Assuming you are a total newb to the genre, the game really wants you to play it multiple times in order to get the hang of its myriad systems. A single play through will probably last over 100 hours, which is too long for multiple attempts. The whole game needs better tutorialization.

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Let me first preface this by saying that I am absolutely terrible at CRPG mechanics (I am used to the ability to grind levels to overcome challenging fights like in JRPGs). Me not recommending the game might be a direct result of clashing with the underlying mechanics of CRPGs, but I will try to justify my reasoning regardless.


For the good: I liked the story and the voice acting (when it appeared, mostly on important main story missions). I liked the exploration (in isolation), the management system (in isolation), and the combat. The sound track is also great; I would probably listen to the overworld music on its own.

To get a few of the easy gripes out of the way: there is at least one achievement that requires having the DLC in order to unlock it. I don't normally achievement hunt, but this feels wrong to me. Also, the towns themselves (the capital to a lesser extent) feel a bit lifeless and cookie cutter, and the unnamed NPCs are little more than mannequins (why does everyone bow every time I go past them?). I had 2 of them get stuck on the bottom of one map, and another walked across the stage during my coronation. You will probably notice repeats in some of the side areas as well (e.g. the same type of hill leading up to a cave, which may have 1 or 2 entrances). The turn-based battle mode ends up getting stuck a lot; quick toggling fixes it in most cases, but it is still annoying. Finally, I feel like I had a lot of critical misses in combat beyond what I feel is a result of pure randomness; I don't have hard data on my dice rolls throughout the game, so this is based purely on vibes (and rolling 3 critical fails and a miss on a 4 strike attack).

The game expects at least some familiarity with TTRPGs in general, and Pathfinder in particular. Playing the game on normal is not recommended for newbs to the genre (I tried and got demolished in about every single encounter). While there is an encyclopedia in-game, it feels like an afterthought for tutorialization. For example, there something called a Base Attack Bonus (BAB) that determines a bonus to hit with all weapons (definitely sure for melee, unsure for ranged). It also determines how many attacks you get with a Full Attack Action (i.e. using all of your actions for a round to attack; if you move and then attack you typically only hit once). Every class has this, but the rate at which this increases doesn't seem apparent. Sure, you can view the progression for all classes on the level up screen (i.e. once every few hours), and for classes you have levels in at any time, but if you wanted an overarching view of how this applies, you are out of luck. Typically martial classes (classes that hit in melee) will have higher BAB, but among them I am not sure which class has the highest.

A lot of my complaints really revolve around this lack of viewable overarching progression in all of the game's systems. Feats can significantly impact a character build by (among other things) improving skill rolls by 10-20% (assuming a D20 roll), adding similar bonuses to chance to hit, or negating some of the drawbacks of a ranged unit fighting in melee. Moreover, some of these feats have prerequisites of other feats or even ability levels. If you don't know what these prerequisites are, you can end up stunting your character's growth or preventing them from reaching an envisioned endpoint entirely. Sure, there is a respec system; but only the first 3 respecs are free, and gold is at a premium (more on that later).

The game has options to automate various portions of either character or kingdom leveling, but the forums appear mixed on if these builds are viable. The game will recommend or not recommend feats and spells for you, but the early recommended feats mostly revolve around specialization at a time where I was still getting used to the mechanics; the same applied to spells. This resulted in most of my companions specializing in the weapon that they came with, which made them extremely suboptimal. Moreover, sometimes these recommendations aren't helpful; the game recommended Point Blank Shot on my dual wielding Barbarian at level 19.

A significant portion of the characters' ability progression is based upon the weapons and armor that you find in the world. After your base spread of ability points, your levels will give you an increase of 3 stages (each stage requiring 2 points from the previous, only possible if one of your initial scores is odd). There is equipment in the mid-to-late game that can do the same 3 stage increase for multiple stats. The issue is that the gear drops are essentially random from the player perspective, but are definitely random for the artisans (people who can create equipment that is on par with the better equipment you can find at the time). This means if you (like me) decide to invest your feats into a weapon that doesn't drop, you may end up with 3+ wasted feats (6+ levels for non-Fighters). The artisans should have a shop where you can buy specialized equipment. Specializing in duel-wielding battleaxes but only finding 1 +3 battleaxe after 100 hours in the game caused me to respec my character.

