User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2683 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Nov 18, 2022
    2
    The game's major flaw is that it's real-time with pause. That coupled with a braindead AI requires micro-managing each of the 6 party members every 2 seconds because if you don't the mages will just run into melee and get themselves killed.
    Real-time with pause was terrible in Baldur's Gate and it's terrible here and it really REALLY needs to die. I love isometric RPG's but only if they
    The game's major flaw is that it's real-time with pause. That coupled with a braindead AI requires micro-managing each of the 6 party members every 2 seconds because if you don't the mages will just run into melee and get themselves killed.
    Real-time with pause was terrible in Baldur's Gate and it's terrible here and it really REALLY needs to die. I love isometric RPG's but only if they are done like Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2 or Baldur's Gate 3.

    Another huge downside: it does the same BS that the outdated BG 1 (& 2) did: only a couple of words of some conversations are voiced - and there are a LOT of conversations. Might as well read a novel and don't have to deal with the terrible combat system.

    PoE 2 at least added the option for superior turn-based combat, but that is only a band-aid option as the game is still designed around real-time and it shows.
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  2. Mar 28, 2015
    1
    Antiquated graphics. Quirky combat interface with no AI. Interesting lore & story line. Feel like I wasted $44 to purchase this on Steam. Would have expected more. If you are in this for the Lore, then you'll love it. If playability, user interface, and game experience are important, then I'd pass.
  3. Apr 1, 2015
    1
    It's an okay game, but not a spiritual successor to the IE games. Really disappointed, but life moves on. Getting ready to start another replay of Baldur's Gate to satisfy the itch.
  4. Mar 28, 2015
    1
    A terrible game with horrible combat and lackluster writing. POE is fundamentally flawed at its core, this game would be bad even if it used D&D rules. The only truly good thing in the game are the pre-rendered backgrounds (which are stunningly beautiful), but everything else is either bad, boring or terrible. The combat is awful, exploration is unrewarding, the RPG ruleset is uninspiredA terrible game with horrible combat and lackluster writing. POE is fundamentally flawed at its core, this game would be bad even if it used D&D rules. The only truly good thing in the game are the pre-rendered backgrounds (which are stunningly beautiful), but everything else is either bad, boring or terrible. The combat is awful, exploration is unrewarding, the RPG ruleset is uninspired and even the music is annoying.

    It is hard to believe, but PoE feels like it was made by people who absolutely despise the Infinity Engine games. Baldur's Gate fans, look elsewhere, this is not the game we have been waiting for all these years.
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  5. Dec 24, 2015
    1
    Certaintly not a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and not a good game either. It isn't even the classic style RPG that it wants to be, it is just a dumbed down RPG for a modern audience with an isometric view.
  6. Mar 29, 2015
    1
    Had to restart my game twice because I accidentally double clicked a weapon in my inventory and it broke the game. I hope the devs fix it.

    Rumor has it that it cant be fixed
  7. Apr 1, 2015
    1
    I Had nerdgasm when I heard about this game on youtube and kickstarter, but now that has to be the biggest disapointment ive gone trought in years. I waited a long long time for this to release ...

    First thing I did when I got the game is quickly attempt a solo game with a wizard. Result : Painfull. Well basicaly dont expect anything like BG or IWD this game want you to make a tank,
    I Had nerdgasm when I heard about this game on youtube and kickstarter, but now that has to be the biggest disapointment ive gone trought in years. I waited a long long time for this to release ...

    First thing I did when I got the game is quickly attempt a solo game with a wizard. Result : Painfull.
    Well basicaly dont expect anything like BG or IWD this game want you to make a tank, healer and range dps or w/e. Wizard are weak as ****. Abilities dont depend on main attributes at all, only on level. In fact nothing really depends on attributes beside some extra % of efficency I guess. There is very little strategie in the fights its more like tank and spank. Dont expect to take down a massive group of ennemies with some good wizard's placed spells. Every class should have a main stats that make them more powerfull like sorcerer's wisdom and paladin's charisma ! This is just plain bad I find literaly no logical use to perception and just take it down a max to add up that power stats which basicaly just increase the dmg you deal by 3 % per point ? .. That has nothing to do with D&D.

