I beat the game after 70 hours, did most of the quests I found.
A really fun game. I loved the exploration, the factions and the roleplaying checks. The CYOA segments were great in the first game, and Obsidian chose well to make their number explode in the sequel. Most everything involved with the ship is fun. There are countless unique items and they're actually unique unlike the first game.
The main story is really bad though. It's a good thing that it's very short, but still. I couldn't help but to make comparisons to Mass Effect 2, except ME2 did it better. In that game you're killed by the Collectors, resurrected by Cerberus, and have constant communication with your boss The Illusive Man while you hunt for the Collectors.
In Deadfire, you're killed by Eothas off-screen and start the game already dead. You're resurrected by Berath, who afterwards appear so little in the story that I constantly forgot the fact that I'm supposedly controlled by her and on a divine mission. And where ME2 takes you into direct conflict with the Collectors during the course of the game, you're not really dealing with anything Eothasian for most of the Deadfire main quest.
At the Port Maje Engwithan digsite, you face random panthers and other critters that moved in after Eothas murderized the place. At Hasongo, you face Naga that moved in after Eothas murderized the place. But worst is Ashen Maw, where you face a race of fire giants that I didn't see referenced by anyone in the rest of the world before or after that quest. It's like they exist in their own bubble. Shouldn't the trading companies be concerned about the religious warrior-cult of fire giants sailing just off their shores?
And don't get me started on when Berath actually dragged your ass into her realm for a check-up. Excruciatingly long descriptive text and no player agency in the on-rails conversation turned something potentially spectacular - a meeting with gods - into the dullest affair possible.
The game would have been better off without this godly nonsense, and focused on what Obsidian actually does well: Factions and their conflicts. Having 4 is a tad too much as I barely know who the Queen is, but it's still pretty good. I supported the Vailians and was quite pleased to see Maia actually leave my party as a real person instead of kneeling down and sucking my dick because I'm da playah charactah.
I was a bit surprised that there were no post-main quest gameplay. Didn't Josh say earlier that you would be able to continue your game, Fallout 2-style? It's not like anything drastically would change in the world after the main quest anyway (the ending slides would show the future without further player meddling taken into account), just dialogue about Eothas that has to be changed into past tense.
Even though I murdered most Principi I met, I really liked the pirate side of the game and am planning a second playthrough where I aim to become the most feared pirate on the [insert balanced number here] seas. The open world map really incentivizes another playthrough, and would have been even better if they'd skipped the starting dungeon and just thrown me out there even earlier.
