Reviews on Pathfinder: Kingmaker

With Pathfinder: Kingmaker it turned out. Some players argue that it has a terrible imbalance, and give numbers from the table as evidence, others actively protect the game and recall the same numbers from the same table. The second camp seems to be the leader. And the developers do not sit on the spot – they rule the game with patches. This, however, does not mean that there are no problems with the balance. They are, but those who decide to play on the highest complexity are running out on them. The rest will be lucky a little more.

Updated review. What does it mean?

Caught with a detailed review by the time the embargo falls or to the release day is becoming increasingly difficult. For very different reasons: sometimes the game is so large that it is simply impossible to pass it in two or three days, sometimes publishers do not provide specialized media with early copies of games. As a result, readers suffer – they do not receive timely reviews or reads poor -quality, in a hurry written articles. To compensate for the time for the development of releases, Kanobu introduces the “Updated Review” format.

We talk in stages about the game, gradually complementing the review with new blocks of text. The number of time spent in the game is indicated separately. After complete passage, we issue a verdict and give an assessment that will appear in the material after the final stage of review. The editorial policy "Canoba" involves the operational and most complete lighting of the pop cultural agenda. So, thanks to the “updated reviews”, our readers will be able to get a real information picture.

What is worth reading before the review

35 hours: balance (and its absence) in the first chapters, battle and the birth of baronism

As I wrote in my first impressions, Kingmaker really does not forgive mistakes. Yes, if you put the complexity of the "regime of history", then you can create any mess and kill enemies by jamming. But it is worth choosing something more complicated, then the enemies abruptly become evil-they turn on the brain, grow muscles and learn to evade attacks. Therefore, even a small wolf, which does not pose a danger to light complexity, can alone gobble up the whole group. But the Morath allies, on the contrary, at high levels, seem to be trained by experts from XCOM and begin to smear even uphill with two steps.

True, the authors when choosing complexity are honestly warning about almost all this. And this is normal: if you do not know the local role system, then it is better not to climb into the ramp. And no, passed on the maximum complexity of Pillars of Eternity 2 and Tyranny as a recommendation will not get married. Kingmaker both in terms of difficulty exceeds.

If you choose the difficulty based on your knowledge of the local fighter and role system, it suddenly turns out that everything is not so scary.

Yes, there are enough evil enemies, even among ordinary kobolds, but I have not met something impenetrable yet. Although I must admit that sometimes in the first chapter there are still battles, because of which you are furious. But there are very few of them.

In addition, in Kingmaker should be correctly approaching the selection of group members. Let’s go to the trolls? Be sure to take an alchemist with acid bombs with you. Examine to hunt for wandering lights? Without spells (or at least scrolls), do not even stick out of invisibility. Fight against the undead? Well, a “light” priest can come in handy, capable of breeding dead. It is still ahead to think about who will be for the tank or master of castles, and the character who can pass checks for casting cubes will also not hurt.

Do not take into account all this – you will spend a huge amount of gold on the scrolls of the resurrection and cure potion. And money, by the way, is constantly not enough at all levels of difficulty. And this is despite the fact that the main character seems to have his own kingdom (well, so far, only barony), trade relations for the sale of Luts with all the necessary NPCs are established.

Nevertheless, gold flies instantly – on the same potions and scrolls, especially cool equipment, to the development of the kingdom again. Be ready for this.

During the time that I spent in the game, it turned out more than this: Vispa (those very lights) – the most annoying opponents. Seriously, I haven’t met anything worse. Neither a huge enlisted revitalized tree, nor a crowd of people, led by their king, nor Vatagi trolls. Everything is much more complicated with the wispas: you need to make sure that they do not go into invisibility, put their heroes away from each other, so that they do not burn a pair of lightning, come to terms with the fact that most of the attacks on the lights will pass by. In short, this is hell, and spells are your salvation in it.

Although, of course, in battles it is important not only the ability to use the spell, but to correctly analyze all the parameters and characteristics. And not so much their heroes as enemies. The dimensions of the creature, its characteristics, worldview, class, skills – in short, everything, including not the most non -obvious for those who have never been a large fan of board role -playing games.

