Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition

SO i installed, and for the first 30 minutes it worked great.. then i got the Unity engien crash.. ok, look it up on google, tried the fullscreen window fixes, tried the 10nth gen intle processor fix, verified all my drivers are up to date, tried run as admin tried to disable fullscreen optimizations tried compatibility modes.. Nope, still crashed, checked my event viewer, most times it didn't even report it, FINALLY got one to report and it said the issue was the unity.dll. not sure if devs are still working on this game, but they need to, as they need to fix the unity crash and the issues with the Unity.dll or just move the whole game to a newer engine version re build it for release and release to those of us on 10 Pro who can't get this damn thing to work. as it stands since i can't play it and get past even the first 3 engagements with the assassins, i have asked for a refund. i would like to review the game on it's story and character progression, but since i can't play it, i can't review it.

Pros: Concept of the game is really good (establish your kingdom on a cursed land). Writing of the main quest is quite good Lots of good and stable mods(i played with: Bags of tricks, Kingdom resolution, Cleaner, Better vendors, Skipintro, Custom map markers) No bugs Cons: Loading time are very bad (advice, don't allow auto save, way too long and way too frequent and use the cleaner mod before leaving every maps) Writing of side quests and companions quests are bad, manichean and without subtility. The game is tooooo long. Lots of other cons but i was able to wipe them off with moderate use of the mods (like buff too short, slow movement pace, save scumming sometimes necessary constant pressure of time etc etc) Warning: the game is very timeline dependant. 2 massively big red flags: 1: If you are not familiar with the pathfinder system, you are not welcome. Nothing is expalined, no charts, no rules, no guides nothing. Shame, shame, shame on you creators of this game. Stay between you and your private club, i didn't feel welcome, i will never come back. 2: The mass companion slaughter toward the end of the game. Each of your compagnon have their life tied to their quest line. And if you are just a little selfish or bored with their diva attitude, death just before the final chapter. Death of companions in a game is a serious matter, something you've work hard on(aeris in ff7, roland in bd2, Mordin solus in me2). I lost 2 out my 5 companions, one was inevitable, the other had to die and disappear one complete chapter before coming back, way too much time. Making me thing, oh did they killed my main healer???? i have to hire a mercenary and 40 hours later, oh no my main healer is back now WTF??????? One last thing, if you play with the cleaner mod, beware to check the dead option before destroying monster as you could wipe story progressing mobs not killed yet.

The game's got solid bones, but a number of major issues and some minor ones (like voice-overacting). Save games sometimes simply vanish, sometimes an entire character's save history. So don't get too attached to your game, because it may not be there when you open the program next time. Some character abilities (like the Abyssal sorcerer's claws) simply don't work. Other things might work, but the interface is obtuse. Also expect to see your bard reading about how her "Rogue feats" work. I backed this game and would really like to like it, but I can't recommend it yet.

I love RPGs and D&D is one of my favourite ruleset. This game is much more than that, it ticks all the boxes for me: Story: You really should call it a story arc. While the spine of the story is pretty basic - your rise to power - the vast amounts of side quests and exporables give you plenty to do. All of them has high quality writing, which was solely missed lately. Combat: Yes, it's difficult. Every fight will challenge you, and you have to grow up to that challenge. These are not PoE style snoozefests, on higher difficulties you will need proper builds and tactics. Which in a campaign over how you become a ruler - makes the whole story believable. You will overcome dangers, difficulties and you deserve everything you will get. Character building: D&D 3.5, the best ruleset there is. Companions: I'm generally not a fan of premade companions, but these are great. They have very interesting backstories, and all of them are a character in the original meaning of the word.

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.