Pathfinder: Kingmaker

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 598 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 402 out of 598
  2. Mixed: 82 out of 598
  3. Negative: 114 out of 598

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  1. SDaemon
    Sep 25, 2018
    10
    It is just our beloved and awaited Bauldur's Gate v3.0!
    just throw your money right into the monitor and enjoy!
  2. roachtbp
    Sep 26, 2018
    10
    Feels just like the classic isometric crpgs of old (with modern conveniences)!!! Uses the Pathfinder ruleset, which is extremely similar to the D&D 3.5 ruleset.

    If you like old school crpgs such as Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, Temple of Elemental Evil, and Planescape: Torment, or if you like more modern rpgs such as Pillars of Eternity, Torment: Tides of Numenera,    Feels just like the classic isometric crpgs of old (with modern conveniences)!!! Uses the Pathfinder ruleset, which is extremely similar to the D&D 3.5 ruleset.

    If you like old school crpgs such as Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, Temple of Elemental Evil, and Planescape: Torment, or if you like more modern rpgs such as Pillars of Eternity, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and Tyranny, then you will definitely enjoy this game, I have no doubt.    … Expand
  3. Sinue_shakkara
    Sep 28, 2018
    9
    Great game in all aspects, some minor bugs but they already adressing them , great work for an small indie studio. Great visuals, storytelling, characters etc... those who said "its imbalanced/too hard" havent played baldurs gate in their lives, where every door you opened u were gonna die because u didnt know what was coming, or u failed your save throws, or got crit on the face... and onGreat game in all aspects, some minor bugs but they already adressing them , great work for an small indie studio. Great visuals, storytelling, characters etc... those who said "its imbalanced/too hard" havent played baldurs gate in their lives, where every door you opened u were gonna die because u didnt know what was coming, or u failed your save throws, or got crit on the face... and on this one in normal difficulty ive been pwning all my normal combats, having to think or reload sometimes when come to the boss/difficult ones but not even close of how many times u needed to reload on BG/icewind/planescape etc... if u find this hard on normal diff settings, these games arent for you...and even tho u can put in on story mode so u cant die and enjoy the game...dont know what more u want guys...game cannot summon you some hands and brains so u can l2p, go back to fortnite or cod...… Expand
  4. Pech_SOG
    Sep 25, 2018
    10
    Incredible. The best of BG2, Pillars 1/2 and isometric rpg gaming. Epic, deep, and wonderful gameplay.
  5. whyteian
    Sep 25, 2018
    10
    Pathfinder Kingmaker is a fantastic rpg. So far, I am loving it. Congratulations to Owlcat Games!
  6. cremadiscampi
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    I was quite surprised by Kingmaker, it is a great CRPG and a worthy spiritual successor to the old isometric rpgs such as Baldur's Gate. The story is simple but nice, the characters and companions are enjoyable but what I liked the most was definitely how immersive the game is and the huge amount of choices it offers. The kingdom management mechanics might not appeal to everyone, but II was quite surprised by Kingmaker, it is a great CRPG and a worthy spiritual successor to the old isometric rpgs such as Baldur's Gate. The story is simple but nice, the characters and companions are enjoyable but what I liked the most was definitely how immersive the game is and the huge amount of choices it offers. The kingdom management mechanics might not appeal to everyone, but I personally enjoyed that aspect. I didn't really enjoy the combat, but I fixed it thanks to the marvelous turn-based mod.
    I'll definitely be eager to play the next game.    … Expand
  7. Zelmar
    Oct 2, 2020
    10
    It is amazing how this game is able to scratch my Baldurs Gate itch. It pushes in small but very subtle details a lot of traditional RPG elements by giving them a bit more depth a bit more push a bit more substance than you are used to and the cumulative effect is that you have a gorgeous full of content and progression arch for your hero and party. Amazing. I am playing version 2.1 soIt is amazing how this game is able to scratch my Baldurs Gate itch. It pushes in small but very subtle details a lot of traditional RPG elements by giving them a bit more depth a bit more push a bit more substance than you are used to and the cumulative effect is that you have a gorgeous full of content and progression arch for your hero and party. Amazing. I am playing version 2.1 so cannot comment on the earlier version. This version is very polished.… Expand
