The thing about all of Larian's games is, they force the player to think. There is no charging blindly into these sorts of strong foes....you have to plan and use the ground and your spells and abilities to suit the occasion. The first time facing the minotaurs, got my ass kicked badly. Took some moving of barrels and studying the ground, and took them on the third try. Lae'zel gor tossed off an edge deep into the depths of the dark, but, we prevailed.
I realize that some players don't like being forced to plan and really use strategy- but personally, I love the way Larian surprises and seems to present impossible foes or traps that force you to really think outside the box and be clever. They offer real challenges to players. They leave you feeling accomplished. While it may seem cheesy to have to save and try again, it is extremely fun, to me anyways, being forced into these difficult situations where the answers are not always obvious. I don't like games that hold your hand where you "follow the carrot" through a one way maze. Give me this creative play, where there are multiple answers, different directions to travel, lots of ways to travel the path of adventure.
The combat encounters are honestly the only reason I didn't shelf this game after finishing the EA. I still think the kid and the harpies is the best, but there are so many dynamic encounters its easy to find a favorite.
+1 Balls
