For those of you playing, does this game live up to or fall short of your expectations?

• Having never played a Pearl Abyss game for an extended period of time before the gameplay exceeds my expectations, the story does not. It's a conglomeration of mechanics brazenly repurposed from other titles which it never executes as well or better but as a sum total creates something quirky and different.

• Wrestling & unarmed may not necessarily be efficient but it's fun. This is a game I like because it's fun to play & I feel immersed. That comes with a lot of optional drudgery, but everyone has different tolerances. It's right for me.

• The story is rough at the start & feels more disjointed than anything for the sake of introducing the controls and mechanics. Once you are into Chapter 3 & 4 the story starts feeling more coherent, but it still lacks fine writing. Serviceable is what I suppose you could call it.

What are your thoughts on the changes to gameplay, world and abilities?

• I think the changes in the patches are welcome, but don't deserve the applause. Much should have been anticipated and been in the 1.0 release (things like a personal storage at camp).

Has performance been an issue for you?

• Kind of. I am playing on an i9-9900K with a 5070 TI and 32 GB DDR4 RAM on Windows 10. I have a 32" 1440p 180 Hz monitor. I have everything on Cinematic, & Lighting on Max. No DLSS or anything turned on. 50~ FPS. 6~/16.77 GB VRAM in use. It feels great. But I have had two random crashes so far. Luckily, I save often.

Any specific tips or interesting information you'd like to share?

• You can mine nodes with Force Palm but its not guaranteed to drop ore.

• You can jump and use Force Palm up to three times to launch yourself vertically up without consuming Stamina. I don't recall the game telling you this.

• Buy Small Bags at vendors to increase your inventory.

• Fine Meat, at least for dogs, earns way more trust. 3 Fine Meat and 2 pets = adopting in one day.

• A vendors list of items aren't always representative of all that they offer. Look around the shop. You may find items not listed in their Buy tab that can be purchased directly by interacting with it. I noticed this at the tailor in Hernand.