  8. Joseph65
    Sep 3, 2020
    9
    Much controversy over this one: rated with many "zeroes" and "tens". I must say this is an excellent game, with has aspects that can please most players. For instance I thoroughly enjoyed the controversial Kingdom building part, which adds a strategic layer to the action. One thing that many naysayers forget is that after two full years from release, this game is being constantly updatedMuch controversy over this one: rated with many "zeroes" and "tens". I must say this is an excellent game, with has aspects that can please most players. For instance I thoroughly enjoyed the controversial Kingdom building part, which adds a strategic layer to the action. One thing that many naysayers forget is that after two full years from release, this game is being constantly updated with substantial improvements: the best of these is certainly the turn based combat. After so many Patches the game has lost the vast majority of the initial bugs. I rate it 9 because I still do not like some details of the combat system, a bit based on luck and imho, devoid of a proper interaction between weapons and armour. Overall, a great game.… Expand
  9. toroks
    May 27, 2020
    10
    This is a true spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series, and small studio Owlcat deserves a whole lot of credit to have pulled off this very complex game as good as they have 12 years after we saw a similar D&D game, Neverwinter Nights 2. The gameplay, the exploration, the combat system, the overview and feel of the graphics, the quirky humor - the Baldur's Gate inspiration is veryThis is a true spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series, and small studio Owlcat deserves a whole lot of credit to have pulled off this very complex game as good as they have 12 years after we saw a similar D&D game, Neverwinter Nights 2. The gameplay, the exploration, the combat system, the overview and feel of the graphics, the quirky humor - the Baldur's Gate inspiration is very clear. The biggest deviation is really that this is in the world of Golarion and not Forgotten Realms, but in some way it feels refreshing to get to know this (for me) new setting.… Expand
  10. Deprecated
    Oct 4, 2020
    10
    The most expansive CRPG out there, massive amount of depth and challenging gameplay that forces you to plan out your encounters and build your team with balance in mind (and make use of the quick save). Playing through on difficult is a rewarding experience that rewards you for exploring and punishes you for your mistakes
  11. EvgeniLinuxUser
    Jun 21, 2020
    10
    Good written text (at least on Russian), a beautiful picture, an interesting world to discover, a solid story, an understandable protagonist motivation, but why have the “top manager” simulator added here? Ubuntu 18.04. There are some performance issues that were recently mostly fixed but not everywhere. Otherwise GNU/Linux port works perfectly.
  12. MikeVentris
    Jan 7, 2020
    10
    By now it's the best CRPG I've played for long time.
    I know, it had a lot of bugs at release, but now most of them fixed and this is really must-have game.
  13. Galwail
    Aug 18, 2019
    10
    This game was a huge surprise for me. It has very entertaining story, solid game mechanics and a lot of content. I would rate it higher than other RPGs I have played lately (Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, Wasteland 2, Mass Effect 4…), it is certainly one of the best story driven RPGs I have ever played (like Planescape: Torment, Witcher 3, Dragon Age: Origins,This game was a huge surprise for me. It has very entertaining story, solid game mechanics and a lot of content. I would rate it higher than other RPGs I have played lately (Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, Wasteland 2, Mass Effect 4…), it is certainly one of the best story driven RPGs I have ever played (like Planescape: Torment, Witcher 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer). Unlike the above-mentioned games, this one does one thing very differently, the real sense of urgency. The main crises pop up at predetermined time intervals and when they do, you better solve them quickly or face the consequences. You can easily lose the game by ignoring the main quests.

