This game has been out nearly two years, and still has crash on launch issues. Issues in which the first suggestion is to go into my Registry; which is not something for the light hearted.
Beyond just getting into the game, there are plenty of other bugs still around.
And then you have the system of the game itself. Pathfinder is a system that is designed to be pored over for hundreds of hours before you learn what works. There are so many classes/builds that are worthless in this system, that you can ruin an entire playthrough by picking something that looks fun.
I don't even mind the timed quests; it's realistic in a way. The game is just still far too buggy and unforgiving; spend a dozen hours doing research or looking up builds, or die horribly once your current choices play themselves out.
I had given Kingmaker a try when it came out, dropped it after 2h30. Craving a good CRPG experience now, I tried again. Fifteen hours later, I uninstalled.
I don't mind reading, I don't mind text, I don't mind lore. For an alternate example, I adored Tyranny's worldbuilding. In Kingmaker, though, the writing is uninspired and heavy-handed. The VA is on par with it; I've been told it becomes sparser after a while, but I wouldn't know, as I muted the voices entirely.
This game is not new-user friendly if you're unfamiliar with this universe. The essence of the pathfinder DnD experience and universe has not been distilled. It's just wall of text after wall of (mediocre) text. NPCs keep giving expository information that doesn't feel earned (you don't know me!).
In terms of combat gameplay and difficulty, the same applies. It's a complex system in the vein of traditional CRPG, but the difficulty isn't scaled to a new player. Where I somehow had great fun and delight understanding the intricacies of Neverwinter Nights or D:OS over time, here it just feels gratuitously punishing from the start. No fun is being had, just reload reload reload and hope the dice roll your way this time. It's opaque.
(I'm not name-dropping games for the sake of it; I'm trying to give references and things to compare it to, since a game review is by essence subjective)
In short: I'm afraid I really cannot recommend it.
Wow where to begin!
The game itself is utterly engrossing, well written , solid gameplay with some blemishes and memorable characters.
Playing on mac I’ve still got some stability issues - namely UI can be annoyingly sluggish at times, occasionally crashes on exit (mostly avoidable by NOT quitting to desktop)
The game even on normal can be BRUTAL, this can be mitigated by learning/reading up on the systems beforehand. The core gameplay is tricky, proper old school dnd experience with all the challenges that come with that.
Kingdom management on top is very challenging with the associated time constraints - saving is your best friend! There is an option to put it on auto or prevent failure which ends the game, I recommend exploring these options to novices.
Be prepared for entering areas you are NOT ready for again saving is a must!
Niggles include time constraints, which can make things stressful at times - always on a knife edge, lack of ai behaviour editing - you’ve got to keep on top of everyone, consumables - you have five slots, one item each, no multiples grrr
Ui is annoying at times, poor kingdom management communication.
All said I love it and hate it, this game is on a par with Pillars of Eternity on hard, very challenging but worth it :)
Kingmaker is amazing and worth replaying multiple times for different choices and different builds.
At the current version, it has much fewer bugs, especially game-breaking ones. Frequently reloading a save file may cause some bugs to occur.
I am looking forward to the next generation Wrath of the Righteous.
I wouldn't normally go about writing a review for a video game, but in this instance I felt like I had to make a well deserved exception.
In short, despite glaring issues at launch, the continued efforts of the developers to support their vision has resulted in a truly immersive and memorable crpg.
For a single installment, the scope is unparalelled among its contemporaries, and while it may seem daunting commit to one game for hundreds of hours I can only say take my word for it, it's not a story you'd want to miss.
Mandragora Swarms can kiss my ass though
