Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

I played the first game for approximately 10 hours, hoping that it would eventually hook me, because I have always loved Obsidian games. But everything looked so bland, typical and uninteresting. Nothing caught my attention. The setting, level design, lore - everything felt not that particularly engaging.

Then I decided to give the second part a chance, because I heard massive praise from a friend who was also dissatisfied with the first part. Just like my friend, I was pleasantly surprised.

Perhaps the main reason is that I really like the setting of the second part. I was so tired of endless fantasy RPGs with the overused aesthetics of medieval Europe, that such a naval setting with the spirit of filibusters and a bit of Polynesian/Maori-esque culture almost immediately sunk into my soul and interested me in a full-fledged exploration of these seas. It's been a long time since I've seen such a refreshingly original setting for a fantasy RPG.

I also liked the plot and characters. The main plot conflict was especially intense, raising the questions of true significance of godly deities in human life and true value of faith.