Sometimes it reaches the point of absurdity: https://cmd368casino.co.uk/bonus/ to defeat some particularly evil opponents on which there are no attacks, you can increase them in size. They will be more painful, but they will receive fines for protection, and this is already good for you. Such a move works, however, not with everyone – here, as in everything else, a lot of nuances.

But always and in everything works a system of worldviews. The attitude of people towards you, the attitude of the Sopartians, the options for answers in dialogs depend on your solutions, even some buildings in cities depend on your worldview! Moreover, here it is really possible (and necessary) to play out as you want. Want the paladin without fear and reproach that helps everyone? No problems. Play pragmatist and bias? Not a question. Even the villains of the expanse – every second quester can be sent away, and the rest can be cut off or sent to prison.

Just keep in mind that your solutions have consequences. The inhabitants of the kingdom will not be enthusiastic about the king-maniac king. Evil Councils will contemptuously twist physiognomy if you try to solve everything bloodlessly and calmly. With reliable paladins, they will shut up – run there, bring that and still build on our account.

In general, there will be enough things in any case – regardless of which character you decide to play. Because the main character is the ruler, and barronism requires him to be paid attention. Here is the invasion of trolls, and mysterious curses, and inconsolable mothers with missing children – everyone needs to take the time. And the development of baronism itself takes a lot of effort. Buildings are built slowly, projects can generally occupy for two to three months, at first, advisers constantly bring news about failures when trying to solve something-in short, a lot of fun.

I am now torn between baronism and adventure. Completed the task – and run to the capital, deal with business. The advisers did something? I urgently quit everything and rush home – check and distribute new instructions.

I understand that not everyone will like this, but in Pathfinder: Kingmaker has the opportunity to turn on the automatic development of your country. True, however, then this function will not work, so think ten times before think.

Kingmaker is actually a role -playing game in which your behavior affects everything. Here is a rather complicated character development system that can give rise to both a terrifying hybrid of the terminator and ramba in fantasy-setting, and something frail that can be blown away by sneezing. And there are also colorful characters in fellow travelers, each of them has been prepared for all your actions according to the comment, and for each decision – its own line of behavior.

But I won’t tell you anything about the plot. And not because spoilers – no, I just scored on it and run around the environs of the capital, dealing with side quests. But I think, soon I will have to take up the main plot.

55 hours: the development of the kingdom, the Sopartiyz and a little plot

At the entrance to my barony, it seems, you need to put a sign – “Caution, cursed!". Seriously, everywhere there are only curses. Then his mother will accidentally find damage to his child, then you will stumble upon ancient evil, then still on something dark and crazy. In addition, also subjects suddenly began to wave the pitchfork, although until then they sat quietly.

Yes, subjects can really oppose the baron. It happened to me by the plot, but if you control your land after sleeves, then there is a risk of getting about the same thing just like that. At least, people will begin to grumble for sure – and this is a problem, because it is difficult to return their trust. People in the barony are very imaginary and a little that they go who are where or begin to join all sorts of dubious cults. You have to fight with this behavior, otherwise you risk waking up on the ashes.

The state develops quite slowly, but there is nothing complicated in this – do not think. Captured three regions and arranged a village there – you can improve the capital. If six regions – improve one of the villages in other territories. In addition, new ones will be added to the main ruling positions – like the Minister for Culture or Spy. That is, people to solve problems are becoming larger. And the more actively the kingdom grows, the more easily – it is easier for them to manage – to appoint advisers to various things from any of your region, and they are not asked to dangle to the palace.

But immediately you have to solve something with the money that, as I wrote before, is not enough. The development of the kingdom of gold is needed even more than usual – or the process will slow down. The construction points can be obtained through the conclusion of trading contracts or the construction of specific buildings, but this is all slowly. Sometimes it’s better to just invest money-it will come out faster.

However, barronism management is not the only thing you can do in Pathfinder. Adventures with companions is another important point. Incidentally, I collected all the associates, all of them – indeed colorful personalities. One problem – their stories are slowly swaying, and so far!) break off in the most interesting place.