    Nothing like the real IE D&D games hardcore purist like me love and still play when were bored. This crap is like a dumbed down version of it.
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  8. Apr 15, 2015
    1
    Had to restart my game 3 times, and it still bugged on me again. Refunded GoG edition and bought Steam one, again a game bricking bug. Played on two different computers, laptop and high end desktop. And i started playing only a couple of days ago, with 1.3 patch and hot-fixes. Cant imagine how bad it was at launch day.

    Just for reference, list of game breaking bugs i experienced>
    Had to restart my game 3 times, and it still bugged on me again. Refunded GoG edition and bought Steam one, again a game bricking bug. Played on two different computers, laptop and high end desktop. And i started playing only a couple of days ago, with 1.3 patch and hot-fixes. Cant imagine how bad it was at launch day.

    Just for reference, list of game breaking bugs i experienced>
    Desktop (GoG)
    1) 10 hours in the game after turning in a quest it started constantly giving me exp reward, like 20 per second. It was ironman save, reinstalling did not help. All my characters got instant level 12 and log was completely useless.

    1) 10 hours in game started crashing when i change maps, i was effectively trapped in an inn. Reloading older save (couple of hours earlier, different map) and reinstalling game did not help.

    Laptop and Desktop (GoG)
    3) 20 hours in on laptop (and only a couple of hours on desktop) accuracy on all characters just got reduced to base level 1 accuracy. Reinstalling did not help, did not have older save.

    Laptop (Steam)
    4) 5 hours in the map change bug happened again, did not even try to reinstall. **** this game.
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  9. Aug 26, 2020
    1
    The character Progressiion and combat feels really bad. You dont have any level progression statwise, you can just get better skills. Also those skills can only be used a fixed number of times before you have to run back to an inn or camp. Feels really unnatural and tedious just impliment mana for gods sake. The addition of endurance to characters as a primary healthpool in combat alsoThe character Progressiion and combat feels really bad. You dont have any level progression statwise, you can just get better skills. Also those skills can only be used a fixed number of times before you have to run back to an inn or camp. Feels really unnatural and tedious just impliment mana for gods sake. The addition of endurance to characters as a primary healthpool in combat also feels stupid an unnecessary.
    When I bought the game I thought it would be more like a Tyranny or a Divinity original Sin but im fairly dissapointed. Instead of doing this they could have given Tyranny an adequate sequel or story extension. By the way in both mentioned games the magic skill system is far better, in Tyranny you can even create your own spells!!!
    In conclusion I reccomend you not to buy this inferior product
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  10. May 19, 2015
    0
    Not ready for release. Everything about this game is great except for the astonishing number of bugs. I get an average of 2-4 CTDs (Crash to Desktop) per hour. Also there are a lot of minor bugs in the UI and regular gameplay, but the result of seeing all of these little things (and a few rather large things) go wrong really hamstrings what would otherwise be a spectacular gamingNot ready for release. Everything about this game is great except for the astonishing number of bugs. I get an average of 2-4 CTDs (Crash to Desktop) per hour. Also there are a lot of minor bugs in the UI and regular gameplay, but the result of seeing all of these little things (and a few rather large things) go wrong really hamstrings what would otherwise be a spectacular gaming experience. Art direction, writing, sound design, combat mechanics, overall mood and story coherence are unprecedentedly good. Better than Dragon Age, TES, etc. I came to this game from Arcanum, and playing PoE (when it isn't crashing/freezing/bugging out) is like a perfect realization of everything that Arcanum wanted to be. Obsidian, call me when you've put reasonable effort into making it stable. Expand
  11. Apr 2, 2015
    0
    This game has more bugs one can encounter within the first hour of gameplay than a Chernobyl rat has finger on its hands. And yes, that's why I give this piece of a quality nightmare zero points, because the game is unplayable as of now.

