Pillars of Eternity Reviews
Fans who contributed money hoping Pillars of Eternity would feel like a return to the era of Baldur's Gate-style RPGs will not be disappointed. Gamers who never played those Black Isle games may be frustrated by some of the "classic" gameplay elements, but Pillars offers a lot to like for those who want tactics and story in their RPGs.
Add in an extensive amount of lore, as well as great writing and detailed conversation options, and the result is a finely-crafted RPG that will take over 60 hours to complete. Be prepared to say "goodbye" to the sun because with so many classes and side quests, most players will want to replay Pillars of Eternity at least once. I guess that's what spray-tans are made for...
It's the best new, isometric RPG to come out in years.
Obsidian returns to its Black Isle roots with the Infinity Engine-inspired 'Pillars of Eternity'. Does the old-school RPG live up to its predecessors?
In keeping so close to the Baldur's Gate/Infinity Engine template, Pillars of Eternity can't help but inherit a few old flaws, and it would have been nice to see a bit more personality of its own shine through its carefully traditional design and shell. That said, what most stands out is just how well it manages to modernise the experience of playing those games and stand apart from them as an epic adventure in its own right. It's an RPG with design firmly rooted in nostalgia, but one that absolutely doesn't rely on it to be enjoyable today. Instead, it's both a great reminder of why those games worked so well, and a brand new adventure well worth the hours upon hours (upon hours upon hours) that it takes to pick away at its secrets and its world.
The best pure role-playing game of the modern era. There's nothing more to say.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Pillars of Eternity is the definitive signal of a return to the origins of electronic role-playing and establishes, paired with Divinity, a benchmark with which all products from now on will have to clash. Between the two which one to choose? Both, if you have two hundred hours to devote to us. Alternatively, we are faced with two different aspects of the same coin. While Divinity is all gameplay, curious interactions and puzzles a bit weird but always interesting, Pillars does not seek innovation and prefers a classic approach, succeeding in the enterprise like no other has succeeded so far. The plot, the social interaction between the protagonists, the characterization of an entire world down to the smallest detail are rare and precious values, difficult to find if not in sporadic and superb equally successful productions (we mention Dishonored, Human Revolution and World of Warcraft, to make the idea).
Review in Italian | Read full review
This time, the money from Kickstarter was not wasted. A hellishly experienced team has created a classic RPG that is a natural development of ideas from Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Fantasy RPG developed by Obsidian and that can be defined as the heir to Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Obsidian has a reputation for crafting fantastic RPGs, and deservedly so. Pillars of Eternity is, as far as I'm concerned, Obsidian at its best ever.
Obsidian has crafted a game full of challenge, intrigue, betrayal, and heart. The Eastern Reach is bleak and hopeful at the same time, and the main plot is packed with twists and surprises with staggering ramifications for a world players will feel they have become part of. Its combat is tense and relentless despite the capability to pause at any point, the mechanics offering complex strategic challenges with difficulty settings to accommodate most levels of skill. Pillars of Eternity proudly carries on the legacy of the classic computer RPG, and those who remember them with fondness should find in it a welcome addition to the genre.
All you really need to know though, is this; Pillars of Eternity is a triumph.
Obsidian (and its Kickstarter backers) have done it: Pillars of Eternity is one of the best RPGs since Baldur's Gate.
A deep, rich, and wonderfully written RPG that lives up to the towering legacy of the games that inspired it.
Pillars Of Eternity is a masterpiece and nothing less than essential for anyone who's ever heard of the Infinity Engine. Superbly written, expansive yet rich and detailed, tactical and thought-provoking, it's the sort of roleplaying experience that we've been dreaming about for years.
Is Pillars of Eternity the perfect game? No, but it is an incredibly good one.
Critical Hit
Obsidian had a daunting task before them: to make a spiritual successor to a series of games that are inextricably tangled up in nostalgia, over a decade after the height of those games' popularity. This is not the Baldur's Gate of 2015, it's Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, the best parts of the lot of them wrapped up in something new and brilliant. And before you venture forth, don't forget to gather your party.
The fantasy genre is always one of nostalgia for a world long gone, the vague, wistful ancestral memory of weary travelers and simple taverns, of brooding castles and dark-blooded wars. But also nostalgia for a real-life youth spent whispering about orcs at the back of geography class. Somehow, Pillars of Eternity captures this personal emotion with flair and empathy.