''Pillars of Eternity'' is a
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
developed by
Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
and published by
Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independen ...
. It was released for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...
, and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, whi ...
on March 26, 2015. The game is a
spiritual successor
A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product ...
to the ''
Baldur's Gate
''Baldur's Gate'' is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' and the ''Dark Alliance'', both taking place mostly ...
'' and ''
Icewind Dale
''Icewind Dale'' is a role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and originally published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows in 2000 and by MacPlay for the Macintosh in 2002 (both the Classic Mac OS and OS X). The game takes p ...
'' series, along with ''
Planescape: Torment''. Obsidian started a
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by cro ...
campaign on
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
for it in September 2012. The campaign raised over US$4 million, which was the highest funded video game at the time. The game uses the
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...
engine.
The game takes place in the
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
world of Eora, mainly inside the nation of Dyrwood. The infants in the Dyrwood are plagued by a recent phenomenon in which they become "hollowborn" upon birth, meaning they are born with no soul. During the beginning of the game, the protagonist experiences an awakening of power due to a disastrous supernatural event, discovering they are a "Watcher": a person who can see past lives and interact with souls. The objective of the game is to find out what caused their awakening and how to solve the hollowborn problem.
''Pillars of Eternity'' received critical acclaim upon its release; many critics praised the game for its world and immersive writing, along with the strategic combat, and also said that it is a worthy successor to the games it was inspired by. The game also won various awards and accolades, including best RPG of 2015. A two-part
expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or ...
, ''
The White March'' was released in August 2015 and February 2016, respectively. A sequel, ''
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire'', was released in May 2018.
Gameplay
''Pillars of Eternity'' sees players assume the role of a character defined as a "Watcher"a person able to see and interact with the souls of people, viewing the memories of those deceased or communing with those who lingeroperating on role-playing mechanics that include
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featu ...
-based
real-time-with-pause tactical gameplay. The game is played from a fixed
isometric viewpoint consisting of 3D models against two-dimensional pre-rendered backdrops,
in a similar vein as its spiritual predecessors ''
Baldur's Gate
''Baldur's Gate'' is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' and the ''Dark Alliance'', both taking place mostly ...
'', ''
Icewind Dale
''Icewind Dale'' is a role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and originally published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows in 2000 and by MacPlay for the Macintosh in 2002 (both the Classic Mac OS and OS X). The game takes p ...
'', and ''
Planescape: Torment''.
New games begin with players creating a character, with the choices they make on the character's race, background, stats, and class except their appearance impacting what choices can be made in dialogues with
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...
s (NPCs) or interactive objects.
Each class of the eleven available fighter, rogue, ranger, barbarian, monk, paladin, wizard, druid, priest, chanter, and cipher benefits from certain prominent stats in the game, and features a set of abilities unique to them,
which can be used in battles with hostile enemies and creatures: for example, the cipher can use the soul of an enemy in order to attack them,
and druids can shapeshift into a beast and cast spells. In addition to these, the character may make use of five skills Stealth, Athletics, Lore, Mechanics and Survival which confer bonuses in various situations, such as unlocking containers and gaining bonuses when resting outside inns. The character classes and game mechanics are similar to ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
'',
but are a proprietary system created for the game. Characters level up upon acquiring experience points from completing quests and certain situations battling enemies does not reward experience, meaning conducting non-violent approaches can be just as rewarding.
Exploration of the game world involves visiting locations as they become unlocked, with some only accessible after progressing the main story whereupon players can freely explore the location to find enemies, items, and objectives for quests they are on. Most locations feature a
fog of war
The fog of war (german: links=no, Nebel des Krieges) is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capability, adversary capability, ...
effect, a dark, black one for regions not explored, and a lighter effect for areas that have already been explored and have been moved away from. Alongside the main story quests of the game, players can engage in optional
side quests which feature fleshed out supporting characters and multiple outcomes most of which are not typical "
fetch quests" in role-playing video games.
To assist in their adventures, players can create a party of up to six characters with the help of both companions characters found in certain locations, each with their own personal story and quest, and unique personalities and appearances, who will join when they offer assistance, of which the player can recruit up to eight to make a party from
and player-created characters these can be made at inns, for a fee based on the level the player wishes their creation to be at.
