On the one hand, this is a dream for those of us who love worldbuilding. If Tides has a core problem, it loves to tell you about things that aren't very important. Although some characters can be bland, they're generally fun and exciting enough to carry the game. The main plot is strong but comes to a somewhat rushed conclusion. I enjoyed walking around the world and discovering the people who inhabited it. It can perhaps rely too heavily on traditional sword-and-sorcery at times, but it has enough diversity and details. As a result, the setting is an eclectic mishmash of all sorts of cultures and creatures. The titular numenera are the relics of lost civilizations and can range from magic swords to alien spacecraft. Tides has an incredibly interesting world.