My impressions after finishing Act 1 (which I assume is close to half of game's content). Will update once having completed the game.
I'm a long time fan of the series, most of my complains will probably not be so painful to newcomers, this games seems designed for them more than for old fans
The good:
- each game had a different combat approach, I was a bit afraid of the action rpg one as I mostly play turn base rpgs, but it is really great, I enjoy it a lot, so much fun
- environments look spectatular, best ones in the series so far. Also exploration is a lot of fun
- beautiful music, plays very well with the environments and whatever is happening around you
- story is interesting and engaging, good continuation, some details on lore we have been waiting for were finally revealed/confirmed
- game is in very good technical shape (I play on PS5), haven't encountered any bugs, all looks and feels right
- I enjoy the armor/weapons system in place, skill trees are ok as well
The bad:
- art style of characters and enemies, cartoony and very clean, not sure why such direction was taken but I really dislike it
- character interactions are very limited compared to previous entries, outside of scripted conversations you have with them as part of quests you really cannot talk to them, they just stand there like a decoration
- the returning characters that we have been waiting for years to see again work the same way, you cannot ask them details about what has happened to them in last 10 years, they only give you some generic world state overview. I assume it is all because the game ignores the choices you made in previous games, which is a huge disappointment
- the characters behave very "properly", all feels too clean, they behave more like people should behave than how they do ;)
- all rpg elements are very streamlined, this may be good or bad depending on your preference
Overall I enjoy it a lot, so far 8/10 for me