    What I liked most about this game was its story. The initial chapter of the game gripped me and didn’t let go. The origin story of the main villain made me genuinely sad and the last chapter, where you go against literal demigods, was very satisfying, it even has a secret ending, where you can give the main villain a taste of his own medicine. The pacing of the game was good, I had just enough money to buy everything I wanted and equip all companions, just enough time to fully develop my kingdom and explore the entire map and just enough XP to hit level 20 during the final chapter. I liked that the game did not push me into any alignment (hello Baldur’s Gate) and that you could recruit some of your former enemies as advisors.

    The difficulty level was uneven with a lot of power creep toward the end. I was playing on the hard difficulty with story companions and the opening chapter was very hard. Some fights were almost unfair (the wererats cave still haunts my dreams), but that was mostly due to my unwillingness to give up and return later. Compared to that, the endgame was very easy, I just had to make sure my buffs are up and mow down all the opposition. But I can see why some people find the endgame very hard, there is a lot of room to make mistakes in your character builds and miss important buffs and abilities.

    I have waited a year to play this game and I’m happy, that the developers used that time to fix and polish the game. I didn’t encounter any content bugs; the game froze only a couple of times. Some of the mechanics work differently than in PnP, but it is hard to tell, whether it is a bug or feature.

    The weakest part of the game was the kingdom management, its mechanics are shallow, events are mostly random, I did not notice any event chains, the buildings system is simple and leads to weird and unrealistic situations, like filling towns of your lawful good kingdom with goblin quarters to boost your espionage score. The most interesting part of the kingdom management was the decision making with your advisors, but it had little impact on the RPG side of the game. Develop your kingdom well and you may get extra time in the last chapter, but that’s about it. The game could also use some ease of use features. Like searching items for a particular bonus type, or some way to automate long term buffs.    … Expand
  14. Valarian25
    Apr 10, 2019
    10
    Not gonna make a horrible long review.

    Look, this is the game Bioware should have made.

    The people who made this must have played allot of baldurs gate + neverwinter nights :D

    No really if you like RPG games this is a must, you wont regret it, 1010 (based on budget and scale)
    I have not had this much fun since the Witcher 3.
  15. Joewashere
    Aug 10, 2019
    8
    Plagued on release by ridiculously long loading screens and a plethora of game breaking bugs, Pathfinder: Kingmaker hasn't been warmly received by the mainstream. Once you get past the technical issues, though, you will find an extremely ambitious spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series.

    Kingmaker is more than just a clone, however; it adds a few twists of its own. Most notably,    Plagued on release by ridiculously long loading screens and a plethora of game breaking bugs, Pathfinder: Kingmaker hasn't been warmly received by the mainstream. Once you get past the technical issues, though, you will find an extremely ambitious spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series.

    Kingmaker is more than just a clone, however; it adds a few twists of its own. Most notably, there is the kingdom management system, where you build and upgrade your towns, and assign NPCs to solve various problems or participate in numerous projects. Also, the game finally solves the rest spamming problem the Infinity Engine games always had, by combining heavy and costly camping supplies with (fairly generous) time limits, thus giving you the incentive to make as much progress as possible before replenishing your health and spells. Finally, the Pathfinder ruleset allows for a wide variety of builds, making character development more involved than the game's major source of inspiration.

    While most technical problems have been fixed since release, the quality of the game still sharply drops in the last two chapters; the good parts, however, still offer more unique and interesting content than most other RPGs, and I can wholeheartedly recommend Kingmaker to any fan of Infinity Engine games.    … Expand
  16. Efelatte
    Jun 28, 2019
    9
    Such an amazing game. I've played the latest version (2.0.3) and I haven't encountered any serious bugs, only few minor ones. Scope is amazing, big kudos to the developers.
  17. ikaragi
    May 26, 2019
    10
    I have been a fun of CRPGs many years now and I have played all major titles that our out there.

    Kingmaker is a truly great game, nothing else is like it. I don't remember enjoying so much a game since maybe BG II or the original Fallout series. The game is very stable at its current state. It is a shame the release was buggy leading to the game not getting all the attention it    I have been a fun of CRPGs many years now and I have played all major titles that our out there.

    Kingmaker is a truly great game, nothing else is like it. I don't remember enjoying so much a game since maybe BG II or the original Fallout series.

    The game is very stable at its current state. It is a shame the release was buggy leading to the game not getting all the attention it deserves. On the other side the game mechanics are really complex and I find it really impressive that a small development studio managed to create something that great. Having a lot of experience in software development myself, I understand that it is simply impossible to the create a game from scratch with so many features without creating bugs.