Moreover, the stories of the companions – like their requests – are very unusual. One will ask for help with the construction of the printing house. Another is to investigate your own murder. Comrades ask to pull out the sullen-hunter to pull out and well “ventilate”. In general, really inventive tasks. Everything, however, rests against the speed of the characters’ development – the quests of the satellites are reluctant, and they do not always affect their characters.

Nevertheless, there are still a lot of side tasks in general – so much that I almost missed, how the main plot moved from a dead point. There, alas, nothing particularly interesting: at first the kingdom was threatened by one trouble, then the other – and what will happen next, while the riddle. It’s good that there is an explanation of all these troubles – and thanks to him the central plot, you can seriously get carried away.

While the story lasts strictly within the framework of the stolen lands and my barony. Interaction with other countries and with neighboring barony is carried out by brackets – I do this either in side quests, or even on the kingdom of the kingdom. Although the game has already hinted several times that in the future diplomacy and politicians there will be more. The main thing is that the authors do not tighten. I will sit without problems in this game for another hundred hours, but I am not sure for others.

140 hours: finish

It was a long adventure. And complex. But, damn it, it was worth it.

For almost two months, the developers corrected bugs. For some time I was lucky: the hotfixes ahead of me a step, or even two, and I played without problems. However, closer to the final, he still got down due to the impossibility of collecting a couple of artifacts of the storyteller. And also because of the insane complexity of the final location and several serious bugs, which by that time did not manage to fix. What exactly is the matter, I can’t say – these are tough spoilers. I’ll just hint that the quests of partners are to blame for everything-I fulfilled them, but for some reason I decided that there was no.

Nevertheless, in 85 hours (!) I have passed since the last renewal of this review, I finally became convinced that Kingmaker is a truly cool RPG. It is RPG in the initial sense that the game is not about the numbers and throws of the cube (this, by the way, there are points in this), but about the role -playing. It can be anyone in it: a good man, from time to time maniacs, or a boring “office” villain, who must be in accordance with the letter of the law, otherwise he will doom all his subordinates to the centuries -old seat behind the pieces of paper. Yes, anyone is real!

The only trouble is that all this is laid in one main storyline. Your actions affect the ending and, in order to get the true ending, you have to try pretty, but this is still a rather meager choice of final options. I dream to play in RPG, where the villain really has a truly dark script branch, not a half-meter. A separate princesses and murder of trolls not dedicated to salvation. It can work out – but only if the princess is allowed to request a ransom, and trolls – let it go to the soup. My dreams are unlikely to come true in the near future, but Pathfinder is very close to their implementation. A good sip of real role -free freedom, albeit in the strict framework of the central plot.

And do not forget about the scope – in Kingmaker, you can also manage your own kingdom! And to do this is insanely interesting, especially when you understand the mechanics to the end. For example, I ignored the business of the crown for a long time, and then sat down and half the game year was engaged only in the state. As a result, it grown and strengthened, the mood of the inhabitants from the “-2” mark jumped to “+1”, and I realized that I almost always play in Civilization through culture or science: this scheme is effective, but after Kingmaker, where, as a result of the backstage, you can take away the throne (and in the literal sense, it is sipped from you from your nose), it became clear that it became clear that it became clear that sometimes it’s better to wave his fists.

In other words, Pathfinder is also an excellent fantasy policy simulator. Moreover, RPG elements also work in it-thanks to this, you can, for example, play a tyrant, hang the opposition on the trees and rob neighboring cows. Great!

I will most likely take Pathfinder again – not now, but with the release of one of the planned additions. To collect unexcounted achievements (and there are many of them from the gifts of royal artisans to the events of the last two chapters) and test the new build and the worldview of the character. Although, of course, the thought of what to give this game a month of life is somewhat frightened by me.

And another moment is a small explanation about the assessment. I put Pathfinder precisely the “eight”, since the game gave me as a mass of positive, but the negative ones were also. Bugs and imbalance do not color anything at all, and RPG for a hundred (and more) hours of gameplay for sure. Although seriously scold Pathfinder and strongly underestimate the assessment because of them, I simply cannot. This game reminded me of what a real playing role is, and showed what will happen if the ruler of the state for a long time would sit on the throne, trying to dump all things on others. In general, yes – if not for bugs and not the final chapter, the assessment would be a point higher.