    It is unplayable for me because when I take the time to play something I want to have fun and want to relax and not worry every second about if my
    This game has more bugs one can encounter within the first hour of gameplay than a Chernobyl rat has finger on its hands. And yes, that's why I give this piece of a quality nightmare zero points, because the game is unplayable as of now.

    It is unplayable for me because when I take the time to play something I want to have fun and want to relax and not worry every second about if my characters might have stumbled across a debuff bug that kills their racial or class abilities or a buff bug that doubles my weapons properties every time I encounter it. And these are only two examples of dozens of nasty things that can happen to your character. I do not understand how this game could have passed Obsidians quality assurance other than them having none.
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  12. Mar 26, 2015
    0
    Unfortunately, it is just a buggy and quick cash-in nostalgia title via kick-starter.

    Most of the bugs in beta phase are still there in the game, probably even worse in the full release. AI getting stuck, enemies wandering strangely, and companion failing to use ability, or just some mechanics are broken randomly during combat. From the art design and the poor music, it is apparent
    Unfortunately, it is just a buggy and quick cash-in nostalgia title via kick-starter.

    Most of the bugs in beta phase are still there in the game, probably even worse in the full release. AI getting stuck, enemies wandering strangely, and companion failing to use ability, or just some mechanics are broken randomly during combat.

    From the art design and the poor music, it is apparent that it is a game made without love of the golden RPG era of Fallout and BG series. Combat is just like some plasic ragdolls colliding on each other without clear depiction of move in animation and impact sound. If you have played Fallout or something similar in the past, you understanding how awesome the impact of combat is in spite of the simple graphic.

    The story is a lackluster one so far, companion and character development are dull as well.

    Also, as a technical side note, the game's min. requirement is 64-bit system, many may wonder why it is so for a game with such small map and low graphic quality. Well, the old beta in fact is just utilizing dual core at most and runs in a 32-bit system. However, just around a month before release, it seems some users had reported crash in some maps in a 32-bit system but not in 64-bit one. So, for whatever reasons, the system requirement is then just boosted up to a modern standard hopefully to reduce complaints of crash after launch.
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  13. Apr 9, 2015
    0
    I have been looking to replace Dragon Age: Origins. Everything has fallen flat. Pillars of Eternity is just one on a very long list. The problem with Pillars isn't the game play or graphics. It's that it was obsolete the second it hit the market. Read through cut scenes. Read through dialogue. No quest tracking. A quick launch bar that is not quick. Attribute points set in stone. WonderingI have been looking to replace Dragon Age: Origins. Everything has fallen flat. Pillars of Eternity is just one on a very long list. The problem with Pillars isn't the game play or graphics. It's that it was obsolete the second it hit the market. Read through cut scenes. Read through dialogue. No quest tracking. A quick launch bar that is not quick. Attribute points set in stone. Wondering into an area too early can get you killed. Abilities have a limit instead of a cool down. If it were 2001 This game might be totally awesome. It's 2015 about 15 years after Baldur's Gate 2. Which is why the game feels very regressive rather than progressive. Expand
  14. Apr 4, 2015
    0
    Pro's:
    - decent story

    Contra:
    - outdated graphics
    - very little voice acting
    - mediocre combat
    - no companions ai
    - bland companions
    - Obsidian changing a part of the game because some people felt offended

    Can't recommend the game. Won't buy any other game from a developer without any integrity like Obsidian.
  15. Oct 9, 2018
    0
    The 10-star reviews are from **** who did not complete the game, they spent a few minutes or a couple hours looking at it and it reminded them of the old days and they immediately reviewed the game.

    Because you CANNOT finish this game. The load times become exponentially higher with every minute of gameplay. I call **** on anyone who claims to have finished the final act of this game.
    The 10-star reviews are from **** who did not complete the game, they spent a few minutes or a couple hours looking at it and it reminded them of the old days and they immediately reviewed the game.

