I abandoned this game when I got to the fortress and could become a dragon, I think. Around there anyway. If I recall correctly my main issue was stiff movement and combat? I remember a lot of awkward jumping. One of those "maybe try it again someday..." games along with Gothic 3 and Venetica.
Are you sure you're thinking of the right game? The animations are a little janky, but I never had any problems with jumping and don't recall any sequences that required a lot of it.