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.
There are no frills, just pure tactical goodness. The story is bare-bones, with nice little touches that you can pick up on new playthroughs. You've probably read about the main conceit of this game, but unlike FTL, randomness is at a minimum. You know what the enemy's next move will be, so your goal is to counter it with your (typically limited) forces. The result is that if you fail, it's usually due to a mistake on your part (or maybe a bad map layout). There are so many turns that looked like inevitable defeat, that can be turned around with some clever thinking. Not since Spacechem has a game made me feel so dumb and so smart at the same time! There is a huge variety of squads and abilities, and a fun amount of variation in the maps. The missions themselves are delightfully bite-sized. This is a very easy game to pick-up-and-play. Highly recommend it. Hope Subset Games keeps making games for a long, long time.
At first I was scared off by the negative reviews and, well, dark tone of the game. But man! This is definitely a game made by people who love isometric RPGs. The beginning, with the Conquest mode, is a fantastic introduction to the world and also well worth replaying, because the choices reverberate through the rest of the game. They can even open up alternative endings. The characters are fun and well voice-acted - they have a certain oomph that just wasn't there in Pillars of Eternity. I cared about how they ended up, and the banter was enjoyable. The story is solid, the world is very interesting ... where's my Tyranny 2?! The talent trees give the characters a unique feel. The magic system is particularly neat, where you find sigils and customize the spells, making them stronger or have extra effects as your mage levels up. The only downside is that the combat isn't as engaging as it could be, but it's painless if you play on Normal. In short, if you like isometric RPGs and especially if you want to see something new, definitely worth a buy.
You can tell as you play the expansions to Pillars of Eternity that the dev team is taking feedback to heart. The main plotline is more engaging. There is more interesting loot (as well as a limited enchantment resource). There are some great personal stories to be found, and the new soulbound weapons are interesting and fun to upgrade ... they really help to flesh out the world and provide more of a sense of place. Finally, while the stronghold is still far from perfect, there are some upgrades to how that works, in the place of written-out adventures that your companions can undertake (complete with unique loot), to visitors with problems they need you to solve. There's good opportunity for role-playing. It really feels like Obsidian hit their stride with the Pillars setting on this, and I'm now really looking forward to Pillars 2 next year.
