The gameplay is based on an essentially linear plot that involves a series of related quests and optional side missions, both of which you usually receive from the local folk. Most of the side quests are timed, with the townsperson typically giving you a period of a day or so in which to complete the task. Some of these deadlines make sense, in that many of the problems you’re charged with solving include rescuing people who’ve been kidnapped or beset by horrid beasts. The missions that drive the main plot, however, don’t seem to be timed at all. I tested this by deliberately standing around and waiting for three or four game days before setting off on a journey I’d been told to make as quickly as possible. When I arrived at my destination, nobody yelled at me for my tardiness, so I felt free to undertake any optional assignment that came along.​