    Because you CANNOT finish this game. The load times become exponentially higher with every minute of gameplay. I call **** on anyone who claims to have finished the final act of this game. It is fraud. It is ****. It is unplayable.
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  16. Oks
    Mar 27, 2015
    0
    I have three main complaints about the game : First I wish there was an option to turn off voice acting. It is generic as hell and pulls me from the mood. If you are going to do voice acting either do it right or do not do it at all. Second the amount of text and information that keeps getting dumped over you is extremely overwhelming. Everyone is a historian in this game and will notI have three main complaints about the game : First I wish there was an option to turn off voice acting. It is generic as hell and pulls me from the mood. If you are going to do voice acting either do it right or do not do it at all. Second the amount of text and information that keeps getting dumped over you is extremely overwhelming. Everyone is a historian in this game and will not hesitate to give you a tedious history lecture if you open your mouth (this is also extremely desensitizing as well). Thirdly to me the companions are mere meh, standard fantasy/ renaissance flair with the classical over used tropes that were present in previous obsidian fantasy games (the voice acting, which makes them sound like the typical nerds you find in a renaissance flair does not help) . The guy wearing robes and the bunny mask at the beginning of the game made laugh out hard, not necessarily on the character itself but on how I am so over that setting. I am enjoying the combat and the artistic graphics, but everything else is so so. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed that stuff back in its time. BG, PS:T and NVN are my favorite classics, but I kinda grew up from that setting and just going back makes me feel ugh.....

    I guess I am kinda bummed, I kinda wished obsidian would have moved on from this cliched D&D setting to a more grounded setting with fantastical elements, low fantasy if you like or better to an historical epic . This game is almost 80% D&D fantasy and 20% new flavor renaissance/nirvana setting. I kinda wish it was reversed... Am I the only one feeling this? Is anyone else bummed by the setting?
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  17. Aug 11, 2015
    0
    One thing they did right, damage resistance on armour, now dont think im apologetic but lets point out some things,the health system is retardedt, you should lose life! when hit, not on a derived stat.; the whole character system is bad, there is no intuitive logic there, the percentage based thing is garbage, scaling is your enemy, in levels in everything, the stat system is garbage, theOne thing they did right, damage resistance on armour, now dont think im apologetic but lets point out some things,the health system is retardedt, you should lose life! when hit, not on a derived stat.; the whole character system is bad, there is no intuitive logic there, the percentage based thing is garbage, scaling is your enemy, in levels in everything, the stat system is garbage, the world is an empy mess of usless npc that you cant interact with, yada, why bother Expand
  18. Mar 16, 2023
    0
    all the 10s are overrated so you get a 0 for the act 3 difficulty spike, drove me away from the game...
  19. Mar 29, 2015
    0
    Spiritual successor, my ass. The IE games never enforced an mmo tank/healer/dps mechanic. You could play with 5 wizards or 5 fighters or 5 clerics or 5 thieves. For some reason Obsidian decided to base a game on the most reviled version of D&D ever. I know 4e has its fans, but in a few years it will be dedicated to the dust bin next to Highlander 2. Too bad, really. POE could haveSpiritual successor, my ass. The IE games never enforced an mmo tank/healer/dps mechanic. You could play with 5 wizards or 5 fighters or 5 clerics or 5 thieves. For some reason Obsidian decided to base a game on the most reviled version of D&D ever. I know 4e has its fans, but in a few years it will be dedicated to the dust bin next to Highlander 2. Too bad, really. POE could have been a great game. It looks fantastic, and the story is adequate, but it's ruined by ****ty mechanics. Maybe someone will make a D&D mod for it, until then, It isn't worth playing. All this game does is make me appreciate the IE games that much more. Expand
  20. Apr 2, 2015
    0
    Are you old school maniac like I am ? Do you know the feeling of playing one of these superb rpgs for the first time ? Every fight fresh and unique. New quests, lands, interesting stuff.

    All of it ruined by bugs. Yet again. Kick starter or not they just sell broken products. The game in it's current state IS NOT PLAYABLE. I am half way through the game on the hardest possible mode and
    Are you old school maniac like I am ? Do you know the feeling of playing one of these superb rpgs for the first time ? Every fight fresh and unique. New quests, lands, interesting stuff.

