Aight, got through the Maw, reached Oribos. Is leveling supposed to be this fast? I packed on three levels in there.
I’m trying not to let my recent gaming experiences prejudice me; Warcraft has never been about tight storytelling. After Baldur’s Gate 3 and FFXIV before that, none of this was impressive. But it was cartoonish, bombastic, and dramatic in an overwrought yet not quite hitting the mark way, which…is the tone I remember from Warcraft. So, sure, it’ll do. That’s probably what they were going for.
Overall this felt like a lesser version of the Broken Shore, which was a lesser version of the…I forget what the intro zone from WoD was called, that one still holds up.
Thrall being a prima donna about finding the right weapon was a legitimately good joke which was horribly misused. Completely undercut any tension of the scene and setting.
The Jailer sure is…present. I can see how hard they’re working to set him up as a real big intimidating force but… Then why’d they make him look like that? And sound like that? I take one look at this guy and it just seems wholly appropriate that I’ll be looting his corpse within a week. He’s got a lootable corpse kinda face.
I know enough of the lore of the setting to get exactly how recently pulled right out of nowhere all this is. That undercuts the impact considerably.
Also I do not buy how hard they’re working to emphasize unity and cooperation among the different faction leaders. Like, no, I remember what these chuckleheads were doing last week, I’m not buyin’ it. And that’s as someone for whom “last week” was actual real world years ago.
And I see we’re still characterizing female characters as “mom” (Jaina) or “crazy ex-girlfriend” (Tyrande, Sylvanas). Could do without that.
So far, overall, not super impressed.
