Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

While not perfect, PoE2 is a very fine game. From a pure gameplay standpoint, it mostly improves on its predecessor: the combat has been made easier to read and is much more manageable overall, you get warned when a quest may be too high level for your character, character customization menus are more straightforward... It even manages to look prettier, though this sadly comes at the cost of performance. What truly sold me on PoE2 though is how cool the setting is: it's not often you get to play in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy land full of proud tribesmen, colorful pirates, and gorgeous tropical islands! The main story, frankly, mostly exists to encourage you to stroll around the open world, and the "meat" of PoE2 is instead found in exploring lush tropical places and completing the numerous secondary quests; while these tend to lack the weird metaphysics of PoE1, they still exhibit the level of quality and open-endedness expected from Obsidian. In a fashion reminiscent of New Vegas, you'll also get to choose sides in the complex and morally ambiguous inter-faction rivalries that plague the Deadfire - always cool to have that in an RPG! There are two big issues with PoE2 though. First, all the gameplay enhancements make for a much easier game that require less personal investment and engagement from the player - on normal difficulty, it almost plays itself at times. Second, while the travel mechanics seem cool at first glance, walking and sailing around the world map actually feels... pretty lame. It's essentially a succession of walls of text and random loot points: everything related to ship management and naval combat is especially disappointing for a pirate game, which is why patches made it largely optional. In the end, as far as CRPGs go I think PoE2 still lacks that little spark that would make it "one of the greats"... But it's not far from that. I'd heartily recommend it to RPG fans, including those who weren't entirely convinced by the first entry.

Liked: - Gaming the system, as usual. - The AI editor is brilliant. - Watching an all-Hellwalker party on autopilot. - Every faction has a serious downside. - Attention to detail in writing. - Good variety of loot. - Good replay value. - Tavern music. - Doesn't feel as camp as its predecessor. ... Disliked: - Main story wasn't very compelling; no conflict to resolve. - Lacks some of the interesting philosophy of PoE & Tyranny... like Skaenites or the Chorus. - Game ends before I could enjoy top-tier abilities; definitely needs expansions. - Game really tries to push you to the pirate faction early on. - Too easy to break quests, especially if you preemptively massacre a faction (one guy even re-spawned!). - Simple implied naval combat, no wind/currents, only one type of shot. - The level-up UI; PoE UI was more practical. - Level-locked utility abilities. - Too much voice-acting bloat, skipped most as its faster to read. - Wizard/Druid classes needs an update; badly underpowered. Slow FF-AOE spells are useless given new mobility mechanics & lack of chokepoints in most battles. - Couldn't figure how to pre-stealth rogues before ship-boarding battles.

I was anticipating PoE 2 more than I was Christmas. In PoE 1, there were memorable quests, relatable companions, impactful choices, amazing setting. It was the legendary 00´s RPG revived. I was expecting the same or more from PoE 2. It´s even the first game I´ve pre-purchased. The gameplay is still amazing, the combat is enjoyable. That is until you get so powerful (around 20hrs in), even the hardest difficulty is not a challenge. The leveling is a little boring, since many of the skills are useless and you don´t feel the pressure of choosing wisely and perfecting your build. But even though, it´s fun. They didn´t break what was working. But the biggest problem is the story and the writing. As people have mentioned before, PoE 2 lacks an intriguing main story line. You´re chasing a god, the dramatic inevitability - the reason why you can´t just quit - is meant to be that he stole a part of your soul. But it doesn´t feel urgent at all, and somehow you don´t feel sympathy for the world, for the factions present or nearly any of the residents. (There are exceptions, such as The Gullet.) The main quest lacks urgency and you don´t feel obliged to act. The companions are not written poorly per se, but even the way you meet them feels forced. Mostly it´s just "This is XY, he´s going with you." There is some backstory to them, but their personal quests are mostly shallow. There are some exceptions, but even when there is an interesting twist (think of Éder) they have no consequences and you feel nothing. Don´t get me wrong, it´s still fun to play. But a seasoned player, who expects a deeper role-playing experience is going to be let down.

I am new to the PoE franchise and haven't played the first game, so getting into the lore takes some time, but ultimately, I love the experience so far. Music, visuals, party banters are spot on, I like that all in-game lore references are highlighted and give a short descriprion of what they mean. There are still some mechanics I am struggling with but it's all a part of a learning curve when one delves into a new world with its own bells and whistles! It would be 5/5 if there was a bit more open world exploration akin to Divinity Original Sin 2 as well as fully voiced narrator.

The aspect that draws me into Pillars of Eternity I was the broad approach to a philophical discussion on liberty, enslavement and religion. In Pillars I the main story connects in its themes both with the companions backstories and the major sidequests. Like a good book (standing above the souless plethora of fantasy literature) everything seems to be in tune. In Pillars II these virtues reappear, but in a much minor level. The premise is very good: Eothas (a benevolent yet ruthless god) decides to break the wheel of reincarnation - a machine that both empowers the pantheon and assures the humanity (or "kith", since it includes dwarfs, elves and the like) existence. But the development of that strong idea - a self destructive god who dreams about a self determined humanity - is somewhat messy and lacking. The main quest is really short and there's little time to reflect upon this heavy themes (well, it's a rpg which contains a "Metaphysics" skill, after all). And as much I like the pirate themed Deadfire archipelago, the open world structure weakens the main plot. The unity and elegance of the first instalament is gone. Nevertheless, as a game it's bigger and bolder than its predecessor. Combat system is sharp and the exploration feeling never becomes dull. The companions aren't well written as before and I found myself more interested on the brief sidekicks stories. Éder is still funny and cool though. And finally, two of the three Dlcs are very good. Beast of Winter explores the dark budhist inspired god of entropy and its realm. It's a very well writen and well paced story that rivals (and may surpass) the main event. Seeker,slayer and survivor is a battle module based upon a Arena island with a short (and clumsy) plot. And least, Forgotten Sanctum deals with the misteries of Wael, god of secrets and his shady motivations in a scenario that evokes Planescape Torment weirdness. Great game, but never achieves the philosophical depth of the first one.