During the course of the game, the player will build up a
reputation
The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance.
Reputation is a ubiquitous ...
with various factions, depending on the decisions they make in conversations and with resolving quests.
This system effective denotes how
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...
s of that faction will react to them and how traders will treat them when buying items. In addition, such choices will also impact the outcome of events when the game is completed. Players can enter scouting mode with certain characters or the whole party, which, impacted by a character's skill in Stealth, allows them to sneak around enemies as well as spot hidden items and traps, the latter of which can be disarmed (per a character's Mechanics skill) and be later used against enemies.
After making some progress in the game's main story, the protagonist will take over a
stronghold
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
, which acts as a base where players can improve it with new buildings.
Battles in ''Pillars of Eternity'' focus on a system in which each enemy in the game has a set of different defensive stats. Alongside a general defence bonus, they have different resistances to certain weapon types and element types, which impacts how much damage they take, as well as certain status resistances that impact the effect of spells and abilities. Thus, players will find it useful to sometimes equip characters with different weapon types and use different spells to take advantage of enemies with weaker defences against certain types. For example, an enemy who can resist harm from piercing weapons would be better attacked with a different weapon type. A
bestiary
A bestiary (from ''bestiarum vocabulum'') is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history ...
is provided which records information on creatures and enemies encountered, and adds more information the more they are encountered, effectively allowing players to see their stats during combat and determine how best to combat them.
When an enemy attacks and damages a character, it impacts both their
endurance
Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from an ...
and health: while characters will be knocked out when they are drained of all their endurance, which regenerates after combat is over (to a certain level based on damage to health), being drained of all their health effectively causes them to die permanently.
To recover lost health and endurance, as well as certain abilities, players can either rest by setting up a camp or buying a room at an inn.
Story
Setting
The story takes place in the world of Eora, in a region placed in the southern hemisphere called the Eastern Reach,
an area roughly the size of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The Eastern Reach contains several nations, including the Free Palatinate of Dyrwood, a former colony of the mighty Aedyr Empire that won its independence through a revolutionary war; the Vailian Republics, a confederation of sovereign city-states; and the Penitential Regency of Readceras, a quasi-theocratic state ruled by priests of the god Eothas.
Technologically and socially, most of the civilizations in Eora are in what roughly corresponds to the early stages of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
. Firearms are a relatively new invention and are cumbersome to use; as a result, their use is not widespread. They have, however, proven quite effective against magic users.
A factor of great conflict all over Eora is the recent scientific discovery that souls are real and can be transferred, stored, or molded. Souls are the basis of magic, as accessing their power is what allows certain people to use it. Souls leave the body upon death, and go through a largely unknown process before
reincarnating into a newborn body. Every soul does, however, have embedded memories from their previous lives, and through certain processes a person's soul can be "Awakened", meaning they gain awareness of these past lives.
There are people in the world who have the supernatural ability to perceive people's souls, which allows them to access memories, among other things; these individuals are called "Watchers". Though the study of souls, called animancy, is a young field of science, the implications for society at large has been vast, led to rapid advances in technology, and caused several rifts and clashes in the different religious communities, which has marked the era as a time of great turmoil.
Characters
The player character can be male or female and one of six available races, and the game typically refers to them as "The Watcher". Over the course of the adventure, the player can recruit up to eight secondary characters as companions. Available companions include: Edér, a fighter and worshiper of one of the god Eothas;
Aloth, a wizard and child of parents who served
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
;
Durance, a disillusioned priest and follower of Magran, a goddess of war and fire;
Sagani, a ranger who is on a quest to search for an elder from her village;
Grieving Mother, a strange cipher who cannot normally be fully seen by other people, and has a personal connection to the hollowborn problem;
Pallegina, a paladin who works for the Vailian Republics; Kana Rua, a chanter who was sent by his people to recover a book of sacred text; and Hiravias, a druid who has been banished from his tribe.
Plot
The player character is a foreigner who arrives in the Dyrwood. Their caravan is hit by a mysterious storm that kills everyone but them.
Taking refuge in a cave, the player character witnesses some cultists perform a ritual on a machine that can strip souls from their bodies. Exposed to these energies, the player character becomes a Watcher, a person able to read souls.
