My humble review of the game 6 / 10

[Matteo89.b]

Vote:

 

6 / 10.

 

 

Was it worth the money you spent as a backer? 

 

Sadly no. It's absolutely not worth more than 60 dollars, not to mention how much money i spent on this.

 

This does not mean that PoE2 is a bad game! I will explain soon enough.

 

 

Explain what you think was good/great in this game!

 

Combat mechanic is entertaining and flawless, i enjoyed it as much as in PoE1.

 

Fireweapons are more entertaining and useful here than in PoE1.

 

Graphic is greatly improved, i enjoyed the new character models.

 

Plot, while not being a masterpiece, is very interesting and entertaining.

 

 

But you gave a 6 / 10. What's wrong in this game, in your opinion?

 

 

 

1- First of all, combat is unbalanced on PoTD. 90% is easy, then a few battles are hard as hell.

 

And i'm not playing with infamous characters min-maxed in order to cheese. My party is normal.

 

 

2- No final battle if you choose to destroy the wheel.

 

That was a bit disappointing. I mean, i get that we side with Eothas so no need to battle. But add nonetheless an alternative boss.

 

I was like " Ok, i leveled up my party from level 1 to level 20, searching good equips for a final battle that never came. "

 

It is understandable, given the choice to side with Eothas. But nonetheless it is a letdown.

 

It comes to my mind a similar game, called Divinity 2 Original Sin. In that game, in the final battle you had the option to not fight your worst enemy. But if you choose that, the game has a

that makes you side with your ex-enemyes-now allyes against a new bad guy.

 

In short, a final battle was always there.

 

 

 

3- No stronghold.

 

the ship is not a stronghold if you don't like that kind of roleplay...

 

 

 

4- Too much focused on sea traveling

 

 

 

5- It does not feel like a true RPG, because there is no real exploration. (unless you adore ships)

 

Most of the time you are on a ship.

 

I mean, each place you can explore is a separate location that you can reach only with a ship. And most of the time the place is small.

 

 

There is not the feeling of traveling around a big country like usual D&D games or Pillars of Eternity 1.

 

Places are not connected, there is no continuity.

 

It feels like going randomply around the sea, finding sometimes various repetitive locations.

 

 

 

6- Places are repetitive. Obsidian, don't think i had not noticed. A lot of locations you can explore in the various islands are the same, but with different monsters inside.

 

 

7- Too much focused on sea traveling, if you are not a pirate your roleplay greatly decrease.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

It is a nice game, but it is absolutely not good as PoE1.

 

The only real thing that PoE2 does extremely well is improving the combat mechanics and character models.

 

I would love to play PoE1 with PoE2 character models and battle mechanics.

 

 

 

It sadden me, because this game feels like the developers wanted to try implementing the sea traveling into PoE, but things got bad and sea travelling instead swallowed PoE.

 

 

All in all, it is a nice game. But not worty more than 6 / 10 because it has lost a lot of the appeal of its predecessor PoE1.

 

As a final note, i add that i regret having backed it. I won't repeat the same mistake.

 

This game deserve to be bought and played because it is enjoyable, but it does not deserve all the money one can spend as a backer.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Matteo89.b

[daven]

What is the value of rating something out of 10? How can you quantify the experience of playing a game?

 

The sooner reviewers stop doing this the better.

 

Out of curiosity, how much did you back it for?

[EdwinOdesseiron]

What is the value of rating something out of 10? How can you quantify the experience of playing a game?

 

The sooner reviewers stop doing this the better.

 

Out of curiosity, how much did you back it for?

We tend to rate and measure everything. In my work for example I measure the quality of human resources and check if their KPI output is on pair with the BG roadmap to max out our ROI. There is a whole profession around it.

[Xsanf]

I totally agree with the topic starter. In my review on GOG I gave the game 3 out of 5. Graphics is ok, but, man, these lags and freezes (arena sublevel bug has already become the standing joke). Voiceover is awesome, but too expensive, so we have major cuts in the most crucial parts of the game: story plot, sidequests (half of them are just bounty hunting - that's ridiculous, companions' quests are "cheap" in the worst sense of this word), content density (yep, look at the open world in TESIII: Morrowind and then here - and tell me, please, why Morrowind is still popular, and Deadfire is not), and last, but not least, testing.

