- Hello! I'm Hell and this is my review about Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition , finally adapts to consoles with all the PC content and new options that make it the most complete version.
Like many games and genres traditionally associated with consoles are increasingly coming to PC, other computer experiences are encouraged to make the leap to consoles. This is the case of many role-playing adventures that a few generations ago would probably not step on these systems, and although they do so with some delay, in the end they arrive. This is the case with Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition, a very Baldur’s Gate-inspired RPG that debuted on PC in early 2018, and is now available on Xbox One and PS4.
To make up for this difference in time, the console version brings a handful of extras ranging from content previously released as a download to one mode per turn to a few settings or options. Although the project required financial support on Kickstarter, it is not an unambitious adventure: behind it we will find names like the designer and screenwriter Chris Avellone -Planetscape: Torment, Fallout, Icewind Dale II, Baldur's Gate and many more- or Inon Zur –Composer of Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4, Icewind Dale II, Crysis… -.
- A game for D&D fans
Pathfinder: Kingmaker will take our character, whether created by us or using one of the already predefined templates, through the Stolen Lands. Throughout the adventure, we'll see familiar Pathfinder characters and locations, with a dozen companions to discover and equip. It will delight fans of tabletop RPGs or fans of classic PC RPGs -Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights- ; there are moments for humor, political intrigue, and warring factions, everything we might expect from such a fantasy. Since each companion will have his personality and moral compass, our actions, questions and answers could cause friction with them and even leave the group; It will be useless to start in a neutral position if your actions then go in another direction.
The combat system in the original was real time with pause, and luck determines many of the actions and their effectiveness; the radius of action of the attacks and which characters are faced by lines are shown. Perhaps more interesting is to talk, in this version, of its turn-based mode, which can be easily changed during the game and which allows greater control of the combat.
This is where the tastes of each one enter and the micromanagement they are willing to carry out in each confrontation. In theory, taking turns is more faithful to the rules of the game and handling is easier, while in real time the movements are carried out simultaneously with the attacks. Also taking turns the attacks are more visible, the strategy is better studied and some skills –such as area ones- or combinations are easier to use because the enemy is fixed in their position.
We will probably end up using the most agile system for simple combats and turns against enemies that are more complicated. In any case, Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a complex RPG due to all the variables that come into play –and it also does not introduce very well into the concepts of Pathfinder- , and if you want to have everything under control you will need a lot of dedication; for newbies it will get confusing, so maybe not the best way to get into this type of RPG.
However, this depth will be a plus point for gamers, it all depends on the effort and hours that we are prepared to dedicate; Although the expansions are short, the main story will be around 100 hours, more if we put aside the automatic construction management in our domains - the most original aspect of Kingmaker, and executed with more attention than in other RPGs with similar options - with the possibility of making agreements with other cities, obtaining jobs for colleagues ...
- Another turn-based combat system is added to the original combat system. You can switch between them at any time.
The rest of the sections are much more classic. There will be times for long dialogues with multiple options and texts rich enough to enjoy their narrative and characters. A drawback for the Spanish player is the language, since it is not translated, and something more subjective, that probably this too static development of conversations is not as comfortable to see on a large television as on the PC monitor.
The exploration with the pad does not present major problems, neither during the game nor in the interface, it will not take long to get used to its isometric view, but sometimes the walls of the rooms can hide a little from our units - even so, the game allows us will show their silhouettes. Most situations can be resolved in a number of ways, be it by using force, stealth, or conversation with threats, betrayal, and diplomacy. However, Pathfinder: Kingmaker is somewhat irregular and there are sections that it makes great, such as adapting skills to characters or giving really good moments, while in other situations we find uninspired dungeons that are simply full of loot, enemies and traps, without a design or really worked puzzles.
Due to the limited resources and experience of the team, some irregular aspects are noted, but Pathfinder fans will forgive these errors.
- Good setting, but a bit generic
Pathfinder: Kingmaker is not a game that demands a lot of graphics, and the console adaptation delivers. The interior areas, especially the dungeons, tend to be too monotonous and not very origina l - the play of light and shadow can hardly be highlighted - but the open spaces gain more interest and detail. It covers most of the topics seen in the fantasy role and we have missed some element in the setting or art that brings charisma. Many times the distance of the view does not allow you to see all the effort put into the backgrounds or characters. lThe music and the voices -in English- have a good level.
Something that we found could be improved are the loads, and not so much for their time, but also if we take into account the size of each area, but because of how common they can be when advancing in certain scenarios. Also, by coming long after the PC version, it has fixed many of the bugs that plagued the original release and that depleted the experience.
'Pathfinder: Kingmaker' is attractive, but at no time will it surprise in technical or artistic aspects.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker was a good RPG on PC, and it is on consoles. If you haven't played it before and you like this side of the genre, the final version will surely meet your expectations thanks to the downloadable content, the option of turn-based combat, other adjustments and polish that was missed in its debut.
It doesn't really have any major flaws, but its Achilles heel is the high quality of the competition, be it Divinity: Original Sin II or Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. If you've already squeezed those out and your gaming platform is PS4 or Xbox One, this is a great time to discover their world.