The player character also becomes Awakened, able to access memories of their past lives.
This curses the Watcher with waking visions and an inability to sleep. In time, the Watcher will go insane from this, so they must track down the cultists and reverse the curse.
Dyrwood is cursed by the Hollowborn Plague: children are being born without souls, leaving them totally unresponsive, in a way similar to a permanent vegetative state. Many people blame animancers, the scientists who study and manipulate souls.
Investigating the curse, the Watcher discovers that the Hollowborns' souls have in fact been stolen by a cult known as the Leaden Key, led by a priest named Thaos, and that Thaos is framing animancers for the Plague. This eventually leads to a riot in the capital city where animancers are lynched and their college is destroyed.
The Watcher and their companions pursue Thaos to the city of Twin Elms, where they learn the truth behind Thaos' actions. The gods of Eora are synthetic beings created by an ancient civilization known as the Engwithans. The Engwithans were master animancers, and through their science they discovered that the world of Eora had no real gods. This created an existential crisis for the Engwithans. The world of Eora was plagued by religious conflict, and the Engwithans had hoped to end these by discovering who were the true gods. Furthermore, most societies used gods to validate their moral systems, and the Engwithans feared that if others discovered that there were no real gods, this would cause amoral behavior to worsen. So the Engwithans decided to create some artificial gods by fusing their own souls into magical constructs. These constructs presented themselves to the mortals of Eora as the true gods of the Universe. The people of Eora were united in worship of a common pantheon, ending centuries of religious conflict and promoting the spread of civilization. Thaos is an Engwithan animancer who has survived the centuries by transferring his soul from one body to the next. His life mission is to ensure that nobody discovers the truth about the Engwithans' artificial gods, otherwise people might question their legitimacy. Part of this mission involves suppressing the science of animancy, because animancers might discover the truth through their science just as the Engwithans did. Thaos stole the souls of the Hollowborn to empower the goddess Woedica, who hates animancy and would see it destroyed.
Though the other gods have an interest in protecting their secret, they do not want Woedica to dominate them, and so they help the Watcher breach the defenses of Thaos' lair.
The Watcher slays Thaos in his lair.
The player must decide what to do with all the souls Thaos abducted: return them to their original bodies, let them reincarnate in new bodies, or feed them to Woedica. Other choices the player made throughout the game will affect the epilogue.
Development
''Pillars of Eternity'' was developed by
Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
and published by
Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independen ...
. The game uses a game engine developed in
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...
specifically for ''Pillars of Eternity''.
The game was
directed
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
by
Josh Sawyer
Joshua Eric Sawyer (born October 18, 1975), known commonly as Josh Sawyer, J.E. Sawyer, or JSawyer, is an American video game designer, known for his work on role-playing video games.
Early life and education
Sawyer grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wis ...
. There were multiple competing pitches for ''Pillars of Eternity''s storyline within the studio, and the one worked on by Eric Fenstermaker and
George Ziets ultimately won, after which Fenstermaker, who previously worked as a writer on the company's ''
Fallout: New Vegas'', was designated the game's lead narrative designer.
Also involved in production were Adam Brennecke,
Chris Avellone
Chris Avellone is an American video game designer and comic book writer. He worked for Interplay and Obsidian Entertainment before working as a freelancer. He is best known for his work on role-playing video games such as '' Planescape: Torment' ...
and
Tim Cain
Timothy Cain is an American video game developer best known as the creator, producer, lead programmer and one of the main designers of the 1997 computer game ''Fallout''. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of a ...
.
The audio director of ''Pillars of Eternity'' was Justin Bell, who also composed the game's score. Bell stated he was inspired by the music of ''Baldur's Gate'' and ''Icewind Dale'' when composing the game's music.
On September 10, 2012, Obsidian's webpage began teasing about a new game (entitled "Project X"), it initially was a number 4 encircled by an
Ouroboros
The ouroboros or uroboros () is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnost ...
. The next day it was revealed to be a countdown. On September 14, 2012, the Kickstarter campaign went live revealing further details of the project. It completed its 1.1 million dollars objective in just over 24 hours, and the first set of "stretch goals" were announced. ''Pillars of Eternity'' surpassed the $1.6 million mark five days after the fund-raising began.
