be unable to do - not because they're naturally exclusive, but simply because you're not allowed by timer. Choice, agency? Nah. For example, you don't get to decide how physically strong of a dragon you want to be - in fact, you don't really get to decide if you're going to be strong at all. These are limited by select few opportunities, which if you're lucky, you'll cherry-pick dancing around eggshells, potentially conflicting with your other choices story-wise and roleplay-wise. You won't be screwed on a playthrough and will be satisfied only in case you somehow manage to balance this frail construct, if possible at all.
This puts you into a nasty position where instead of being in control of what you want to be and how you want to act, facing the consequences, but rather being a consequence yourself, sort of a hostage of how things just happened.
In other words, it is build to go in blind, with no real agency over anything, not even over your own development.
I agree, there's some appeal in just letting the shit happen and roll with it, without care and the feeling of presence. You know, "whatever", just accepting anything.
Otherwise, unless you enjoy "playing" by the walkthrough and/or constant save reloading, or starting numerous playthroughs and do things over and over again, you will be left lacking and disappointed.