Recent reviews by Freech

I wasn't sure if I'd like this one going in. It's a 3D first-person sequel to a series where the other two installments are isometric CRPGs. Pillars of Eternity 1 had 11 classes, 2 had 11 classes w/ 4+ subclasses each and the ability to cross-class at chargen. This game has 3 classes, which can be mixed freely, between Ranger, Fighter and Wizard. There have been rumors that this game had a troubled development history due to Microsoft waffling on what they wanted from it. I don't know how true those rumors are, but whatever the reason, I did sigh a little and stifle a 'but why can't *I* be that?' when I'd see enemy monks, barbarians, and chanters.

It's pretty! It benefits a lot from being a curated, semi-open world. The game demands a minimum of wandering across the map, but I think they've hit the goldilocks zone with that where it never feels like it's overstaying its welcome in that regard, especially because there's no traversal gatekeeping, the parkour is generous and you're only ever going to find enemies that are 'doable' or 'slightly harder' depending on your gear (more on that below). Obsidian has done a good job of working with limited funds, which they sadly seem to find themselves doing more often than not.

Combat feels fun and is probably the best part of the game. There are clearly some lessons learned from Outer Worlds here, the weapons have a lot more weight to them, the encounters feel a lot more intentionally designed than in that game. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this is probably the most polished that combat has ever been in an Obsidian game, but there is still some of their trademark jank. Even with, I still found that I actively looked forward to combat encounters.

The gear progression system sure exists. Gear spans five tiers of quality. Each zone will have enemies of two tiers, to encourage you to upgrade your stuff. Just having something of the next available tier in your inventory causes loot to be biased towards that tier, and also causes quest rewards to be given at that tier. Upgrade materials can be found as loot, gathered from salvage or (and this part is not well signposted) crafted up/down. Unique items have an additional cost to upgrade in the form of a material specific to them. Some people might like this system, I could personally take it or leave it; it felt to me a little like busywork, and I felt a little pressured to rush the next tier so that I wouldn't be given quest rewards that'd be costly to upgrade.

The story is probably a B. Obsidian can and has done better. The game continues the series' focus on themes of religion, tradition and colonialism, though I think Pillars 1 and 2 examine these themes better, because they simply have more time to devote to dialog and lore entries due to their genres. Character work really shines, and the setting is established enough by this point to provide a strong backdrop. Towards the end of Shatterscarp and again near the end of Galawain's Tusks, there are some story crossroads that feel like something a much less seasoned team would come up with. It was a little jarring to me to come across those crossroads. They're transparently there to give your character difficult decisions to work with, and define them later by standing by them/having doubts about them. This is fine and even good in theory, but the implementation left me with the aforementioned "you can do better" feeling. The decision like this in *specifically* the Tusks is one where I feel like only an insane person would pick one of the two options presented. even if I know the kind of real-world patronizing brainworms that crossroads is meant to represent.

Overall, I think the game's strong points stand out more than its shortcomings. Despite the game not being what I specifically wanted as a fan of the series, I was still pretty happy with what I got. It falls short of being worth 70 dollars, but if it goes on sale you should pick it up, especially if you've played the other two games in the series.

This is by far the best creature collector I've played in the past ten years.

The elephant in the room, the question everyone will ask (whether the comparison is fair to make or not) is "is it better than Pokemon?" and the answer is, in terms of narrative, replay value, mechanics, and difficulty, yes, across the board.

First mention goes to the fusion mechanic, which, at a glance, would seem the primary way that the game aims to distinguish itself from other entries of the genre. It's there, it's really cool, it's really impactful in battles and it continues to become more available and impactful as the game goes on, and you develop relationships with your chosen teammate.

As good a hook as the fusion system is, it is just the tip of the iceberg.

There is an amazing degree of customization on offer when it comes to your party, and thus, truly ineffective monsters are startlingly rare, if not entirely nonexistent. Between myself and my friends who also own the game, I found that each of us built teams with wildly different strategies and rosters in mind, and we all found success and satisfaction in manipulating the game's rich selection of monsters, status effects, and move combinations.

At no point in the game did I feel like I would be better served by just turning my brain off and exclusively relying on facesmashing through type matchups--these can definitely help, but they don't decide the course of battles near as much as having strategies in mind and thought-out blends of passive, active and support moves for each member of your team.

Finally, it must be said--the game is clearly a labor of love. The love that went into it bursts from every seam. The story drew me in, I found myself wanting to learn more about every possible companion and explore as much of the mysterious New Wirral as I could. The music is a beautifully composed homage to 80s pop and New Wave, a splendid pairing with the game's visual theming.

I cannot recommend this game highly enough, especially with the multiplayer update on the horizon.

If you are drawn to Obsidian games for the quality of their writing, you will love Pillars of Eternity. It's very rare that there is an RPG which so openly allows the player to play any role they would like--the setting is well written without being dense, and lore is never shoved down the player's throat. The combat is challenging and requires a little strategy to a lot, depending on your difficulty, but there is a great degree of freedom in how you build your party--especially since you can hire adventurers (secondary, custom made PCs) to fill slots in your party. The pre-made party members feel human and real, each with their own personalities, strengths and failings. The game's story is so engaging and well written that it draws you in through multiple playthroughs, just to explore other options and see what effects they have. I couldn't recommend a game more highly for fans of classic rpgs, or for Obsidian fans used to New Vegas or KotOR, looking to try something new.