It was announced an OS X version of the game would be provided together with a
digital rights management-free option through
GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through it ...
.
A Linux version was announced on September 21, 2012.
It passed the $2 million mark on September 26, 2012. On October 8, 2012, it was announced that ''
Wasteland 2
''Wasteland 2'' is a post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to 1988's ''Wasteland'', and was successfully crowdfunded through Kickstarter. After the postponement o ...
'' would be offered to backers who pledged US$165 (and above). In the last day of the campaign, ''Pillars of Eternity'' surpassed ''
Double Fine Adventure'' as Kickstarter's most-funded videogame at the time.
The project was part of a broader trend during the early 2010s of veteran game developers using nostalgia-driven crowdfunding campaigns to fund development in genres considered too obsolete or niche for major publishers.
Feargus Urquhart
Feargus Urquhart is a Scottish-American video game designer and CEO of Obsidian Entertainment.
Career
Urquhart is best known for his work at Interplay Entertainment, particularly as leader of Black Isle Studios, Interplay's internal ro ...
, Obsidian's
CEO, explained why they chose to use a
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by cro ...
model for ''Pillars of Eternity'' instead of the traditional developer and publisher arrangement: "What Kickstarter does is let us make a game that is absolutely reminiscent of those great games, since trying to get that funded through a traditional publisher would be next to impossible."
In an interview, Josh Sawyer said that being free of the limitations of a publisher would enable them to "delve into more mature subject matter
..slavery, hostile prejudice (racial, cultural, spiritual, sexual), drug use and trade, and so on will all help flesh out the story". Obsidian was said to be inspired by
InXile Entertainment
inXile Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and a studio of Xbox Game Studios based in Tustin, California. Specializing in role-playing video games, inXile was founded in 2002 by Interplay co-founder Brian Fargo. The studi ...
's success of using Kickstarter to fund ''Wasteland 2''. Chris Avellone said during the project's announcement that if the campaign were to succeed, ''Pillars of Eternity'' would become a franchise. He ruled out a possible console port of the game, saying, "Those
onsolelimitations affect
ole-playing gamemechanics and content more than players may realize (especially for players who've never played a PC
ole-playing gameand realize what's been lost over the years), and often doesn't add to the
ole-playing gameexperience."
Nevertheless, the game was successfully ported to consoles later. Additionally, he pledged to write a
novella set in the game world. Four novellas were later made available on the company's website.
On October 16, 2012, ''Pillars of Eternity''s Kickstarter funding campaign concluded with a total of $3,986,929, becoming the most highly funded video game on the Kickstarter platform at the time. Together with further funds collected via
PayPal
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
, its budget rose to $4,163,208. In December 2013, Obsidian announced that the official title for the game would be ''Pillars of Eternity'', dropping the working title ''Project Eternity''.
They launched a poll asking backers whether or not they would support further fundraising.
In March 2014, it was announced that
Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independen ...
would publish the game. It was stated that Paradox's role would be taking care of marketing and distribution of the game, while Obsidian would still retain the rights to the
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
. On March 11, 2015, a preview video of the documentary series titled ''Road to Eternity'', was released. It has been revealed that the money Obsidian Entertainment raised for the game through its Kickstarter campaign saved it from closure, as it had been suffering from financial problems following its cancellation of a game for "next-generational consoles" in 2012.
On February 8, 2021, the Nintendo Switch port was abandoned by the publisher will have to "leave issues present" due to the "limitations of the hardware we are working with".
Release
On March 17, 2015, Obsidian confirmed that ''Pillars of Eternity'' went
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
, indicating it was being prepared for production and release. The game was released for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...
, and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, whi ...
on March 26, 2015. Several editions of the game were released, including a Champion Edition which has a campaign almanac, a map of the game, the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
of the game, wallpapers, and ringtones; and a Royal Edition which includes the Champion Edition items along with a strategy guide, concept art, and a novella which was written by Chris Avellone.
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
versions of the game were released on August 29, 2017, with the title ''Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition''. Ported by Paradox Arctic, it contains the updated game and both parts of the expansion pack.
There is a version for release to the
Nintendo Switch that is planned to be released on August 8, 2019.