    Plain 10/10 for me, I am eager to see future work from this studio.    … Expand
  18. Falcone
    Mar 13, 2019
    10
    Pathfinder: Kingmaker is one of the best cRPG games I've ever played.
    If you like this genre you must play in this masterpiece.
    Thank you guys from OwlCat games, I'm waiting for a sequel.
  19. rpggamer2015
    Jan 26, 2019
    9
    As for writing and story this is certainly a great game. Character development is fun.
    Bug's count has been reduced greatly with the latest updates.
    Yeah, combat can be pretty punishing in a number of ways, but for those who feel that it's too hard, why not go with lower diffuculty settings? That's exactly what I did and gameplay didn't suffer for me (dialogue checks can still be a    As for writing and story this is certainly a great game. Character development is fun.
    Bug's count has been reduced greatly with the latest updates.
    Yeah, combat can be pretty punishing in a number of ways, but for those who feel that it's too hard, why not go with lower diffuculty settings? That's exactly what I did and gameplay didn't suffer for me (dialogue checks can still be a little too high, though).
    I would probably complain about top levels and 9th lvl spells as I played wizard, but it's getting better with each patch.
    This game is certainly in one league with BG2 and NWN for me - and I do really hope for more content coming later.    … Expand
  20. MinionX
    Dec 14, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (1) First & foremost.. the AI system only has an on/off button, so the AI system of this game is literally ¡TRASH!
    (2) During the Amiri & Armag duel a BUG happens that ends the duel abruptly, which makes that part of its plot LAME, because it doesn't look good in the slightest.
    (3) At certain points.. all the options have the same result, such as.. if the player refuses to exterminate the Trolls.. the same 'll forcibly lose Ekundayo & it doesn't matter what one answers to him, like really.. what's even the point of having magical abilities like hypnosis.. if one can't just brainwash someone like Ekun.. ¯_ツ_/¯
    (4) Owlcat Games really messed-up my boy "Lander Lebeda" in this game.. like seriously.. ¿WTF?
    Lander Lebeda is a fairly decent noble.. in fact, his alignment even is Lawful Neutral, not Chaotic Evil, & not just that.. but Owlcats even turn him into a ¡BACKSTABBER! (╬ಠ益ಠ)    … Expand
  21. theirrelephants
    Dec 8, 2020
    10
    Played in in 2020 without any of the bugs it had on release.

    Absolutely brilliant game and rpg. Some of the best writing I've seen since before Bioware turned into a children's playhouse for mongoloids. The only downside of the game was its abysmal 'kingdom management' system, which can be solved by putting it on 'effortless' because the only alternative is either savescumming or    Played in in 2020 without any of the bugs it had on release.

    Absolutely brilliant game and rpg. Some of the best writing I've seen since before Bioware turned into a children's playhouse for mongoloids.

    The only downside of the game was its abysmal 'kingdom management' system, which can be solved by putting it on 'effortless' because the only alternative is either savescumming or putting it one difficulty lower and missing content.

    My only complaint was the lack of party banter.    … Expand
  22. Arilian
    Jul 23, 2019
    10
    An absolute gem, refreshing old style game. Everything is really great, it is challenging, requires planning, knowing your characters, spells or abilities, but nowhere near as difficultly as some negative comments mention. It does not hold your hand, and can be played very differently. I wish there was more games like this.
  23. luke0r
    Sep 28, 2018
    9
    Even thoug I like the game, the question whether I would recommend it is not easy to answer. Before I write anything about the actual gameplay I have to say that I did not encounter any of the bugs many player's mention, yet. But I hope that those bugs are going to be fixed soon, so that everybody will be able to enjoy the game if they want to. Some of them seem pretty critical andEven thoug I like the game, the question whether I would recommend it is not easy to answer. Before I write anything about the actual gameplay I have to say that I did not encounter any of the bugs many player's mention, yet. But I hope that those bugs are going to be fixed soon, so that everybody will be able to enjoy the game if they want to. Some of them seem pretty critical and definitely a reason to be angry about.

    Being a D&D pen&paper fan, familiar with Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and comparable games like Divinity Original Sin and Pillar's of Eternity, I did not struggle with some of the problems the other players who criticise the game have. Nevertheless, it is a tough game, where you need to think a lot about group composition, which skills to pick and how to prepare for a fight. You won't be able to take all the fights right away. Consequently, you will reload a lot and you will have to postpone quests you are on in order to level up before you can face and defeat some of the enemies. Sometimes you simply cannot outsmart your enemies or outskill them, you just need better stats or success will be a matter of luck.
    In addition, the game does not have many comfort features, players are used to have nowadays. You will have to read the conversations and you will have to remember some of that stuff or you will be wondering how to defeat some foes or where to go.

    I personally like all of those challenges because they make a game interesting and challenging, while many rpgs nowadays are rather boring. The story seems to be ok so far, nothing special but nothing bad either. What I like a lot is the fact that many of your decisions actually matter. Certain dialogue options will make other npcs joing your group. Depending on where you go first, some encounters will change and thus the development of the story will change. The possibilities in the management of your kingdom seem nice, even though I cannot finally assess those.

    To put it in a nutshell, if you want to play a casual rpg which is totally polished and balanced, do NOT buy this game (or at least wait, the designers have already said that they will take a look into the balance and difficulty levels). If you want to play an oldschool rpg, which might be frustrating sometimes, this game might be a good choice for you.    … Expand
  24. Gradstudent
    Oct 28, 2018
    10
    I've played every RPG you've ever heard of, and this is better than all of them. An incredible achievement in video games. Not just game of the generation, but game of the century.
  25. Lobby
    Sep 4, 2020
    9
    First thing to mention. The game was patch and changed hugely so lot of older reviews speak about quite different and worse game from one or two years ago so don't let them discourage you.

