Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition

Game could and should be great. Elements are there. ( I was a kickstarter backer) Game has too many game-breaking bugs (among other issues) I've poured several days into this game already, to have it become unwinnable. (I get the "kingdom has been destroyed" message, with no explanation as to why or warning, even though my numbers are good and people are happy and I'm going after the problems in the game) I'm going to step away for a week or two. If they get resolved, I will start a new game and hopefully can change this review; I really want this to be a game I love. Can't right now.

Let's start with the bad: This games is incredibly bug ridden (with game breaking bugs) and the kingdom management aspects are really poorly explained. They do release multiple patches a week, so they're trying, but every patch seems to introduce as many new bugs as they fix. The loading screens take a while on a good PC and the save game files are 30+mb each. The good: This is the first time I've actually felt like I've played a game that's similar to Baldur's Gate. I've tried PoE, Tyranny, Divinity: Original Sin, etc. They all had strong starts that ended in disappointment. I haven't even finished Pathfinder yet and I'm not disappointed. It has flaws, but this is one of my favorite games since it's Baldur's Gate, but brought into 2018. Character creation is incredibly diverse. If you enjoy min/maxing or if you just enjoy trying various party strategies, this game delivers. Character development is superb. Other games may give you 1-2 special companion quests. Pathfinder does it right by giving them entire questlines and meaningful personalities. My favorite is the dwarf who is pretty much Eeyore. Every time you rest there are dialogues between your companions as well. I still haven't noticed a duplicate. Quests are interesting. There's a lot of text reading, but you'll notice that decisions you make early in the game affect the options you get later in the game. It creates a strong feeling that your choices matter. The RNG is pretty punishing, but that's the nature of the D20 system. The game surprises you with ambushes that put your archers/spellcasters in danger, critical hits that eat up half your tank's health, and nasty permanent effects that can be expensive to remove. But all of these can be mitigated/prevented with the right strategy. It just may take a couple party wipes to figure out the right one. Unlike some games, if you're going to wipe, you'll wipe quick at least so you can move on and try again.

I convinced myself not to buy this game multiple times after reading the reviews here and elsewhere. Hadnt heard about the game until a few days ago, ended up giving in to my instincts and picked it up. 25 hours in and I am compelled to add my perspective. I have not encountered any of the bugs I was warned about, the complaints about difficulty seem a little bit over the top, and the game itself is a true gem. There is my attempt at balance, I cant be certain that everyone will enjoy this game but I feel a lot of the claims in the reviews I read have been addressed.

This is the most fun game I've played since the original Baldur's Gate games. The combat system, the plot, the characters; all are brilliantly engaging. I understand the game released with much worse combat issues; they'd been patched before I played very much of it. That's not to say it's perfect. It does have some serious pacing issues towards the end of the game, and unfortunately the kingdom interface is significantly less integrated with the rest of the game than it could be, including ceasing to matter at all for the last two chapters (the ones with the pacing issues). Nevertheless, this game is absolutely worth buying, and I hope Owlcat Games makes more computer games based on Pathfinder Adventure Paths.

I have been a fan of Baldur's Gate and it's kind but none have captured me as this has with the way it integrates kingdom management. In my opinion, this is definitely worth a try and I hope the developers continue to expand it and introduce new lands. Rarely do you see innovation in games these days - this is, however, such a game.