Forget about gameplay, and combat mechanics for a while. One of the best aspects of the Infinity Engine games for me was how the musical score, artwork, and lore combined to give each game a distinctive "feel" or atmosphere that made an indelible impression on my mind. Icewind Dale 1 for me was the most cohesive in this speciific sense. In IWD 1, I loved talking to NPC's, and reading through the weapon descriptions, and books I found because everything came together to fill out this canvas which painted a picture of adventure in the frozen north.

 

I'm only a couple hours into Pillars of Eternity, but I will venture to say that Obsidian nailed it.  I am intrigued by the lore. I want to talk to NPC's and flesh out more detials to fill out this canvas.  Those  hand-drawn custcene transitions combined with the text-adventure style choices help to give the game a distinctive "feel." The main musical theme with its subtle buildup to a climax sets the mood. Those  ghosts/"soul echoes" that my character sees as I traverse the land help combine to give the game a distinctive Pillar-Of-Eternity-ness.

 

Our language has many concepts that are hard to put into words even though they are quite real. Imagine trying to describe the color red to someone who has never seen color before. What is this redness that makes a red thing red? Obsidian managed to create a distinct POE-ness and I'm having a blast so far relishing in the tone/mood/atmosphere. Awesome job, guys. 

Added a poll to see if there are any like-minded individuals out there.