Kreia in KOTOR II was the reason I fell in love with Obsidian. I felt closer to her than any other video game character I have encountered. She was more than a teacher. She was a mother. It sounds hammy, but some of you know what I mean.
In PoE, there is a companion called Durance, by many accounts an obnoxious character. Even I admit he can be that. There is a quest called Cinders of Faith. One dialogue choice in this quest would let you either gain an "extraordinary" amount of reputation with Defiance Bay or lose a "moderate" amount. I picked the choice that felt right to me and lost reputation. I was feeling dejected until Durance said... For the readers who are like me, I'll let you discover that part yourself. After I read what Durance said, I felt vindicated and took the reputation loss as a point of pride.
Then I found something interesting. Did you know PoE tracks reputation on two separate scales? When you "lose" reputation, it doesn't cancel out the reputation you gained. You can be simultaneous loved and hated by someone. This was the moment that I began to appreciate PoE.
Even after playing several dozen hours, PoE did not pick up for me. I felt like the narrative was too meandering and the combat too quirky. It felt like tea that was neither too hot nor too cold yet also not just right. It felt... off in a way I could not define.
Then it hit me. This is how I felt about all Obsidian games, including KOTOR II, until that one moment when the spirit of the game resonated with me. If you love Kreia like I do, you know that moment, at the end. It's the moment when you realize the greatest brilliance of Obsidian is how their games unapologetically reaches for the human condition, that indescribable mess that is at once beautiful and grotesque. There is no black and white or even nuance you can hang on to, only the moment when you say, "Exactly."
If my review made sense to you, you will not be disappointed by Pillars of Eternity.
