My expectations for this game were fairly low, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I ended up enjoying almost everything about it. But I have to admit that the game content starts lacking around the original 2nd game, and so do some of the gameplay-related issues, such as poor pathfinding.
For the most part the maps are fun to explore, the art style is appealing, the dialogue is enjoyable, and while the music can become a bit repetitive, it still fits the atmosphere well. Combat feels responsive and gives you enough room to maneuver around enemies instead of simply standing still and trading blows. Compared to many other ARPGs I've played, movement and pathfinding also feel smooth, but like I said, pathfinding gets worse and can become a real pain in the later parts of the game.
Character progression is satisfying for the most part, and finding new loot feels rewarding. I also really liked having lady Katarina as a companion. She adds personality to the journey. Exploring the world with someone by your side makes the game feel much less lonely than many other ARPGs.
Boss fights are generally well designed and often require you to pay attention to your surroundings — for example, disabling machinery that empowers the boss. However, some encounters become frustrating because bosses can endlessly summon smaller enemies. I'm also not a fan of the health regeneration mechanic. Some bosses regenerate so quickly that you have to attack constantly just to make a small dent in their health bar.
Arena design is another occasional issue. Some boss arenas are simply too small. When Van Helsing is bombarded with area-of-effect attacks, the character often feels too slow to avoid getting hit, even with movement speed upgrades. And when speed isn't the problem, there simply isn't enough room to maneuver. Instead of enjoying the fight, you're often focused on avoiding getting stuck while trying to outdamage the boss's regeneration. Fortunately there are far more enjoyable boss fights than frustrating ones.
Another issue is the difficulty spike around the 2nd game content. Up until that point, the game feels well balanced, but later on it starts throwing large groups of heavily armored enemies and bosses at you that can quickly overwhelm the player. One encounter in particular in Merchant's District features three giant shielded robots at the same time. Breaking their shields fast enough while avoiding homing missiles and ranged attacks felt nearly impossible with my build. By that stage I had already invested heavily into Van Helsing's skills, perks, aura abilities and Katarina's skills, so it didn't feel like I was underleveled or ignoring the progression system. Instead, some encounters seemed to rely more on overwhelming the player with unavoidable pressure than on rewarding good positioning or tactical play.
The difficulty curve becomes inconsistent after that. Some of the later areas, such as the cemetery and carnival, actually felt noticeably easier than the content from the 2nd game. By that point I had accumulated enough levels, skills and equipment that most regular encounters were no longer particularly threatening. This made the difficulty spike feel more like an issue with individual encounters and enemy combinations rather than a consistently increasing challenge throughout the game.
I don't have much to say about the skill system, equipment or upgrades, except that I personally found ranged weapons much more comfortable to use. Katarina also seemed to survive much longer when she fought from a distance. Some players don't like the class system or skill tree, but personally I never had any issues with those. The only thing I didn't like about the skill system was that many skills, at least for the Bounty Hunter class, didn't feel that different to use. If you can't even tell from the damage or enemy behavior whether you're using a freezing shot, an exploding shot or something else, then it's clear that the skill system is lacking the depth and nuances that make the skills interesting in the first place.
There are also a few smaller design choices that I found unnecessarily restrictive. Having only one healing flask feels strange when the cooldown is so long, especially during difficult encounters where you can take a lot of damage in a short time. I also don't understand the death penalty, where reviving costs more depending on how close you are to your current location. It feels less like a meaningful punishment and more like an unnecessary inconvenience, especially when you're already being punished by having to repeat part of the game.
I played on normal difficulty and used the bounty hunter class. The gameplay was challenging enough to stay engaging without becoming frustrating or forcing unnecessary grinding. Another thing I appreciated is that the game doesn't require an in-depth understanding of typical ARPG mechanics such as resistances or complex stat interactions. In most cases simply equipping the strongest weapons, armor, rings, amulets and other equipment you find is enough to keep progressing. I'd say it's also important to use all your skill points for skills and aura skills as soon as you get more points or unlock new skills.
This is a good ARPG that deserves far more attention than it gets. The original trilogy is very well put together for this "Final Cut", but the quality of the game decreases as you progress. You can clearly see from Final Cut that the 1st game was easily the best, while the other two were significantly worse. But I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a fun ARPG. The game itself has many well-known issues, but at least the first game from the original trilogy feels good to play. After that it's probably a mixed bag depending on your class, skill selection and other factors. While I agree with many of the negative reviews, I personally had a good time, so I give it an 8/10.
