I like both the original and Deadfire, but I've found them easier to bounce off of for some reason than other cRPGs that I've really loved (I generally make it through any RPG I like, even if the ending is weaker). I made it through Chapter 2 of PoE and then drifted away for years, then restarted it recently and played it through (and quite liked it, overall). I started Deadfire a bit later, made it through everything but 1 DLC and the finale, and then drifted away again.
There were just points where the admittedly good systems just felt like work to operate -- I'd enter a dungeon and pray that each floor I hit was the last. I think that's largely the fault of the RTwP system, as a poster said above. It makes many encounters feel like stressful busywork instead of an engaging strategy game. Simultaneously, the worldbuilding is really solid but the game feels strangely cold and philosophical - again, by comparison to other cRPGs. To a certain extent, I feel like that's a feature as much as a bug, as it makes the world feel unique and interesting, but it dulled my interest in the characters on a human level (even though they were decently written).
I did like both games, and maybe I'll even end up replaying Deadfire (which enthralled me for a little while - perhaps in turn based mode?). I'd like to see them get to make a 3rd.
