Pillars of Eternity: Hero Edition

Most of the reviews seem to be focused on flaws in the combat system. They aren't wrong, but I can't say the combat was that well designed in BG2 or PST either. This game really falls flat when it comes to dialogue and story The dialogue attempts to emulate PST by using a lot of text based imagery, but the writing is poor making most of it pretty cringy. They try to be deep with a few philosophical concepts here and there, but there's no real focus relating to the overall game which makes most of it forgettable. There is a LOT of lore but unfortunately most of it isn't particularly interesting and hardly any of it is relevant to the story. The main story itself is trite and cookie cutter-- you're basically a ghost-whisperer on a mission to prevent yourself from going crazy. This makes it difficult to feel involved in the plot since there isn't one, and even after 20 hours there was no antagonist or real conflict. So just to clarify-- yes, the combat was bad, but the story and role-playing were also quite bad. If you want a nostalgia trip with an unfamiliar story, this is the game for you. Otherwise don't waste your money.

Disappointed. I'm a fan of Baldur's Gate and Planescape, and I replayed those for several times. I expected Pillars to be a new but good old classic experience. And It's kind of is... Except it is boring as hell. Seriously, I honestly tried in three times now, but Defiance Bay ruins it for me every time. The first impression is good: beautiful environment, classic RPG vibe. But as you go, it feels kind of forced on you. First 5 minutes are good, but then you just always expect something exciting to happen, but it doesn't. Everything is grey and boring. All characters speak in monotone, emotionless voice. Voice actors just don't give a shit. Gaining experience and advancing levels does not excite as near as in excited in BG or P:T. Because nothing changes. Magic spells are hard to understand and seem like have too complex characteritics. These backers-created characters (who look cool and you "see" their stories) were really a bad idea. Because they REALLY seem out of place. The break the fourth wall immediately. It's just plain stupid: in overall emptiness you see bunches of cool looking guys with cool names, and they just don't matter. It drains all the excitement of real in-game characters. And again - Defiance Bay ruins it for me every time. You know, it's a big, most important town. And it just seems DEAD. It's like half done. Empty streets. No one says anything interesting. You know, you are a Watcher, and it's the main mystery of the game. Who is a watcher? And then in the most important city you go to the very place where watchers and souls are researched... and there is no one to talk about it!! In every big exciting city building there is this empty characted who says "what is this place" and gives a quest. Remember Society of Sensations in Torment? Or just the streets of Sigil? I know it's not supposed to be like Torment, but's hell, it's not even 1% of it! It's like they were not even trying to make the world live.

It has been so long since we've seen a game that came anywhere near what Baldur's Gate 1 in particular established. The kind of isolinear game where early encounters were tough, especially for low level parties, and where you were provided with a slew of choice as far as party members and classes. Then came this game. Honestly I don't even know how much I've even played of it. Maybe 25 hours, maybe more. All I know is that I've played Divinity Original Sin, Dragon Age Origins, and a slew of other games that claimed to be the successor of Baldur's Gate (and other IE games). None are even close to what Pillars of Eternity offers. If this doesn't get game of the year it would be a crying shame. I have a priest of Skaen playthrough right now and its so fantastic. I get special cruelty dialogue choices because of how others perceive me through past actions. On another character (who is a goodie goodie character) I get special dialogue because of that. Its crazy how much replayability there is in this game. With the inclusion of Defiance Bay Pillars of Eternity even brings back the feel that you had when you first entered the City of Baldur's Gate in Baldur's Gate. So many quests and places to explore, a whole seedy underworld and factions to align yourself with, and the feeling that even after you've combed the entire city you've still missed plenty. The writing in the game is excellent, the voice acting is very good, its very re-playable, the music and atmosphere is fantastic, and generally I wholly recommend it. Its definitely the kind of game you only pick up if you are willing to read, but its totally worth it to do so.

Looking for an exciting story with fantastical creatures , strange and interesting characters and intricate plot? If you are dont buy this game. The story is a slog to get through. Its not gripping or mysterious. Its downright preachy and misanthropic nonsense. The game dumps massive amounts of info rather than giving out small bits as you explore. Combat is a clusterfuck. No Ai scripts. Characters just stand still waiting for their next move or stand still when an opponent disengages. No pre-buffing or casting interesting spells out of combat. The "deep" conversation system is just a rather convoluted way of using stats to block off story options. The world is pretty dead, no random checks happening in the background , no free roaming monsters. Stronghold is like a facebook game. All in all the game is pretty mediocre. It lack the spit and polish of the Bioware releases. Its only an IE game on the surface, its more Arcanum under the skin. Arcanum was a broken piece of shit but I found it more fun than this. Not to mention the fact that it went swinging for the fences world and storywise. The creators in this game made their vision pretty conservative. The vision of this game is not very strong and comes out as lukewarm generic.

Bland is the word to describe PoE, in every aspect. The companions are bland, the quests are bland, the lore is bland. Heck, what is the point of the stronghold ? I am not even going to go into the immersion-breaking tombstones and NPCs that litter the game, literally everywhere. They made me sick. Combat never felt balanced and magic-users always felt under-powered. I honestly tried to love this game, God did I try. I even gave it a generous 3 stars. But that is all it gets from me. And all it deserves.