I short review after finishing 1st chapter.
Visuals are good, & story & animation as good as claimed.
The UI is confusing, & the game tries to throw a lot of things at you at the same time, You can have a conversation with someone, & the right top screen flashes some new controls at you, & disappear before you can finish reading them. It took me like 2-3 min to find out how to equip a rifle from the horse. The tip was not helpful at all, along with the line of "equip the rifle from the weapon slot" Took me 2 mins to find out the weapon slot is the left side with a bag as the current icon!
also its weird, & probaböly hard for people with some finger disabilities, where you have to hold the inventory with L1 (or left shoulder) while scrolling with L2-R2 (left-right trigger), resulting in using the middle finger to hit the trigger while holding the left shoulder with index. I can get used to it, but completely unnecessary.
Then the combat. You would be taught the game came out in 2005 before Gears 1, & also with the most rubberband autoaim I have seen. I have seen people defending the shooting as "intended" or "suit the game", but come on. The only time the shooting feel okayish is with slow-mo bullet time mode.
I also experience one of the most dragful experience in gaming. In an earlier mission, I was told to gabble (or whatever that is called) a man, then I was lost what to do next. I painfully spent like 30 mins to grab him through thick snow back to camp. Nothing happened. I then have to go online to know I am supposed to tie him, (which the game never made clear), then put him on the horse. ALl the time on the journey there was a "Hold L2 & dismounted". I held L2 multiple time, nothing happened. Apparently, I am supposed to held L2 & get very close to him, then the screen will flash (tie him up or something).... Should I have known? maybe, but I am sure I am not the only one who missed this, which can be solved with clearer instructions.
It may all seems I am overly critical, & I am. That's not to say its a bad game, but it's frustrating, all the effort to make good story & environments, they could devote more time on UI & combat.