Just a follow up on this. I gave up on the game last night after 22 levels. There's a lot about it that is awesome. The game is very pretty, and I love the combat mechanics, and the old-school play style.
On the negative side I really hate the way the game is structured around little hubs with instances hanging off of them. After 22 levels in Tortage I finally killed Strom and got out to Khemi only to find another little hub with instances. And pretty much every instance offers you "normal or epic" choices when you enter. Completely killed the immersion for me. I also didn't like the look of my character very much. A lot of the stuff that dropped in Tortage was just ugly, and the character animations were almost comical in some areas, like running. A stooped, bowlegged posture does not befit a hero .
Lastly, I really think that funneling new players through small, heavily scripted startup areas is a design mistake. Other games are following the same path, and I really don't like it. One reason is that it makes the idea of starting another character seem like a real chore. Ugh, another 22 levels in Tortage. I much prefer having a choice of startup zones and paths.