Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition

complex cRPG with intricate character management and advancement, intricate story

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is an enormous, ambitious CRPG that rewards curiosity, patience and a willingness to learn. It has some of the deepest character-building I've encountered, fantastic companions and an epic story — but also a few systems that made me question whether the developers were trying to make one game or five. In the end, Wrath of the Righteous is a massive, complicated and occasionally frustrating RPG — but also one that manages to deliver something genuinely special. It has more character-building options than I knew what to do with, a fantastic story, memorable companions and enough content to keep you busy for well over 100 hours. Some systems annoyed me, some confused me, and the Crusade nearly made me question my life choices. But despite all of that, I had a damn good time. And somewhere along the way, my Demon Bloodrager stopped being just another character and became my character. Halvar Rödskägg. ---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Showing its age ☐ Looks better after 100 hours ☐ MS-DOS Good graphics, but nothing spectacular. The game relies more on its content than visual fidelity. ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Decent ☑ Very good ☐ Excellent ☐ Has achieved Mythic Rank 10 Excellent RPG mechanics, tactical combat and character progression. Some systems interrupt the flow, but the core gameplay is very good. ---{ Character Creation }--- ☐ Pick a class and go ☐ A few meaningful choices ☐ Deep ☑ Ridiculously deep ☐ I know exactly what I'm doing ☐ I need to consult the Council of Elders An enormous amount of freedom. Respeccing makes experimentation easy, but figuring out which choices are actually good is another matter. ---{ Classes & Builds }--- ☐ Simple ☐ Plenty of options ☐ Deep ☑ Some classes have a ridiculous number of choices ☐ I know exactly what I'm doing ☐ I accidentally enrolled in Pathfinder University Some classes throw an absurd number of feats, abilities and archetypes at you. Great for theorycrafting, slightly terrifying for everyone else. ---{ Multiclassing }--- ☐ Not really necessary ☐ A few interesting combinations ☐ Useful ☑ Extremely interesting ☐ Completely overwhelming ☐ I started planning a build and woke up three hours later Multiclassing opens up an enormous number of possibilities. Fascinating, powerful and absolutely gigantic. ---{ Difficulty }--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☑ Difficult ☐ Very difficult ☐ The demons have read the rulebook Difficult even for an experienced gamer. Understanding resistances, AC, saves, buffs and debuffs is often more important than traditional gaming skill. ---{ Pathfinder Nerdiness }--- ☐ Casual gamer ☐ Experienced RPG player ☑ RPG enthusiast ☐ Pathfinder expert ☐ Has the Core Rulebook tattooed on their back You don't need to master every system, and crafting or potion-making can mostly be ignored. But understanding the basic Pathfinder rules makes a huge difference. ---{ Combat }--- ☐ Click until something dies ☐ Tactical ☑ Highly tactical ☐ Mostly mathematics ☐ I live in the combat log Preparation and understanding your party matter enormously. Once the systems click, beating a difficult enemy is genuinely satisfying. ---{ Story }--- ☐ Barely there ☐ Some lore ☐ Decent ☑ Very good ☐ Excellent ☐ I am now personally responsible for saving the world An epic story involving demons, angels, gods and mythic powers. Your character becomes increasingly important to the world around them. ---{ Mythic Paths }--- ☐ Minor character upgrade ☐ Nice addition ☑ Major part of the game ☐ Completely transforms everything ☐ I became a god ☐ I have transcended the character sheet Mythic Paths make characters feel unique and give the game huge replayability. ---{ Companions }--- ☐ Mostly forgettable ☐ They're alright ☐ Very good ☑ Excellent ☐ I would die for these fictional people Strong personalities, individual stories and plenty of memorable characters. They're much more than extra combat slots. ---{ Weapons }--- ☐ Plenty of upgrades ☐ Good variety ☑ Too few useful weapons ☐ I always found something suitable ☐ My build got what it deserved My biggest loot frustration. You can specialize in a weapon type and then go far too long without finding a good upgrade. ---{ Rest & Fatigue }--- ☐ Never an issue ☐ Adds atmosphere ☐ Fine for an RPG ☑ Frustrating ☐ Tabletop immersion ☐ My legendary heroes need their afternoon nap Having to rest is understandable. Having fatigue force you back to a city just to recover feels more like an errand than gameplay. ---{ Crafting & Potions }--- ☐ Essential ☐ Important ☑ Mostly optional ☐ Useful ☐ I crafted everything ☐ My party operates a pharmaceutical company Thankfully, you can largely ignore crafting and potion-making. I never felt forced to become a medieval pharmacist. ---{ Crusade }--- ☐ Loved it ☐ Enjoyed it ☐ It's okay ☐ Tolerable ☑ Hated it ☐ I came here to play a strategy game Easily my least favourite part. If I want to play a strategy game, I want to play a good one — thankfully, the computer can take over. ---{ Exploration }--- ☐ Small and focused ☐ Linear ☐ Decent ☑ Huge ☐ Practically endless ☐ "I'll just check this one room" Huge areas packed with secrets, encounters and side content. It's very easy to forget what you were actually supposed to be doing. ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I am now deaf Great atmosphere and a soundtrack that fits the epic scale of the game. ---{ Game Size }--- ☐ Floppy Disk ☐ Old Fashioned ☐ Workable ☑ Absolutely massive ☐ Requires a second hard drive ☐ Requires its own plane of existence An enormous amount of content, systems and possible builds. There is enough here for several games. ---{ Game Time }--- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☐ Short ☐ Average ☑ Very long ☐ Ridiculously long ☐ "I'll finish it this weekend" A serious time investment. The length is impressive, although it makes the weaker systems harder to ignore. ---{ Replayability }--- ☐ None ☐ Limited ☐ Decent ☑ Huge ☐ Practically infinite ☐ If only I had the strength to do it again Different Mythic Paths, builds, companions and choices give it enormous replayability. **Replayability: excellent. Motivation to replay: questionable.** ---{ Bugs }--- ☐ Never heard of ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Noticeable ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved ☐ The bugs have their own Mythic Path Some minor bugs and occasional weirdness, but nothing that ruined the experience. ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run Paint ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ High tech ☐ Ask NASA ☐ Summon a Lich to upgrade your PC ---{ Rating }--- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☐ 7 ☑ 8.5 ☐ 9 ☐ 10