An heir to the original Baldur's Gate games. If you're looking for an original, mature fantasy setting to dive into, you can't go wrong here.

What I loved:
- Compelling main plot that isn't afraid to take its time building up to its conclusion.
- The writers did a great job unpacking the central themes of the game (fate vs autonomy, how to find meaning in a chaotic world, the burdens of knowledge, the value of faith, and honestly so much more). One of the best things about the CRPG genre is that the good ones really make you think, and Pillars does that very well IMO.
- A suitably cunning but also morally grey antagonist. I never felt the writers were pushing me to come to one ethical conclusion.

What I liked:
- I enjoyed the visuals. Obviously they aren't cutting edge but the intentional throwback aesthetic does a lot to make everything still look decent in 2024.
- The gameplay is fun, I appreciate the existence of RTWP systems in a turn-based world.
- Character building is good, although I think it becomes a little saturated by the time you reach max level in certain classes. I appreciate that Obsidian brought in some original classes for their universe.

What I didn't like:
- Sound mixing was a little bit whacky at times. It's clear they used a totally different set up in recording the White March dialogue, and the mixing is jarring when new companions from that DLC speak right after an NPC from the base game.
- I really liked some companions (Eder and Aloth are my dudes!). But it is very clear who the 'core companions' are - better sidequests, their storylines are baked into the main plot, etc. The others feel like they only exist for the sake of representing their class in the party roster.
- Obsidian really drop you in at the deep end in this brand new universe/system. On the one hand, that's awesome - things aren't spoon-fed to you in massive lore dumps right from the get-go. But it can make things extremely confusing at times, while you find your footing in the world and try to figure out the skills/abilities/etc. systems. Would recommend reading a guide on builds, though it's easy to re-spec if you need to.

Overall, awesome game. Looking forward to jumping into the sequel when I press 'post review'.

One of the best games you can buy on Steam, if you like classic RPG like BG 1/2 or IWD.

If you're however coming from the mainstream like BG3 or Dragon's Age, this is quite possibly not a game for you. Unlike BG3 or DA, this game is not main stream. The developers clearly focused on making a great game, not primarily on making great fortune.

I tried to like it, I really did. I've played both the OG Fallouts and adored Obsidian's work both on New Vegas and Outer Worlds...but this game just doesn't do anything for me. It hits you like a brick at first and gives you nothing to keep you going, a bland yet enormous wall of lore and a combat system in which you can't do anything really for the first few levels...except be pummeled by enemies even on "Easy".

I tried a Chanter because it felt like a fun and unique class, but all I got was a weakling that automatically started chanting and had no other combat options or skills. There's just nothing to do but to let combat play itself. Then I got a mage companion...and no matter how I altered his grimoir, his spells kept dazing me. Ok then, I'll let him go first, daze the enemy and then I'll join...oh, wait, my companion is dead after two attacks. Fun. Maybe it gets better in higher levels or with different classes, I don't care: if the first few hours of a game are this boring I just run for a refund.