Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition (2019) [Switch]

“Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.”
-Khalil Gibran

They did a good job making the difficulty dynamic depending on your skill level. I was going to go for normal mode and skip easy mode but when I read the description I knew that was probably not for the best. They said easy mode was “highly recommended” for those new to the RPG or hadn’t played one in a long time – I fall more into column B but I hadn’t ever gotten very deep into Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale the times I’d played them previously. Easy was definitely the route to go for me, according to that strong language. That said, it’s not so easy you can just mow through any dungeon. It still takes plenty of skill and strategy. I look forward to trying the game on higher difficulties in future because this definitely has the makings of one you can play again and again throughout the years.
Another feature I loved in the difficulty category was the Story Time mode for those who want to play simply to enjoy the amazing storytelling without complex battle mechanics. It’s an interesting concept – I see the appeal. I personally prefer to have a challenge as well as a great story but if I were trying to veg out and read through a story without struggling at points, this could be something I might consider. Beyond that there’s the easy, normal, hard, and the dreaded “path of the damned” mode – which sounds like a good goal. Not that I see myself capable of that but who knows what you could do with practice?

Replayability: 10/10

This is a game I can see myself going back to throughout the years. It has all the elements of what makes a game “replayable”. For example, there’s the many different classes you can choose from: barbarian, chanter, cipher, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, priest, ranger, rogue and wizard – 11 classes which make for plenty of ways to go back and play again.

There’s also different dialogue options to choose from that go down a different route every time you play. Maybe you want to be a hero or a villain or even a complacent middle-of-the-road character. There are all kinds of routes you can take and that’s a huge reason to go back again.
Challenge is another factor in why this game is a great one to play over and over. The battles are not only a blast but they’d be fun to go back and try and beat with the difficulty cranked up to make it more challenging. Alternatively, I can see myself going for a nice and relaxing Story Time campaign if I were in the right mood.
Then there’s the fact you can edit your skill trees differently to have a different experience, even within the same class. This is something aided by experience. Realizing what did and didn’t work during previous playthroughs allows you to more clearly decide how to arrange your characters’ skill trees.

So I would say there are definitely a great amount of reasons why this is a game that will be playable probably for a lifetime for fans of this genre of gaming.

Visuals: 8/10

The visuals aren’t the stunning or breathtaking scenes of a Dragon Age or a Witcher – they’re also not the main focus of the game. They work well with the style. It’s an incredible feat they’re able to pack in as much content as they have, as well as the level of graphics they were able to achieve for a console game you can carry around and play wherever you go. Take it back to the years of Tetris on a green Game Boy screen and watch the jaws hit the floor.
What I love about the visuals is that they take you back to the classic RPGs Obsidian made famous in their Black Isle days. That could be the reason for it. They make you feel you’re in one of those games – except dialled-up to 11 and made into something so awesome it would need to be made today. It reminds me of Stardew Valley in that context.

Accessibility: 10/10

Before playing, I wondered how they’d pull-off a style best played on PC due to the items, special actions and characters that need to be dealt with. When I saw the diagram below, explaining the controller layout, as I booted up the game for the first time, I was afraid my fears were going to be realized. It looked incredibly complicated and muddled with different actions, menus and sub menus for all the different modes of play.

Obviously, I was pleasantly surprised with how accessible the control scheme was for this type of game. I’ve avoided playing games such as these on console due to the fact that, many times, they don’t work well in translation but they were able to pull it off seamlessly. I didn’t think of, or worry about, the controller layout after this moment. Everything felt natural and the mechanics were pulled off flawlessly to match. There were a few nit-picky things such as the button to swap characters not always registering the first time but it never dragged me out of the thrill of battle or the joy of the story.

Collection: 10/10

This score is based upon updated versions, as well as HD remasters and collections. I base the merit of this score on the amount of quality content added to this version alone. Through Project Eternity, they’ve added enough material to consider this an entirely different version than has previously been released. They added houses for the player, new playable races, new classes, a stronghold, new dungeons, the endless paths – the list goes on and on. Read below to see the different tiers that were unlocked, they reached every goal on this graphic.

You gotta love that dad joke at the bottom

I feel spoiled for being introduced to the series with this new and improved version because many things added for the Switch version are things I’ve enjoyed and couldn’t really imagine the game without. If I heard the numbers this Kickstarter raised, and the numbers placed on some of the different tiers for people to invest in, I might’ve been sceptical before playing. After getting deep into it and giving all my free time to it lately, I’m on board and can completely understand what the hype is about and why people were willing to throw so much money into this project. Obsidian was a company they could trust, they had clear goals that were thought out and, after fans blew them away with support, they didn’t disappoint and followed-through on an incredible Kickstarter campaign.

 

(edit) So it turns out that there were more bugs that I was experiencing than I actually understood. None of them ruined my experience, but I would like to make a note of them in the name of honesty and transparency. I will be changing this score from a 9 to a 7 accordingly. The language would spas out from time to time during load screens. I thought this might have been some fantasy language thing that made sense in game, but after reading further on it I am pretty sure that is not the case. My fighter was not properly executing the knockdown spell, I thought that it was just applying more damage without much extra animation but after reading about it I believe this is a bug I was experiencing. The game also crashed twice while loading the next area. These are the bugs that upon further research I can tell I was experiencing, but I did not feel like any of them made the game unplayable in the least. This might be the case though if you have played the game in it’s original form and will be able to spot these things as they are happening.

Narrative: 10/10

I do feel bad commenting on the narrative without having been able to complete the game in its entirety. I do think it’s something I can’t pass up, though, because the whole story is so well done it’d be a shame to not comment on it. Character development is evident from the beginning as you choose your character’s entire backstory, as well as race, where they’re from and what they’ve done.
Characters you meet along the way are endearing and draw you into the quest. You want to help them on their journeys. There are opportunities to speak with them personally  when various things come up they need to discuss. There’s an entire world. There are many options and many ways you can go. You have books all over the place you can read to delve deeper into the lore. There are NPCs in every area with something to add to the experience. The narrative is what makes this game one of the greatest of its kind and an industry standard others can be measured by.

My Personal Grade: 9/10

This game will live on and stand the test of time for generations. This version, as far as I can tell, is the best version with the most content and the best way to play it. This isn’t a format I believed this game could thrive in but it not only thrives, it by-far exceeds expectations and is something all RPG fans with a Switch need to experience.
I’ve plenty more playing to do. I’m sure I’ll be playing it from time to time, even after I finish, when the itch comes back. It’s really unlike anything I’ve been able to play so far for the Switch. I hope it sets a precedent for plenty more games of its kind on the platform. The second game of the series is available on the Switch and will have to be added to my list after I complete this one.
Thanks for reading. I hope you were able to gain insight into this incredible adventure. You’ll definitely not go wrong by giving this one a shot.

Aggregated Score: 9.3

The Midnight Mystic Mage is the resident writer of sublimereviews.wordpress.com, a reviewer of games, books, and film, and a fan of all things horror and spooky. Follow the link… if you dare!
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