The short version: Give this game a hard pass. It’s a tedious waste of time. Go play Pathfinder on a table top, as it was intended to be played. Patches will not improve it. It’s flawed at its very core due to poor design, poor implementation, and poor writing. That said, it is a stark improvement over Kingmaker. Grade: D+ To start, let’s discuss the positives: 1. Good companions. Many of the companions are written quite well, providing interesting and often heartbreaking stories to compliment what drives them to fight the Abyss. 2. Interesting locations. The World Wound provides an interesting jumble of fantasy landscapes that all huddle together, and the game is set in late Autumn, allowing for beautiful winter vistas in some places. 3. A decent variety of classes. Note: decent, not good. There’s a wide variety of classes that give unique and different takes on different playstyles, providing some tweaks to different formulas. See Balance below. Now, the negatives: 1. Turn-based mode. It is garbage. The game doesn't use a logical turn-based mode system - instead, it tries to enforce as much PnP rules into a virtual environment as possible. Instead of having a smooth combination of turn-based and RtwP (think Neverwinter Nights), you have two systems that don't really work. 2. RtwP mode. It is also garbage. 3. Balance. I can hear you already – it’s a game with the Mythic rules. Who cares about balance? I really understand that perspective, and I share it to some extent. But, the Mythic system is probably the best part of the game. Otherwise, all the classes are horrendously balanced and there are options that vastly outclass other options. The mythic paths also favor certain abilities - making them mechanic choices, instead of roleplay choices. 4. The writing in general. This isn't Owlcat's fault, but most Pathfinder APs are just... Bad. I genuinely wish they'd just hire some writers and have Paizo approve their own storyline. It's power fantasy drivel.
I really wish I could rate this game lower than one star - one star gives it far too much credit for the effort - or better put - lack of effort - put into this. Game-play - is the worst thing this has to offer. There is nothing about this that is an actual "game", there is no chance of failure, there "boss" fights are an exercise of just waiting it out until you win - since you cannot die. It is physically impossible to die in this game, because you have a magical partner with the arms of Mike Tyson to simply "lift" you out of any crater you would fall to, or revive you if anything at all would dare "Challange" you. This whole game's story is also very, very poor. It's ending is shoddily done, and makes the entire game - a worthless endeavor already, become actually in it's own canon completely pointless. Really, you could just not play this game and you'll have the same result. I cannot describe how much this game is not worth your time, is not worth ten dollars, or even a dime. Don't buy this. If you want a pretty game, with a much better, full arched story, and far better game-play, pick up Ori and the Blind Forest.
Planescape Torment is by far one of my favorite games, and it deserves to fight for the best RPG in history. Never have I been engrossed in a setting like Planescape. The characters, world, and story are incredible. This was the 2nd game of it's genre I played, the first being Baldur's Gate, and through the years I have begun to appreciate this game over the former. Give it a whirl if you're thinking about it. This will be the best $10 you've spent on a game.
