Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

I don't think it's a surprise to hear that the Pillars series is built on nostalgia for the old Infinity Engine games (Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, etc). This was readily apparent in the first game, with its "Sword-Coast-ish" setting and adoption of Dungeons and Dragons tropes (with some new twists). This is the game where Obsidian built on that nostalgia and went out on their own, and it shows, for good and ill. Mostly good. This is an absolutely huge game that feels like it was made by people who just wanted to play a game like this. Interesting classes? Check, but now there are fun sub-classes, as well as the option to multiclass, for even more character-building options! Involved quests? Check, with the notable exception of the main quest (which is why it is 4 stars). This is a game for those who want to get lost in the side quests, and they are many and varied. Well-realized world? Serious check. Great atmosphere (and frankly, a new one for the RPG genre - fantasy colonial Polynesia!), fun characters, beautiful maps, and lots of lore if you look for it. That's not getting into the loads of unique, upgradeable artifacts you can find (and the upgrades are unique to the artifact, and usually include an interesting choice), the skills-based choose-your-own adventure segments and conversations, the free mega-bosses with loot that can give you unique abilities, the shanties, the unique spellbooks containing spells you can't get anywhere else, and frankly just how darn pretty it is. I've logged some hours on this game, and will continue to do so. I wish they'd fleshed out the main quest a bit more, but frankly they've been adding so much free content, and there is already so much to begin with, that it's hard to complain. If you like isometric RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Hands down, Deadfire is among the best CRPGs of all time in my opinion; it's not without flaws, but the upsides outweigh anything bad in my opinion. My biggest grief is that the mainstory, while having a fantastic premisse, is lackluster explored. I could tell that the writers had some really interesting ideas going on and the quality of the writing is excellent, but the focus was clearly on the faction questlines. Beyond that, I just enjoyed the whole atmosphere, the dialogues and also the gameplay evolved the classic CRPG formula with a lot of comfort features this genre really needed.

The writing is good, but underdone and forgoes asking some of the most obvious questions, hence depriving the player of really dealing with the main problem of the game in any satisfactory fashion. There are also many red herrings that you expect reveal a grand side-quest, which in fact turns out to be a mandatory main-line quest that you cannot really avoid. So much build-up wasted it hurts. This is probably not as much the writerss' fault as it is the designers and the producers. There is also a severe imbalance between the urgency of the main quest and, literally, any side activities, for the main character, because it just wouldn't make sense for a person so singularly focussed on following the primary plot device to be distracted to the degree that the side quests demand. It all only falls into place when you recall the most fundamental law of jRPGs - events wait for you to move them however long you want, so you in fact have infinite time to finish the main storyline. Such as it is. The side-quests, however, are quite well-written - good enough, at the very least. The game itself follows far more the jRPG model of side-quests than anything else would. And then you get the ghost galleon, for free, come the finish, which you actually have tu use. Oh, and there's gays, gays everywhere. While understandable with the current western trends, it is more than abhorrent, and I only thank the game for the gay dialogue options that are obvious and can be avoided. But the fact that they are still there and can be visible is disturbing.

I just finished my first playthrough of the game, and I can wholeheartedly say that it's worth purchasing. Like Baldur's Gate, this is a game I expect I'll pour my hours into, trying new paths and choices, new classes and backgrounds. My experience had several ups and downs, I can count three major problems I had with the game, and only one minor grievance. However, there is a lot I enjoy about the game! Pro - The descriptions of the game are amazing. From describing the wrenching stench of viscera, to laying out the subtle nuances of a conversation, to establishing a defining moment, I can guarantee you'll find a moment where the well-worded descriptions of this game will snatch up your attention! This is ESPECIALLY true in the narrated scenes within the main quest, which drew me in wholly, even when not animated, by virtue of its great scene establishment! - There are many reasons to come back to this game when you've finished it. There are quests you could have missed, classes you haven't tried, and even attitudes you've yet to choose. What's more, the game rewards your progress in making your achievements grant the option to go into new games with extra boons such as money, boosted stats, and items. Which is very inviting to a repeated playthrough! - Exploration is rewarding in the adventures it brings you in addition to its treasures! Criticism - No game is perfect, but in my playthrough I experienced a frustrating bug preventing my character from reloading their guns. I could only resolve it by reloading, losing chunks of gameplay just to be able to play my build. That's not acceptable, however, it should be fixed in time. - The combat itself is not bad, but it's not especially praiseworthy. It can be rewarding to overcome a challenge, however, and this game does allow that! - Naval combat whilst at first interesting is repetitive and loses its lustor quickly. - In the final hours of the game, I encountered very small typos, which I always feel are beneath any proper company, it's especially disappointing to me personally, but a small numbr of typos doesn't ruin the hours of fun that lead me to these moments.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the setting and writing of Deadfire. While there are rough patches, they are minor enough that the strengths of the game shine through. I love the characters, the overarching story, the design - you can play it as easily as you wish without penalty which is a boon for those without much time to play. The two expansions so far have added a lot to the game and the constant refinement and attention to detail by the devs is appreciated. It picks up a lot by the time you reach Neketaka (which can take a while if you get distracted sailing about). It has one of my favourite soundtracks of recent years, including some great sea shanties. The setting on its own is a major strength of this game; there aren't many games that incorporate nautical fantasy elements like Deadfire does. Lots of positives, very few negatives - the only negative I can think of is that the experimental approach to sea battles don't quite hit the mark. It becomes a text adventure like some of the minor story instances that involve stat-checks. I still enjoyed the sea battles .