Pillars Of Eternity Review Round-Up

Today’s review round-up takes a look at the crowd-funding record-breaker Pillars Of Eternity from Obsidian Entertainment. Sharing traits with games such as Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planetscape: Torment the RPG arrives on the 26th of March for Windows, OS X and Linux. Writer Josh Sawyer stated that being crowd funded has allowed the developer to “delve into more mature subject matter[…] slavery, hostile prejudice (racial, cultural, spiritual, sexual), drug use and trade, and so on will all help flesh out the story”. Based on the critic’s response it seems to have been a positive move.

PC Gamer – 92/100

“This is a big, fat, deep adventure that lets you carve your own unique path through a fantasy world that’s been brilliantly brought to life with rich, evocative writing. It’s a game steeped in a bygone era of computer RPG design, but somehow it doesn’t feel archaic. Obsidian have always been bound to other peoples’ worlds—Fallout, Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, South Park—but in creating their own from scratch, they’ve made not only their best game to date, but one of the best RPGs on PC.”

PCGamesN – 10/10

“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.”

Eurogamer – Recommended

“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.”

Gamewatcher – 9/10

“Pillars of Eternity is a triumph. If you’re a backer and a fan of those classic Infinity Engine games, you’re in for a real treat, a smart and complex adventure that will keep you entertained and absorbed for possibly the rest of your life, and certainly until the already announced expansion pack comes out. Even those who never got on with those classic games should give it a go, because there’s a tonne of smart design choices in here that smooth out the rough edges that might have kept you away before. A superb introduction to a fascinating new fantasy world.”

The Escapist – 5/5

“While Pillars of Eternity is certainly banking on a nostalgic fan base, it’s still an excellent RPG in its own right. It’s a game rich with player agency, giving you tons of control to craft your story or explore different solutions to the presented problems. You know, actual roleplaying not simply a game with a leveling and stat system stapled on.”

Videogamer – No Score

“Pillars of Eternity is modern, while evoking the past. It’s accessible, but satisfyingly complex. Its quality is undeniable, and it’s particularly heartening to see Obsidian, the underdog RPG studio with a string of thrown-bones and rough diamonds behind it, pour its sweat and passion into something they obviously love – and utterly nail it.”

Rock Paper Shotgun – No Score

“It’s a triumph. A wonderful, enormous and spellbinding RPG, gloriously created in the image of BioWare’s Infinity classics, but distinctly its own. A classic in every sense.”