Recent reviews by DeZemi

I dedicate this comment specifically for my fellow CRPG fans. <3

So, I was interested primarily since Steam marked this game as similar to the Pathfinder games (KM + WotR). I love CRPGs in general, but there was barely any information to be had about the game before I got my hands on it, so I went in preparing for the worst but yet hoping for the best when my SO gifted it to me. :D

If you choose to read further, know this: at writing moment I am at 40% game completion. If anything changes as I progress into the game, then I'll edit my comment. I play on veteran mode.

Things that I wish I would have known beforehand:
* You play as all characters - this is not like the famous "origin system" that most CRPG-players know about, you play all characters simultaneously in a similar fashion to the traditional Final Fantasy games. Personally I was hoping to select a particular hero's PoV and keep it as main character for the entire game to increase the replayability value, but I sincerely believe the developers did a great job with multi-character design.

* You have no (major) impact on the story. The story is already set and you're kinda just watching it unfold. This was a major disappointment to me as the game was tagged as similar to the Pathfinder games - despite this, I do believe the developers wrote a very clean and enjoyable story!

* The party is limited to 3 characters (out of 6 playable characters). I would have loved to at least play with 4 (but preferably 5 characters to re-create Summoner's Rift feeling :D) as that would make it easier to experiment with different party compositions, right now I feel like certain characters are a "must have" and some characters that fill the same role are rather troublesome to stack. Having only 3 characters is ESPECIALLY annoying when you MUST pick certain characters for certain quests.

That's it for the general content, here's pros and cons:

**PROS**

+ The game is beautiful. No doubt about it, I love the artwork and the general animations. Especially in combat - the movement of most characters in combat is nothing short of amazing.

+ The voice acting - many characters keep their original voice actors and they are doing an amazing job! Most League characters stay true to their characters throughout the entire game and it is absolutely amazing to hear their interactions with each other.

+ The combat is fun! I am a sucker for turn-based combat and I very much enjoyed the combat system of the game. The option to speed up the combat is great to have in case it feels "grindy" but thus far I personally think that the developers have kept the combat frequent enough to not get boring, but not overwhelming enough to get grindy. :)

+ The world is full of life! A frequent issue in many modern CRPGs is that the world around you feels dead. But in Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, there are many elements that keep the world fresh and breathing. Such as birds that fly away when you get near, multiple NPCs that offer flavorful comments, rich ambience and small Easter eggs!

+ There are loads of adventures to be had outside of the main quest - side quests, fishing spots, conversation locations, secret treasures, puzzles, bounties, the arena... There are so many enjoyable things to engage in and enjoy. Most side-content is very enjoyable with actually worth-while (or even amazing) rewards! You can honestly find surprisingly good gear by just being curious! :D

+ An interesting character building system - I personally very much enjoy the ability point-upgrade system and the rune system. A bit of creative thinking can make character perform unexpected roles, and there are multiple fun options to try! Best part? You can apply and remove points as you wish, out of combat. Limitless experimenting! :D

** CONS **

- Weird and missing hot-keys. There's no inventory hot-bind (nor an option to fix a binding for it either). Having to press TAB and go to INVENTORY each time you want to check your loot or manage your equipment is really odd.

- YOU CANNOT PRESS "M" AGAIN TO CLOSE THE MAP! q _ q Please fix </3

- The material requirements for the enchanting system is... Weird at times. Some enchants require very specific material, and not having 100% material is going to make the fail-rate at 60% or higher (aka, not worth). I been looking through every inch of the map (I love exploring!), and yet I am struggling to even find the source of some of the materials. O.o

- So much walking. The fast-travelling system is very limited, and you can expect A LOT of walking. To be quite honest? The walking in itself is not that bad - the speed is comfortable and the animation is fluid, but this combined with the point below is a very frustrating combo. vvvv

- There are few options to adjust your party when and where you need it. To swap out party members, one has to use a Resting spot (such as an inn, or fireplace). See, at the very beginning (when you only have 2-3 party members... (: ) I found resting places pretty much everywhere. Much more frequently than I required them, anyways. HOWEVER, once I actually got 4 characters (meaning that one has to be on standby at all times), I found myself not encountering these resting places nearly often enough. The thing is - it is not for combat that I want to swap team mates. It is for their unique map abilities. It is IMPOSSIBLE to know beforehand whose ability you'll need, and there is NOTHING as frustrating as finding a Poro hole or smashable wall at the very end of a map, only to realize you do not have Braum so you have to run ALL THE WAY BACK TO TOWN, AND THEN BACK AGAIN to fetch the loot (that often are worth it - moral of the story: bring Braum. Always. Not even kidding.). Q_Q Like this is probably my BIGGEST issue with this game, cause being in that situation is just plain unfun.