    All of it ruined by bugs. Yet again. Kick starter or not they just sell broken products. The game in it's current state IS NOT PLAYABLE. I am half way through the game on the hardest possible mode and the game is still too easy. Guess what ? There is a bug that gives your party extra stats so my tank is invincible. I feel cheated. I paid 40 Euro for this experience and guess what ? It's broken.

    There is that cool castle also with a quest in it. Too bad you will have to skip it because once you get in you can't get out :) When did you save last ? oh 4h ago. Well sorry We at obsidian entertainment got your cash already SO WE DON'T GIVE A FLYING ***

    Another one: if you double click on an item to equip it your character will PERMANENTLY lose all bonus stats.

    THIS IS BORDER LINE RIDICULOUS.

    DON'T RUIN THE EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF. THERE IS ONLY 1 FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH AN RPG LIKE THIS AND IT'S GONE FOR ME. BEFORE THE TIME THEY FIX ALL THE ISSUES IT WILL BE AVAILABLE HALF PRICE SO DON'T PAY FULL NOW TO WORK FOR THEIR FREE TESTING.
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  21. Apr 3, 2015
    0
    I wanted to like this so much, but the story feels bland and regurgitated. It may have been low budget? but the voice acting is terrible unfortunately. It is completely buggy in it's current state and normally I would be able to let it slide but just adds to the whole unpolished/bland/lacking-pride-in-their-work feeling

    and then the drama of changing a harmless memorial that a backer
    I wanted to like this so much, but the story feels bland and regurgitated. It may have been low budget? but the voice acting is terrible unfortunately. It is completely buggy in it's current state and normally I would be able to let it slide but just adds to the whole unpolished/bland/lacking-pride-in-their-work feeling

    and then the drama of changing a harmless memorial that a backer paid 500$ for due to an unruly mobbing of people who didn't back the game but saw something they could get offended for and spazzed out.

    I loved you obsidian :( but this isn't baldur's gate or even in the same tier as it.
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  22. Apr 4, 2015
    0
    The game showed a lot of potential in it's earlier kickstarter stages. What they released is a steaming pile of junk, riddled with bugs & other imbalances. A new patch was released and QA has gone out of the window. You need to click an object which is required for the main story, but are not able to. Lockpicking is broken. Classes are broken. You can play it if you are a hardcore RPGThe game showed a lot of potential in it's earlier kickstarter stages. What they released is a steaming pile of junk, riddled with bugs & other imbalances. A new patch was released and QA has gone out of the window. You need to click an object which is required for the main story, but are not able to. Lockpicking is broken. Classes are broken. You can play it if you are a hardcore RPG fan, but for everyone else there are better alternatives which have come out of kickstarter (Divinity: Original Sin, Wasteland 2) or show promise ( Torment: Tides of Numenera). Expand
  23. Apr 14, 2015
    0
    Another game wit great potential ruined by greed. This game costs a fortune yet it came to the market unfinished. There are game breaking bugs and developers do not react. Check the endless amount of error report threads and upset player opinions before you would waste hours of time and money on another unfinished game.
    I wonder when we can have the era back when games were working...
    Another game wit great potential ruined by greed. This game costs a fortune yet it came to the market unfinished. There are game breaking bugs and developers do not react. Check the endless amount of error report threads and upset player opinions before you would waste hours of time and money on another unfinished game.
    I wonder when we can have the era back when games were working... These days only Blizzard games provide a quality you can trust.
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  24. Oct 31, 2015
    0
    Clearly lots of paid reviews on this one. Great graphics? At least they are easy to spot but this is still dishonest. I put nothing past Obsidian, they have a long history of iffy stuff.

    Anyway, the game is pretty bad. I tried to play it on release but couldnt get into it. Decided to give it another chance (while waiting for FO4) and loaded it up. Steam did its update, and off I went to
    Clearly lots of paid reviews on this one. Great graphics? At least they are easy to spot but this is still dishonest. I put nothing past Obsidian, they have a long history of iffy stuff.

