Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition

Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition brought to PS4 a classic isometric CRPG from Obsidian Entertainment, which came into being thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign as a spiritual successor to classics like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. The player creates their own character from an extensive selection of races and classes, journeys through the vast fantasy world of Eora full of religious disputes and old gods, and gradually gets drawn into a dispute surrounding the mysterious phenomenon called Hollowborn, which afflicts newborn children, with the game's main emphasis placed on deep writing, morally ambiguous factions, and tactical real-time combat that can be paused at any moment to issue orders to an entire party of adventurers at once.

The console port had to solve controls that were originally aimed exclusively at mouse and keyboard, which resulted in a reworked, simplified menu and a newly adapted system for selecting targets and characters for the gamepad, without significantly limiting the player's tactical options in combat. There's an enormous amount of text in the game - extensive journals, dialogue, and detailed item descriptions - so Complete Edition on PS4 will appeal especially to players who don't mind reading as a natural part of the experience, in exchange for an unusually elaborate world, history, and factional politics.

Pillars of Eternity was praised at its original PC release as a successful and credible return of the classic CRPG genre financed directly by players, and the console version allowed even people without a PC to sample this more demanding, story-focused style of play. The game is still praised today especially for its writing and elaborate system of faction reputation, even though gamepad controls remain a noticeable compromise compared to the original mouse control. For players who grew up on old isometric RPGs, it's nevertheless a rare opportunity to experience this style of play comfortably from the couch.

Why play: For players who grew up on old isometric CRPGs and will appreciate elaborate writing and a factional reputation system, even at the cost of gamepad controls remaining a noticeable compromise compared to a mouse.