The world you step into is equally comfortable, using narrative and artistic variations to remind you that this is not, in fact, a place you have visited before. Old favorites like Elves and Dwarfs are joined by original races like the Godlike, whose elemental head adornments preclude the wearing of hats and helmets Familiar professions like barbarian and wizard are supported by the cipher, who builds up magical focus by landing attacks with a standard weapon. This isn't a Dungeons & Dragons game, but the influence is clear from the moment of character creation, during which you choose a race, a class, and a backstory for your leading man or lady. In those first few hours, however, it relies on nostalgia and familiarity to gain your interest. It claws at Planescape and Baldur's Gate from beneath their perches, and while it never threatens to replace them, Pillars rises to greatness of its own accord. For all its complexities, Pillars of Eternity walks a narrow path already trod by the genre's greats, including the insurmountable Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate II, which rightfully remain atop the computer RPG hierarchy.Īs much as I can see how blatantly it pokes my nostalgia buttons, I still lost myself in Pillars, which sets itself apart-just enough to tip itself into the "homage" bucket rather than the "clone" one-with its original fantasy universe, as well as with combat details that reduce frustration and keep the tempo moving. Its status within the ranks of its predecessors, however, is less obvious, given how slavishly devoted it is to a time when isometric role-playing games dominated players' imaginations. Clone or homage? That Pillars of Eternity hews close to the Baldur's Gate/ Icewind Dale formula can't be disputed.
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