Unfortunately, you cannot really respec your kingdom. This game is timed, and your kingdom will fall if you A) run out of BP (1 BP is ~80 gold) B) your points in a stat drops below a certain amount, or C) You take too long to complete the story objective. If you, like me, overspecialized in a certain facet of your kingdom (like military, economy, and divine), you will find yourself lacking severely in the later game (30-50 hours later) as your secondary and tertiary advisors will not be able to solve their problems or opportunities without crisis point buffs (a limited currency). There is some “down time” after major story events, but you essentially have a hard limit of 2 promotions a month for the majority of the game. Not ranking up Arcane as soon as possible ended up significantly increasing my time spent traveling between objectives (time that could have been saved for upgrades). I also feel that it doesn't mesh well with adventuring. Sure, you can unlock some minor fast travel or a slight buff while fighting within your kingdom, but the majority of the adventuring takes place in unclaimed territory that doesn't benefit from these buffs.

There will be defenders of this game that will say that these decisions are intentional and encourage multiple playthroughs; however, to be frank a single playthrough is like 100 hours or more of struggling to understand the mechanics or paying in some form for not immediately knowing them at game start. I don't have it in me to go through that again for a slightly better gaming experience. You can only play a game for the first time once.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker – A Disappointing Echo of Better Games

Pathfinder: Kingmaker, despite its promising premise and the pedigree of the Pathfinder RPG system, ultimately falls flat, revealing itself as a derivative and shallow experience plagued by cumbersome mechanics.

From the outset, Pathfinder: Kingmaker feels like a pastiche of better RPGs. The game draws heavily from the successful formula of classic CRPGs like Baldur's Gate and Pillars of Eternity, but without managing to innovate or improve upon the tried-and-true elements it copies. The result is a game that feels overly familiar, lacking the originality needed to stand out in a crowded genre.

The narrative, while serviceable, never manages to rise above the trope-laden fantasy storytelling that many players have seen countless times before. The world-building, which should be a strength given the rich lore of the Pathfinder universe, ends up feeling superficial. The questlines, while numerous, often fall into predictable patterns and fail to offer meaningful choices or consequences. This makes the whole experience feel like a rote exercise in fantasy clichés rather than a compelling journey.

One of the game’s most glaring issues is its mechanical complexity, which is both its ambition and its Achilles’ heel. While Pathfinder: Kingmaker attempts to implement unique mechanics, such as kingdom management and complex character progression, these features are more cumbersome than innovative. The kingdom management system, intended to add depth and strategy, quickly devolves into a tedious micromanagement task that feels more like a chore than an engaging gameplay element. Balancing the needs of your realm often leads to frustration rather than satisfaction, with a lack of clarity and poor interface design exacerbating the issue.

The character progression system, while detailed, suffers from a lack of user-friendly design. The multitude of options and the depth of customization might appeal to min-maxers, but for the average player, it can be overwhelming and opaque. The game often throws players into the deep end without adequate guidance, leading to poorly optimized characters and a sense of futility in trying to navigate the labyrinth of stats, abilities, and feats.

In terms of combat, Pathfinder: Kingmaker's adherence to its tabletop roots results in a system that can feel slow and clunky. The strategic depth is overshadowed by frequent micromanagement of party tactics and the often unresponsive AI. Battles that should be thrilling tactical challenges instead become tedious, drawn-out affairs that test patience more than skill.

In conclusion, Pathfinder: Kingmaker's attempt to merge complex RPG mechanics with classic storytelling falls short of its ambitions. Its derivative nature, shallow narrative, and cumbersome unique features combine to create an experience that is more frustrating than fulfilling. For players seeking a rich, engaging RPG experience, there are better options available that offer both originality and polish.

No. You'd think that this is a good digital emulation of the game pathfinder. You'd think it would be great for getting to know the game properly. The studio did put a lot of effort into art, animations, voice acting etc. and I really appreciate it. What throws me off is that there are a lot of unexplained mechanics that constantly take effect on combat and instead of interactive explanations you are more often hit with walls of text, which feels like reading a book, not like playing a game.

I'm sure that this is an enjoyable title if you are knowledgeable about the games system. I am not and because of that I struggle with enjoying it. Please don't let this review put you off from playing this if you already enjoy pathfinder. If you are trying to just get into the game though, this might not be the ideal start.