 

Fortunately, I'm Russian, so I spent about 15 dollars on release and then about 5 dollars on BoW (thought it's worth givin'em a chance at least in DLC, but I was wrong, DLC is rather meh). But for average Russian it's still too much (average salary is about $4/h), so it would be better to wait until next year and buy a bug-fixed game with all DLC's on a sale. I've bought PoE 1 with both DLC's after 3.02 patch and had better experience than those who bought it on release. And yes, Deadfire has lost too much as an RPG game comparing to PoE1.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Xsanf

[Sherab]

I bought firts PoE after most patches and DLCs were already reliesed. So I avoided some "extreme" mechanics' changes in the middle of the game, about with I was reading in the forums. And I simply loved it.   There was some minor issues I had with the main plot, like [spolier] the fact that our character seems to treat Ledden Key as enemies from the start, even if he/she wants only answers at this point of the game - I think this could be improved just by addition of few lines in interaction with the enigmatic lady beneeth Woodika temple. And I was propably a little dissapointed about the "big secret" [/spolier] . But in general, I loved the story, I loved the setting. I still would like to know more of the Lore etc.

 

Now, when it comes to Deadfire, I have to agree with OP in some areas. For some reason, while I like the main plot, I had not as much fun from playing the game, as I did with PoE 1. And main story felt somewhat short to me. And leveling somewhat to fast. At least in my first playthrough at high difficulty level (no level scaling; oh, and I haven't bought DLC yet) I had such impression. Now I started my secound playthrough at PotD difficulty level (but still no lvl scaling - not big fun of it in games like PoE), so maybe this time this will take longer.

 

 

Now, I would like to comment on pros and cons mentioned by OP.

 

Pros:

 

I preffer mechanics of first PoE. Perhaps simply because I've used to them, and I had already several playthroughs with the game - and even now I play it alongside with Deadfire. Especially I don't like new affliction system - it is not very clear for me, and not very intuitive. In first PoE when someone was puting fear effect on me, I knew I need to use a spell/power with counteracts fear. Simple like that. Now I have to remember, or check everytime, to with class affliction belongs, and what "antidote" I should use.

 

I also liked the separate stamina (? - sorry, I play localised version of both games, don't remember well original, english terms) and health pools. Per rest and per combat abilities, and so on.

 

I'm not saying, that new system is not fun. It is more "tactician", so to speak. We have limited "resources", and we need to think about how to use them to best result. This is nice. But from other hand, mistakes in the battle seems to be less punnishing in longer term, since we simply regenerate all health after the combat. So it feels somewhat less involving, and less imersive for me.

 

But yes - I generaly like the fact, that firearms seems to have greater potential in Deadfire, than they had in first PoE. However I think, that in "right" hands (proper build) they were quite useful also in first PoE.

 

I also do enjoy new graphics, but to be honest, first PoE were good enough for me. Even if we have most of the things depicted on the screen, I still like to use my imagination to high extend, like in table-top, classic RPG. I the same way I don't mind reading a lot, and the fact of lack of full voiced conversations in PoE 1 wasn't for me that big issue as for some others.

 

 

 

Cons:

 

2. Well, this propably depends of one's expectations towards a RPG game. For me, while I like when combat represent some challenge, and requires thinking and good tactics, I don't neccessery want to fight constantly, so to speak. For me most important in RPG game is a freedom of roleplaying my character. The feel of immersion in the world, making choices, and so on. For example, my main hero I've "imported" from first PoE always tends to find diplomatic solutions and avoid combat if only possible. And I enjoy him, even if I fight less.  

 

To sum-up, I like when combat system is done well, and it is important part of the game, but for me personally, not as important like good story, good lore, and freedom of developing of my character (his/her personality, choices he/she makes, etc.). So I certainly can live without final battle.

 

 

3. Well, our ship fills that role, isn't it. And for the most part I don't see that big difference.

 

4. Well.... game's setting somewhat forces this. How would you like to travel on island's archipelago? By airplane? I understand your concern, but this is more about game's setting, than anything else. If someone don't like tropical islands, archipelago setting, piracy, etc. - then yes, one will be dissapointed at least a little bit. I admitt - I don't love those kind of settings very much too. Maybe this is the reason I haven't enjoy the game as much as the PoE 1. Stil, it is hard to complain on sea traveling for me, knowing where the game is set.