    I would say this is very good isometric RPG with real roleplay. The story is good and lets you do enough decisions and side quest are nice. It may not be equal to master of the genre as Planscape or    First thing to mention. The game was patch and changed hugely so lot of older reviews speak about quite different and worse game from one or two years ago so don't let them discourage you.

    I would say this is very good isometric RPG with real roleplay. The story is good and lets you do enough decisions and side quest are nice. It may not be equal to master of the genre as Planscape or Kotor, but it still better then most.

    What I really liked is turn based mode that suite well to PnP based RPG games, but is often omitted in many games like this. You can at will switch from turn based to real time with pause, so everybody can pick their preferred mode or use one that is more suitable at the time.

    The game is not holding your hand and you need to think a bit and do some exploration as you don't have an all knowing compass.

    Dialogs are well written and gives you choices that are better then just bad/good and contains lot of check for your non fighting skills. If you are mage, you will be able to solve problem differently to rouge, fighter or druid.

    Fights are good mix of challenging, medium with occasional super easy that let you enjoy your superior power. I got only one really frustrating early in the game against some swarm, but it could been avoided.

    The quest are quite good and they have their meaning not like in many modern open world games where huge portion of them is just filler. Some of the guest are time dependent or exclusive, so the order of completion will lead into different results. This is quite nice for immersion and replay value

    TLDR:
    Very good game. Must have if you like this genre. Improved a lot from release so don't take old reviews too serious.    … Expand
  26. cavafis1979
    Jun 1, 2019
    9
    One of the best roleplaying games of the last years. Dificult and challenging for old players, like me, who enjoyed Baldur’s Gate, Eye of the Beholder I, II and III, or the old TSR series. The game demands strategy and intelligence in everh encounter, and to know the rules of Pathfinwr gane. I really love ir.
  27. huepkes
    Nov 9, 2020
    9
    excellent roleplaying game with high replay value because you can have different endings. you can also lead the kingdom in different ways and there are many side quests. And there are more modes which are also interesting.

    For the price definitely a buy recommendation and except sometimes the complex mechanics and some bugs but overall a very very good and great story.
  28. Carewolf
    Jun 14, 2019
    9
    Based on the Enhanced Edition (2.0), this is a fantastic game. It still has some minor issues here and there, but they have patched all the big things. Damn thing is consuming all my free time :D
  29. Arcane_Ape
    Apr 18, 2019
    8
    Very buggy mess at release but the devs have worked overtime to keep the patches coming and have brought this game not to just a playable status but to an enjoyable one. Great story and true adaptation of the Pathfinder pen & paper system now in a computer game. Really enjoying the experience and so much replay value based on all the different story options you can choose which can vastlyVery buggy mess at release but the devs have worked overtime to keep the patches coming and have brought this game not to just a playable status but to an enjoyable one. Great story and true adaptation of the Pathfinder pen & paper system now in a computer game. Really enjoying the experience and so much replay value based on all the different story options you can choose which can vastly change the world and story.… Expand
  30. hiruvan
    Aug 22, 2019
    9
    Awesome game oldschool rpg. It's much better then tyrany or divinity. Cute design, interesting plot, quests and gameplay.

    -1 for sjw propaganda lol. All, its not a joke, companion quests are about noble fight for liberty and equality.
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
100
#100 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. CD-Action
    Feb 13, 2019
    75
    Pathfinder: Kingmaker offers an interesting world to explore along with satisfying combat, and the first half of the adventure is top-notch old school fun. Unfortunately later the game loses its momentum and becomes boring. Anyhow, it’s a solid RPG that should keep Baldur’s Gate’s fans happy for many hours. [12/2018, p.86]
  2. Games.cz
    Jan 15, 2019
    80
    A great adaptation of the original Pathfinder gamebooks. The story is sidelined by tough tactical combat - its steep difficulty may be daunting to genre newbies, but D&D veterans will be delighted. There are technical problems, yes, but those are overshadowed by refreshing kingdom management and interesting companions.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 31, 2018
    80
    RPG for the hardened. Get used to loadings and getting lost in the rules, get ready for an ok storyline - and in the return you will enjoy a deep level of challenge and great management of your own kingdom. Obsidian has a new competitor. [Issue#290]
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