    Anyway, the game is pretty bad. I tried to play it on release but couldnt get into it. Decided to give it another chance (while waiting for FO4) and loaded it up. Steam did its update, and off I went to forums to see what had changed. Seems they did a lot of "re-balancing".... why do you re-balance a 1 player game? Seriously... the problem I had with it the 1st time was that it was just so boring to play. Too much clicking and the story was basically like a filler episode of an anime. If anything, the game needed to be unbalanced to give it some fun but nope... you know what they did? They made it even more boring by making sure whatever was "overpowered" before, was no useless and that all classes are now just boring and linear.

    Ok so I loaded it up, and started making my character. I had played on several difficulties prior and decided to go ahead and play at PotD (highest difficulty) because I remembered how completely imbalanced the game was and it needed some help. Made a Rogue, discovered the game was stupid. Everything died in a few hits once I had my tanks and I got as far as the bounties when I stopped and re-rolled something else because the game was just retarded with the rogue (too much dps).

    I tried a wizard. Then I remembered just why I didnt like the 1st time... with something slower than a rogue, the game is sooooooooo boring. Things died very slowly the 1st 6 or so levels because he didnt have tons of spells yet. Sure trash stuff was easy, but anything with medium difficult took forever to kill and resisted the wizard waaaay too often even though I had min/maxed him for casting and only chose spells to counter weaker resists. It was stupid. not fun at all. Basically my wizard spent 99% of fights flinging his ranged spam attack... this is not fun. I had surrounded him with support so none of them were major damage dealers except the ranger who was doing ok but all he does is just auto attack because that is all he can do.... boring, boring, boring, boring. Got as far as the 2nd bounty and stopped.

    Re-rolled one last time hoping to find some class that was fun to play so I tried a Cipher. She gets unlimited spell casts but limited number of spells like a warlock in dnd. She was better, but again, very limited. Eventually she became a two trick pony spamming that binding spell, and auto attacking....

    So here is the problem. They went out of their way to make classes as balanced as possible but never once stood there and asked, but are they fun to play? MMO's are usually not very fun because of this type of thing. They only exist for the social aspects of gaming, otherwise, they suck the big one. Why make a single player game like an MMO? Very bad design. Please stop paying people to post reviews. There is no way this game should rank higher than a 6.
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  25. Feb 23, 2020
    0
    Its not Baldurs Gate. Its utter **** Vague story, shallow characters. Thx god Larian make BG3, not this morons
  26. Aug 28, 2023
    0
    A deep and thoughtful RPG with strong story elements. this is, to me, an improvement on the big RPGs of old. The narrative is engaging and there's a lot of encounters sprinkled throughout the game that you'll never feel like any skill or ability is "just there".

    the fact it's real-time with pause is a something I've missed since BG. This game packs a lot into it. you manage a party
    A deep and thoughtful RPG with strong story elements. this is, to me, an improvement on the big RPGs of old. The narrative is engaging and there's a lot of encounters sprinkled throughout the game that you'll never feel like any skill or ability is "just there".

    the fact it's real-time with pause is a something I've missed since BG.

    This game packs a lot into it. you manage a party (if you choose), you manage a castle! you're exploring the world and under your castle! there's a lot to see and do and many ways to solve encounters.

    there are layers of mechanics in this game but fear not, you don't have to go too deep if that's not your cup of tea as different difficulty levels will allow you to play the way you like.

    I can't stress enough how much I love the art and the style of this game. it's very reminiscent of RPGs of old and yet completely new and improved.

    This one is a *must* for any RPG fan. this is digital D&D at its finest!
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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 71
  2. Negative: 0 out of 71
  1. Jul 7, 2015
    70
    Pillars is a title that should make old-schoolers happy while still offering a solid core game, story, and a rich setting for new-schoolers.
  2. May 25, 2015
    93
    Pillars of Eternity stands on its own merits without resorting to nostalgia too much. Truly a CRPG masterpiece, the game offers old school, real-time strategic combat, and a vivid world to explore. Not only do you get an overall well-made experience, but also a challenge you haven't seen since the 90's.
  3. Games Master UK
    May 24, 2015
    82
    A sprawling game in a familiar setting, and a clever tune-up for the cRPG. Just what the backers hoped for. [June 2015, p.74]