 

5. Again - depends of expectations from RPG game. For example, there is a lot of exploration in TES V: Skyrim - but I consider this game to be more like FPS with some mechanical elements of RPG, than true, proper RPG. From other hand, while much more "linear" (and quite heavy combat-oriented), first Dragon Age was brilliant from my standpoint.

 

7. Look at 4. Well, through my first playthrough my hero, and I, was treating sea travel just like this - as a mean of transportation. I wasn't engaging in sea-combat too much, and I don't feel this was limiting my role-play in anyway. Yeah, my hero is in Dedfire now - but he still is the Watcher from Caed Nua. He didn't and he won't transform into a pirate just because he arrived into Deadfire. Only thing I don't like, is how resource consuming the ship and it's crew is. the Stronghold in the first PoE were felt as something additional, and one could ignore it completely. Ships in Dedfire feels to be much more obligatory.

 

 

PS. Sorry for bad English - I try my best.

[misterjimmy]

I agree,main story and final boss is most disappointed,because Josh hate campbellian monomyth. ╮(╯_╰)╭  But I think stronghold and ship both are awful.

Combat and character build have improve so much. But they shouldn't remove Vancian casting, resting and power source need balance.

[Verde]

I give it a 7.5/10 for the polished graphics, tight combat, but woefully lacking main story and non-faction sidequests that have little effect on the world except for different slides at the end. Too much focus on a wonky disposition system and voice overs. Biggest disappointment is anything related to the Gods went from mysterious to hammy. I'll add on a .5 for the great DLC, however I'm disappointed none of the DLC focuses on Eothos. Overall the game is definitely enjoyable but shallow and wonky.

Edited August 30, 2018 by Verde

[Sherab]

I give it a 7.5/10 for the polished graphics, tight combat, but woefully lacking main story and non-faction sidequests that have little effect on the world except for different slides at the end. Too much focus on a wonky disposition system and voice overs. Biggest disappointment is anything related to the Gods went from mysterious to hammy. I'll add on a .5 for the great DLC, however I'm disappointed none of the DLC focuses on Eothos. Overall the game is definitely enjoyable but shallow and wonky.

 

Hmm... yes. As usualy, one discover more and more, the more one plays the game. And to be honest, alongside my second playthrough now (on PotD, but we the same, main character ported from first PoE) I start to see more and more flaws, I had to admitt. Don't take me wrong not to the point of not enjoying the game as such. But definitely making this experience somewhat less pleasant, assuring me in my opinion, that regardless of their obvious (or less obvious) flaws, first part of the game was better (not neccessery in any objective terms - purely personaly, I mean).

 

"Eckera, too much money sunken in fully voiced dialoges, and beauty graphics, and to less into writing and designing of the quests, I say"

 

Even followers' quests felt to have somehwat more depth in the first game. And I too don't think, that almost fully stripping the gods from the shroud of mistery was indeed a good idea. Ok, as the Watcher from the first game, we know they are not as omni-potent powers, as most people assume. But stil, the impression left by hearing all those debates of them is... "so, so", at best. And by the way - those in-dream travels to the Berath's realm are highly overdone.

 

While the main plot, and sidequests in the first game were not without flaws either, and there were some "holes" in them, I also feel Deadfire to be somewhat more shallow.

 

I see some positives too. Factions seems to be more... hmm... believable, more involved in local affairs. Well, my current hero tries to avoid siding too much with any of main powers (he rather tends to help "small-ones"). So I can't say too much about this. But in the first playthrough I was working a little bit for Her Majesty, queen Onekaza. And I'd like to say, that I really liked how she have been depicted.

 

Deadfire seems also be more open to... open-world concept. Hence, for exploaration and adventuring, with is fine by it's own rights. Still, I would appreciate it more if also main quest would be written in such a way, that would encourage a lot of sidequesting and exploration. Meanwhile, while it do not give us as much feel of "urgency" as in some other titles (Oblivion, Skyrim, to give some examples), it still tends to push our hero in one direction, not leaving too much room for anythhing else - at least this is my impression (however this was even more the case in the firs Pliiars too).

 

Followers dispossition system is a nice idea, but I think it is poorly implemented - at least compared to my experiences with Dragon Age - Origins. And I would say, that followers are in general too eager to get involved in a romantic relationship with our hero, even with relatively low disposition, and regardless of their and hero's gender.