Expansion pack
A two-part expansion, ''
Pillars of Eternity: The White March'', was announced by Obsidian at
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 (E3 2015) was the 21st E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It took place from June 16 to June 18, 2015, with 52,200 total attendees.
Major exhibit ...
.
''Part I'' was released on August 25, 2015, and ''Part II'' was released on February 16, 2016. It extended the game, raised the level cap, and added new party members and abilities.
''Part I'' and ''II'' hold a score of 76% and 79% on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
respectively, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Reception
''Pillars of Eternity'' was met with positive reviews upon its release; it is listed on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
with a score of 89/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews" according to the site.
''
The Escapist'' wrote that while it caters to a nostalgic fan base, it is an "excellent" role-playing game on its own merit, and also said that it is the best isometric role-playing game to come out "in years".
''
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' said that Obsidian made their best game thus far with ''Pillars of Eternity'', and wrote that it is a worthy successor to the games it was inspired by.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
praised the game, saying that it is a representation of what is good about
old school role-playing games.
Digital Spy lauded ''Pillars of Eternity'', writing that it is a "masterclass in role-playing game development."
Game Revolution said that ''Pillars of Eternity'' combat is "deep and engaging";
similarly, ''
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
'' wrote that the combat is "highly complex".
[ ]GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
said that the combat is the game's best component, and gave praise to the battle music. Gameplanet praised the game for its strategic combat and level-based progression. ''Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' noted the combat's customizability in the game, including the ability to change the difficulty and set options for auto-pausing. However, the review criticized the pathfinding
Pathfinding or pathing is the plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route between two points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes. This field of research is based heavily on Dijkstra's algorithm for finding the sh ...
in the game.
''Pillars of Eternity'' graphics and artwork were well received. Gameplanet called the art design in the game "excellent". ''Game Informer'' said that the game's maps
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
are "thoughtfully crafted", and that the detail on the characters and their equipment is "incredible". ''Metro'' noted the game's higher resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
than older isometric games such as ''Baldur's Gate'', saying that it benefits its "gorgeous" artwork.[ The review also praised the game's lighting and particle effects.][ ''The Escapist'' said that the spell effects in the game are "quite visually impressive" and that the character models are an improvement from traditional isometric games; however, the reviewer said that the backgrounds are not as impressive as "some of the more picturesque older titles".] IGN criticized the game's art style, calling it "dated". Gameplanet found the game's voice acting to be "excellent" and free of over-acting. ''Game Informer'' echoed this statement, and also wrote that the game's sound and music is "delicate and beautiful".
GameSpot called ''Pillars of Eternity'' writing "lovely". Particular praise was given by the reviewer to the character of the Grieving Mother, whose personal story he said was intriguing and "mysterious". ''PC Gamer'' also praised the writing, saying that it is "rich" and "evocative". Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
...
praised the plot and the world's reactivity to the player, writing, "the main plot is packed with twists and surprises with staggering ramifications for a world players will feel they have become part of." An IGN reviewer found characters in the game, both major and minor, to have well-developed characterization, but found it annoying that only some characters have voice acting. ''Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
'' criticized the game for lack of humor compared with ''Baldur's Gate'' and Morte from ''Planescape: Torment'', called the quests as "fairly stock" and the characters "forgettable".
Sales
In October 2015, Obsidian and Paradox confirmed that more than 500,000 copies were sold. As of February 2016, the game had sold over 700,000 copies.
Awards
Sequel
A sequel to ''Pillars of Eternity'' was confirmed by Obsidian in May 2016 along with possible plans to crowdfund the game. The campaign was launched on Fig
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...
on January 26, 2017, where it was officially announced as '' Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire''. It was released on May 8, 2018, for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
References
External links
*
{{Xbox Game Studios
2015 video games
Crowdfunded video games
Fantasy video games
Kickstarter-funded video games
Linux games
MacOS games
Microsoft franchises
Nintendo Switch games
Obsidian Entertainment games
Paradox Interactive games
PlayStation 4 games
Role-playing video games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender
Video games with alternate endings
Video games with commentaries
Video games with expansion packs
Video games with isometric graphics
Windows games
Xbox Cloud Gaming games
Xbox One games
Versus Evil games
Video games about cults