As you explore, you will come across countless characters such as those providing you with side-quests, useful information or they just enlighten you with their general ramblings. Rather than one huge, open map, the world is split into a vast array of environments, including towns, dungeons, forests, caves and lairs. The world is navigated with an isometric camera its distinctive old school, 2D art style and overall presentation pay homage to its roots. It is revealed that Dyrwood is plagued by a mysterious curse causing babies to be born without souls, becoming “hollowborn”, so you elect to investigate and solve the mystery. You are part of a caravan that is hit by a magical storm known as Bîaŵac, and after being exposed to the supernatural event, your character’s soul has awakened and you are known as a “Watcher” with the power to see past lives and interact with souls. Taking place in the fantasy world of Eora, you arrive as a foreigner in the nation of Dyrwood seeking a better life. A wrong dialogue choice or not planning a battle properly could spell the end for them.Īfter all the influences that you can make in the world, slightly disappointingly, the main story remains largely the same. The affection you develop for a character may all be in vain, a companion can die permanently and at any time. Over the course of the adventure, you can recruit up to eight characters to join you as companions, my personal favourites being Hiravias, a druid who has been banished from his tribe and Pallegina, a paladin who works for the Vailian Republics their interactions with each other are very entertaining. Pillars of Eternity’s believable world does come at a price, however, it is believable in a way that almost anything can happen, and as such, characters will die. You are not simply reading a lot of text and accepting what is said, the stories and characters evolve organically and are heavily influenced by your dialogue choices, your character’s race and background, and the actions you take and subsequently the reputation you receive. The world and its tales are so wonderfully detailed, and with its excellent writing, I found myself at times thinking I had a fantasy novel in my hands rather than a controller. Throughout my travels I came across a diverse range of characters each with fascinating backstories, opinions of their region and world, and different turmoil or events that are affecting their lives. Pillars of Eternity is so rich and deep with lore that it can seem overwhelming. Even before the game properly starts, Obsidian wants the character creation to be the first step into their game, a lesson, to ensure time and consideration is to be made with any decision, big or small otherwise, it may result in consequences to both you and the world around you. Your race and background may open up additional dialogue choices and missions depending on which NPC you speak to. The choices you end up making will impact you both inside and outside of battles. Each option includes a detailed description and can provide bonuses to a specific attribute. You have the same difficulties when deciding on which of the eleven classes you want, the attributes you would like your character to have, their culture, their background and finally their appearance, portrait, voice and name. A sub-race selection is next: If you choose Godlike, you have the options of Death, Fire, Moon or Nature select Human and have the choice of Meadow, Ocean or Savannah. You can choose to play as one of six races: familiar ones such as Humans, Elves and Dwarves but also far more exotic choices being Aumaua, Orlan and Godlike. Starting off in an extensive character creation screen gives us our first glimpse of all Pillars of Eternity has to offer. Yet, fortunately, this will not be the case, Obsidian have managed to climb the seemingly impossible mountain, and console gamers are now able to enjoy all that Eora has to offer. Obsidian have risked a lot, so much could have gone wrong, the Pillars of Eternity they are remembered by in years to come may not have been the PC version but the half-hearted console port. A spiritual successor to the classic Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale series, Pillars of Eternity is a challenging, old-school role-playing game the sheer complexity that is on offer is why we don’t see this type of genre more on consoles. After their hugely successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2012, and with the critical acclaim that followed, it would be safe to assume that keeping Pillars of Eternity solely on PC is something that Obsidian Entertainment would be more than content with.
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