 

As I wrote before, ship's management system is a little bit annoying if one don't enjoy this aspect of the game. And in contrary to the Stronghold from the first PoE, it is obligatory to some point - after all we need that ship to travel between the islands, so we don't want a mutiny on board, propably.

 

As for now, in second playthrough on PotD (but I barely arrived to Neketaka so far), fighting feels to be positvely challenging. However, I can still complain on lack of neccessity of managing our "resources" in long term - between the fights. I know that for many players per-rest abilities/spells/powers, and not self-replenishing health were a kind of annoyance in the first game, but not for me. While we now have limited resources within the fight, there is really no reason to not use everything that we have in every fight - and we propably want to - at least on this low levels. I've read somewhere, that after about level 7 most fights starts to be relatively easy even on PotD (aside of some speciffic fights that are somewhat harder also on Veteran setting) - I don't know, I haven't experienced yet.

 

I start to familiarise with new affliction system, but again - it feels "un-clear" to me, and not very intuitve.

 

Said all this, I generaly enjoy the game.

 

But I afraid, that our developers went the way of "modernisation" - and what I mean by this, is changing for the sake of more "main-stream" gamers of now-days. So the game looks better, sounds better, have more "funcy" features, and less complicated mechanics (or maybe not less), but at the cost of the "things" I personally appreciate the most, like good written storry, deep and involving lore, and creation of immersive, believable (in it's own terms, after all this is a fantasy setting) world and characters.

[Metaturtle]

I didn't care much about the stronghold in the first one since it was kind of a chore to fish for an event for specific items and in multiple games it became whatever (same with ships), but I do wish there was some kind of mega dungeon with tough monsters to run party builds and stuff since the last few battles don't offer much to test this "mastery" of combat progression despite having a great combat system with many nuances. I can't wait for the mega boss patch!

 

It looks like the over-tuning of the initial game that lead to the hasty blanket nerfs made the current capricious state of PotD. I don't find the difficulty hurdles disgustingly bad since similar hurdles existed in POE1 when a player met a rude awakening (dragon fears and abbey monks), but some things like the lazy upscaled armor becomes a dampener when it comes to playing with the multiclass system since it pigeonholes you into certain skillsets.  

 

I do miss the open maps not because of the exploration, but mostly for pulling different camps of monsters to kill each other off.   That kind of strategy is now rare in Deadfire so now I have to be happy with watching mages (or anything with splash) kill their entire party as my chanter's summons bait them.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Metaturtle

[Sherab]

Heh! :D

 

As I said, much depends of expectations.

 

I definitely want to have a good, well balanced, challenging, and interesting combat system in any RPG game. But simply combat is not my focal point, so to speak.

 

When it comes to PotD:

 

In first Pillars, in long term, this was only difficulty level with was making combat somewhat challenging - at least in case of vanilla game. White March is a little bit different story, but still, PotD was propably the way to go for most. But what I did not, and I don't like so much about PotD in first PoE, and I don't like it here, is the way it increase challenge.

 

I belong to those who really would like to see challenge coming from interesting ressitances and unique skills/abilities of enemies, plus very clever AI. "Artificially" increasing enemies stats, and making them more numerous, is not exactly my favorite way of increasing challenge. Especially in case of PoE 1, there was plenty of "trash mobs", and yeah, PotD was making those fights more difficult, but at the same time, they were not really that interesting - very repetitive, but due tue PotD, lasted for longer. So there were moments, that they were simply irritating me. From other hand, anything lower than PotD was simply too easy, and boring.

 

And I'm aware, that creating good AI is not that easy at all. So not without complains, but I accept PotD as a solution.

 

Encounters in Deadfire seems to have a little bit more sense - feels less "trashy". Hence fights may be felt somewhat more unique. Enemies more often have real (full) ressitances too. Still, when it comes to combat system itself, I've somewhat preffered old one. There was also that pleasent feeling of immersion, and accomplishement, when I've managed to win just in last moment, while my party was bearly having any health still. Thinking forward. Not wasting best spells on trash mobs, etc. I don't want to say, that it is same like, but new system feels a little bit like Diablo 3 for me - Something what can be fun in Hack'n'Slash game, ro so called action RPG, but not something I expect from proper, more classic RPG.