Hi Drazac,
1) The UI is completely different as are the controls obviously and the balancing is a bit different too. Other than that,they're pretty much the same.
2) The item system was rewritten but has a lot options for boni than than
had.
3) No, there's actually quite a lot of blood, especially in the dragon gameplay. It's possible that rating boards might have us tune these down .
4) The idea is that it changes continously depending on the mood and where you are in the story. We've only shown the beginning of the game which is quite cheerful but that's not the only mood you'll encounter in the game.
5) There's multiple ways you can handle combat - there is a pause mode allowing you to be more tactical, if you are skilled you can use rolls and jumps to gain an advantage, or you can be a bit more traditional and rely heavy on the stats of your characters and your equipment. In all cases you will need to use your skills and spells however to overcome the enemy.
