Pathfinder: Kingmaker Is An Isometric RPG Experience

I've been quite excited to play Pathfinder: Kingmaker for quite a while. An isometric Baldur's Gate style CRPG using the Pathfinder 1st Edition rules, it launched yesterday.

I've been quite excited to play Pathfinder: Kingmaker for quite a while. An isometric Baldur's Gate style CRPG using the Pathfinder 1st Edition rules, it launched yesterday.

"With the help of over 18,000 Kickstarter backers, Narrative Designer Chris Avellone and composer Inon Zur, Owlcat Games is proud to bring you the first isometric computer RPG set in the beloved Pathfinder tabletop universe. Pathfinder: Kingmaker puts you in the role of a brave adventurer fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil! Take on the role of a canny fighter hacking through enemies with an enchanted sword, a powerful sorceress blessed with magic by the hint of demon blood in her veins, a wise cleric of gods benevolent or malignant, a witty rogue ready to defuse even the deadliest of traps, or any of countless other heroes. The only limit is your imagination!"


ss_4378cb5c8fff0ed0c1d22c72f2f43976e51bbe90.600x338.jpg


To the north lie the Stolen Lands, a region that has been contested territory for centuries. Hundreds of kingdoms have risen and fallen in these lands, and now it is time for you to make your mark—by building your own kingdom! To do so, you’ll need to survive the harsh wilderness and the threat of rival nations… as well as threats within your own court.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is based on Paizo’s award-winning Pathfinder Adventure Path of the same name. You certainly don’t need to be familiar with the story, but if you are, you will encounter characters you know and love as well as a host of brand-new events, companions, allies, and threats that expand and enhance the original Adventure Path. With help from Paizo and their authors, the story and quests have been expanded by RPG writer Chris Avellone and the Owlcat team, allowing for even more adventure in the already rich narrative of the Stolen Lands.

While Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a single-player game, you won’t be adventuring alone. "Kingmaker" features a diverse cast of companions and NPCs, including iconic characters from the Pathfinder setting itself. You’ll need to decide who to trust and who to watch carefully, as each companion has an agenda, alignment, and goals that may differ from yours. Your journey will become their journey, and you’ll help shape their lives both in the moment and well into the future.



2.jpg



"We chose to adapt the Kingmaker adventure path because it features a host of open-world mechanics, allowing players to experience the story at their own pace as they explore the Stolen Lands, which will challenge you as both an adventurer and a ruler. Most importantly, the game allows you to claim these lands as your own, letting you carve your own kingdom from the wilderness. While classic dungeon crawling and exploration lie at the heart of this adventure, diplomacy, politics, and kingdom development are also part of the challenge. Choose your allies well, and keep them close while exploring ancient tombs and ruins — and while dealing with politics in your own court."
As you’ll discover, building a kingdom goes beyond simply building a stronghold: Your kingdom is a reflection of your character and your choices throughout the game. It is a living thing shaped by your alignment, your allies, and your ability to lead your people. Not only can your kingdom expand, opening up new territories and allowing you to build new towns and communities, but your capital city will physically change based on your decisions, your policies, and even whom you choose to ally with. As your kingdom grows, a number of factions and neighboring countries will come to you to seek favor—and to test your strength.



4.jpg
 

log in or register to remove this ad





Morrus

Well, that was fun
Staff member
I played a bit of it this morning. It really is the Baldur’s Gate/Neverwinter Nights experience. I’m loving it.
 


smiteworks

Adventurer
I'm only 6 hours in so far, but the game is extremely well done at this point. I'm a big fan of the Baldur's Gate series of games even though I much prefer turn-based to Real-time-with-pause (RTwP). It seems like they've somehow improved upon that here with the animations and auto-pause options lining up better than I remember them doing in BG. There are a few parts where it breaks out into a choose your own adventure style mini-game and all the character creation, leveling and equipment is perfectly by-the-book.

Pros:
- Closely resembles tabletop game with actual feats, spells, abilities, etc.
- Improved RTwP functionality
- Good graphics and sound
- Interesting companions so far with a fair amount of spoken dialog
- Nice writing. I can already see wanting to replay with different choices after just the first few hours, but after I finish my current playthrough
- Choose your own adventure mini-games
- Excellent way to handle group inventory
- Great camping implementation where you assign roles (hunting, guard duty, camouflaging the camp, cooking or guard duty) or assign special roles available to certain party members (sharpening weapons, polishing armor, summoning undead to help guard the camp)

Cons
- May be harder for non tabletop players
- Not turn-based (although their version of RTwP lessens this significantly)

As an example of how it would be considered hard, there is a part early on where you fight against swarms of something. The tabletop rules for swarms make them immune to pretty much anything other than area of effects. My party make-up ended up not having any of that sort of magic so I had to re-load an earlier save to pick up a ton of splash damage weapons.

Just like in the tabletop game, if you build poorly optimized characters, they are going to suffer. You may need to fight defensively at times or decide whether or not you will really be effective with ranged weapons combats that start fairly close. The game defaults to starting you off at an easier mode. I moved mine to Normal mode and full damage but I did actually employ a few features to make the game a bit easier.

I highly recommend turning on the following features (I don't remember the exact phrasing):

  • Remove ability damage and other negative effects upon a full rest
  • Defeated party members recover with minimal health after any battle (essentially you only fail if everyone dies)
 

huntsfromshadow

First Post
This game is the result after a fashion, the mmo fell apart and the company went under. The license was snapped up and the new company made the Kingmaker RPG.

Not actually correct.

Pathfinder Online is something different. When Goblinworks folded Paizo took over the project
and has continued development in a slow burn process. They actually had an update on it at GenCon 2018.

Pathfinder Online only had the license for an MMO. Kingmaker is a different thing.
 


Split the Hoard


Split the Hoard
Negotiate, demand, or steal the loot you desire!

A competitive card game for 2-5 players
Remove ads

Split the Hoard


Split the Hoard
Negotiate, demand, or steal the loot you desire!

A competitive card game for 2-5 players
Remove ads

Top