- The loot distribution really feels uneven. I am not sure if it is randomly generated or not, but after looting as many swords for Yasuo as I've had loot for all other characters combined, I am starting to feel like there's a small amount of favoritism. :'D

TL:DR: Final Fantasy meet Torchlight II. Great voice acting (original voice actors for multiple characters), lovely artwork, a dramatic story, intriguing character building and fun encounters! I recommend it!

EDIT1: English is difficult, mkay. :(
EDIT2: English is still difficult. :(

Do you like good stories?
Do you enjoy turn-based combat?
Are you okay with alternative graphic-choices (that are still very stylish, mind you)?
Do you like letting your choices affect your story progression?

Then I recommend Wildermyth! Beautiful game, absolutely AMAZING writing and enjoyable combat! <3 10/10

EDIT; I often find myself coming back to this game. The developers keep updating it with new possible events and interesting quest rewards :D Still highly recommended! <3

I bought this game after hesitating for a long time due to the somewhat mixed opinions about it. After more than 80 hours (!!) I just finished my first playthrough and now I am here to bring my opinion of the game to the table in hopes of helping other hesitant CRPG-players to make an educated purchase.

First of all - I am completely new to the Pathfinder rule set with no prior experience. I am also fairly new to DnD overall with only a handful of CRPGs (such as DOS2, PoE1+2 and BG3-EA) in my inventory and I started playing CRPGs only a few months ago! I played the entire game with RTwP and would recommend anybody interested in the game to do the same, as the turn based mode seems bugged (according to a lot of comments here). My first advice to anyone buying the game would be to NOT BE AFRAID TO START WITH A VERY EASY DIFFICULTY. Pathfinder: Kingmaker IS difficult at times - and there is no shame in turning down the difficulty to make the experience more pleasant (unless you like the challenging experience, I don't judge).

Points that might be positive or negative depending on personal preference:
* The game is very long - especially if you're gonna take your time with it with exploration and side quests (which I very much recommend you do). In other words: very time consuming.
* Even at easier difficulties, the game will prove challenging at times. There will be encounters that you will meet prematurely (especially if you like exploring). Just like a lot of people have said before me, the encounter difficulties sometimes varies A LOT (ESPECIALLY late game) - and more often than not, there is no obvious logic behind the sudden higher difficulty or lower difficulty.
* Even seemingly trivial decisions matter. Even the order of which you complete your quests might provide very different outcomes. Read your quest log often!
* You need to pay attention! While Linzi (our bard) does a fantastic job at listing everything relevant in our journal - she most certainly does not write down everything that is important. Do not be afraid to use some external player guides when you get stuck - they usually cover up their guides well to not spoil anything while still providing great help!
* The game does have time-limiting aspects. HOWEVER, it is more than generous when it comes to time granted (at least on easier difficulties). I would see it as adding some realism to the saga, instead of being able to drag your feet about for ingame years and then continue where you left off as if nothing happened. It also makes the story move on at a decent phase, thus forcing you to prioritize (which you'll have to do... A lot).
* The game's action and intensity comes in intervals. Through-out most of the game you'll have "rest/preparation"-periods only to later dive into action-filled and time-intense periods.
* You better like reading! Far from everything in Kingmaker is voiced - a lot of important dialogues will be text-only.

Pros:
+ Beautiful and immersive story. In my opinion (which is highly subjective) a great ending (there are multiple endings though). :)
+ Amazing companion characters for all alignments, and their banter between each others is absolutely amazingly done.
+ Great character development (for our companions) and very interesting companion quests!
+ Beautiful music and the voice acting is of awesome quality (however, at the cost of quantity :( ).
+ Meaningful choices and many different outcomes - and the outcomes can be anything from small flavor-things to game changing. :]
+ A lot of variety when it comes to team-building. You have multiple companions capable of filling the same roles, opening the possibilities for interesting and exotic combinations.
+ Companions do actually have opinions of their own. They are not just gonna follow you blindly, if you cross them enough.

Cons:
- Combat difficulty is elusive and ever-changing, especially late game. You can struggle extremely with some regular mobs, only to find yourself walking right over a boss.
- The game does a poor job explaining certain things. Some quests are nearly impossible to complete without the help of other players as the game simply leaves you guessing. Read your quest log *CAREFULLY* and pay attention when quest NPCs speak - some quests even requires you to be in areas that are only available for a limited time (these quests are not game-changing by any means, though, as far as I am aware).
- The Kingdom Management can be punishing, and it is difficult to keep all advisers relevant and "well trained" for their duty. And it is not always obvious which mission will bring severe consequences, making it difficult to prioritize from time to time - especially when multiple seemingly important missions require the same adviser. The entire Kingdom Management feature *can* be turned off, however I did not try this so I cannot comment much about it, but I'd imagine that people who dislike micromanagement would appreciate this option. :)

Overall, I thought Pathfinder: Kingmaker was a great game and I can't wait for Owlcats upcoming Pathfinder-game that is due for the summer. I would happily recommend Pathfinder: Kingmaker to any CRPG fan (regardless of Pathfinder experience), however I would also recommend reading some beginner guides before or during your campaign (especially if you are not familiar with Pathfinder's rules). It helps a lot!

