Yeah, my gf has been watching me play through it, and like, all I could think of is man I dont think I remember a game so polished and so well produced that you can just tell nobody fucked with.
It's hard but not cheap, the story and the characters really shine, the combat and the unlock system is really well tied to the games side mission system. There is races, hunting missions, defend missions, etc and all of it earns tribute, which goes into unlocking upgrades for the duece, or your axe, or guitar, or armor. an the little details, like anything you buy an unlock show up in all the cutscenes for example.
The gameplay itself is a nice mix. It's one part zelda, one part pikmin, and it gives me a lot of the viking battle for asgard vibe without the endless repetition. Mostly in terms that as your army grows you can see them roaming the countryside and getting into their own skirmishes which you can totally let them handle on their own. Great stuff all-around.