Let's start with some background: I have played "hack n slash" games for many, many years. I've tried most games of the genre and ultimately found most of them lacking:

PoE is on a new level of complicated and not at all as "free" as many PoE lovers want you to believe (GL playing the game properly with only one stash tab). Even their currency system is complicated. I wouldn't recommend that game to new players at all.

Diablo 3 is a decent game nowdays, but Blizzard has disappointed me more often than not when it comes to the Diablo series... In many ways.

Torchlight 2 was pretty awesome - I especially loved the fact that you could send your companion to sell items for you (please take notes, Wolcen - "should have brought a pack horse")... But I couldn't get my friends to stick to it. The cartoon-y style just didn't rub them the right way.

Grim Dawn was alright, but you ran out of things to do rather quickly... And the game was incredibly clunky (at best).

Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem has INSANE potential... And yeah, I get it. Potential rarely meets up to expectations in the game world - we've all seen "potential" (looking at you, Anthem) - but I mean it. Let me list it up:

Pros:
* Much potential for development without being super complicated. The endgame micromanagment gets tiring, but it does come with the upside of letting you feel a sense of expansion. I hope to see more of it in the future (and no, not the Seeker missions -_-). I'll explain further later.

* The different kinds of mobs actually *FEEL* different - both visually and mechanically. It's not just the same re-skinned mobs over and over that you just slash your way through (when you're pushing your gear, that is).

* The voice acting is AWESOME. One of the absolutely best I've experienced in this genre. ... ... Charming!

* The story is... Interesting... As a Hack n Slash-fan, I've seen a fair share of gore and disturbing things... But this game seriously have some moments during the story that is ... Disturbing on another level. If you've seen Berserk, then you'll probably get a sense of deja vu.

* The abilities actually FEELS powerful (visually) and the gear that you get while leveling is GORGEOUS. I've NEVER seen a hack n slash game produce such beautiful equipment and allowing for free transmoging between gear types... Changing the look of your gear is cheap too! Amazing work there, Wolcen! 10/10 badass feeling.

* The weapon core design is 10/10 - being able to mix and match between magic, melee and ranged abilities is just amazing.

Cons:

* Bugs, bugs and more bugs. While the most critical bugs are being dealt with (like stuff disappearing out of your stash...) - the game is literally unplayable from time to time. Many projectile-based builds can't even hit certain mobs. I am not gonna start listing all of the bugs - there's A LOT of them... But I hope that the DEVs are gonna keep working on fixing them, asap.

* Builds are very uneven when it comes to expedition pushing... I would preferably not see them nerf all the meta builds to the ground (unless they are based on bug exploits, obviously) - I'd rather see them make an effort in fixing the other builds. So yeah - generally... I'd definitely like to see some more build balance.

* Many uniques feel underwhelming... I mean, I built an entire build around a unique and ended up replacing it with a yellow-rarity item to improve performance. >.<

* If you change your mind about your build, then you really gotta ALL IN on it... There is no saving passive points or restore the previous page once you've made your choice.

* Honestly, I feel like the game is lacking some iconic skillsets and I hope to see more sets of skills soon... I would very much like to see some nature-themed abilities.

Stuff I would like to see in Wolcen in the future (apart from bug fixes, obviously):

* "Should have brought a pack horse" - can we please have a pack horse? Like, let us choose a animal/robotic/humanoid companion via the SimCity management - a combat companion (maybe something generating buffs similar to the shout?), pack horse (or alpaca? Maybe our own squire?!... Maybe just a person with a cart?), utility companion (maybe a bird getting flask recharges) or a supportive companion (a robot with a protective shield? I mean, we got guns and we've seen some pretty dope tech during the story)...

* MORE STORY <3 (and yes I know it's coming... I just want more of it.)

* A way to save passive tree builds ... I mean, memorizing the passive tree comes by default if you spend enough time respeccing, but it shouldn't have to be that way. Just like we can duplicate skills (for whatever reason), we should be able to duplicate our passive tree in case someone wanna try a build and later change their mind.

* The SimCity micro-management has a lot of potential, as mentioned before. However, in my own opinion - I would prefer seeing more bigger upgrades rather than more repeating the seeker missions. While I enjoy constantly having a legendary brewing up and often having items upgraded (lovely feature) - I sincerely dislike sending out seekers for treasure after every single mission. Perhaps a repeative option for these kinds of mission would fix that?

* All other cool stuff you have in your development list... I want all of it! :D

Overall: 7/10 game (would be 10/10 if it wasnt so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ buggy) - I'll recommend it to ALL my hack n slash friends!

EDIT1: Spelling and added the wish for a duplicate for the passive tree.