Pillars of Eternity Nintendo Switch Review - MMORPG.com

System · August 2019

Pillars of Eternity Nintendo Switch Review - MMORPG.com

Over four years after its initial release, as well as the release of a sequel, Pillars of Eternity has made its way to the Nintendo Switch. Exploding from its beginnings as a Kickstarter campaign, every release so far has been a success. With a lot of ports to the Switch being hit or miss due to the constraints of the console, Pillars of Eternity has a lot to pack into a small package. Including the mountain of backstory and systems from this colossal game, along with the conversion of PC controls to the console, able to go with you to all the Nintendo rooftop parties you can handle may be too good to be true. Let’s find out if it is with our review of Pillars of Eternity on the Nintendo Switch.

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ScottJeslis · August 2019

William thanks for mention dialog readability in undocked mode. Always a concern for my aged eyes :-)

urinal_goose · August 2019

I hope this game does well and sparks a renewed interest in POE2, which is even better but didn't sell as well due to inadequate marketing. But if you like this game and you haven't played POE2, it's a must play after you finish this one.

BillMurphy · August 2019

I dig that it has the chill story-mode too. To me, POE1's downfall was its somewhat slipshod combat. 2 improved it a lot. Story-mode means I can just focus on the characters and the narrative on handheld, and not get hamstrung when I hit a fight that makes me want to rage.

JeffSpicoli · August 2019

BillMurphy said:

I dig that it has the chill story-mode too. To me, POE1's downfall was its somewhat slipshod combat. 2 improved it a lot. Story-mode means I can just focus on the characters and the narrative on handheld, and not get hamstrung when I hit a fight that makes me want to rage.

O look who's back ! Its the CEO of critical hit consulting

BillMurphy

urinal_goose · August 2019

Torval said:

urinal_goose said:

I hope this game does well and sparks a renewed interest in POE2, which is even better but didn't sell as well due to inadequate marketing. But if you like this game and you haven't played POE2, it's a must play after you finish this one.

It didn't sell well due to bad marketing. It sold poorly because PoE is way overrated and not a very good game. PoE2 promises more of the same sort of fan service design. This is what happens when the hype machine oversells games instead of letting them find their own popularity. Anemic marketing didn't keep games like Factorio or Subnautica down because they sold themselves on their quality.

That's a lot of words for "I didn't like this game." Are you aware that opinion is not objective fact? If you are, your prose certainly doesn't suggest it.

I'm a huge fan of the first game and I did not even hear about POE2 until about 6 months after its release, and I spend (too much) time on RPG sites. Take a look at the projecteternity subreddit and you'll find a noticeable number of people who liked POE and somehow missed POE2's release. If that's not bad marketing, then I'm not sure what is.

On a side note, I'm not sure why you regard fan service as a bad thing. Isn't that the point of a game--to please fans of the genre?

Scot · August 2019

I thought PoE was a superb game, not played the second one yet though, but I will of course be playing it on the PC.

BeansnBread · August 2019

I've played 15 hours of creating characters in Poe2.

MauroDiogo · August 2019

I honestly don't know why they don't add touchscreen capabilities to some games since the Switch itself was designed with our tablet-centric era in mind.

A game like POE would benefit from it so damn much!
Even on a PC it'd be heavenly. Being able to just straight up clicking skills/where to go/pause/unpause in real time and unaided by a mouse!

urinal_goose · August 2019

Gorwe said:

urinal_goose said:

Torval said:

urinal_goose said:

I hope this game does well and sparks a renewed interest in POE2, which is even better but didn't sell as well due to inadequate marketing. But if you like this game and you haven't played POE2, it's a must play after you finish this one.

It didn't sell well due to bad marketing. It sold poorly because PoE is way overrated and not a very good game. PoE2 promises more of the same sort of fan service design. This is what happens when the hype machine oversells games instead of letting them find their own popularity. Anemic marketing didn't keep games like Factorio or Subnautica down because they sold themselves on their quality.

That's a lot of words for "I didn't like this game." Are you aware that opinion is not objective fact? If you are, your prose certainly doesn't suggest it.

I'm a huge fan of the first game and I did not even hear about POE2 until about 6 months after its release, and I spend (too much) time on RPG sites. Take a look at the projecteternity subreddit and you'll find a noticeable number of people who liked POE and somehow missed POE2's release. If that's not bad marketing, then I'm not sure what is.

On a side note, I'm not sure why you regard fan service as a bad thing. Isn't that the point of a game--to please fans of the genre?

Torval is right though. Pillars are rather uncreative and when they did get a chance to shine with that creativity, they simply turned it into lewd jokes + Time of Troubles. Which is not creative at all.

They've got a rather good combat and surrounding systems(even if a bit boring), but apart from those? Yeah, it's literally a DnD game without an actual DnD license. I've got a perfect simile:

It's like you use old Arsenal crest and color combinations and don't call them "Arsenal FC", but "Dial Square (FC)". Just makes you look like you're missing a license, don't it?

You did the same thing as Torval did, lol. You expressed an opinion as though it was fact.

Shishie_Swaggins · August 2019

ScottJeslis said:

William thanks for mention dialog readability in undocked mode. Always a concern for my aged eyes :-)

I'm right there with ya lol....readability is becoming a major concern as the years go by.

angerbeaver · August 2019

I played POE, POE2, BG, BGII, IWD, IWD, NWN2, D:OS, D:OS2, Sword Coast Legends, and Pathfinder: kingmaker. The BG series was my favorite but that is followed by POE. I think POE blows POE2 out of the water (pun intended with water).

I didn't even hear about POE2 until I heard a streamer mention it earlier this year and decided I would buy it the next time it was on sale. I'll still play through it several times for the achievements but at this point it has been nowhere as fun as POE to me.

I don't have a Switch, but definitely suggesting this game to my stepsisters bf to play through. It would be his first of the genre.

Ozmodan · August 2019

The thing that killed the game for me, you have to completely finish an area to move on. Nothing more frustrating to miss something and be stuck in an area. That is a game breaking issue for me. That is a horrible design decision.

As to the Nintendo Switch, it is just a cheap console that is overpriced and breaks easily.

Iselin · August 2019

I've always liked these types of party based CRPGs with the more strategic pause and issue orders mechanics and sometimes, good companion AI with "If... then..." companion programming options.

I love the fact that there has been a mini revival of the genre in recent years and I buy most of them. POE is OK but personally of the new crop I liked D:OS and D:OS 2 much better.

Funny thing is that just this past week I've been re-playing an ancient game that IMO is the best one of them all but hardly ever gets mentioned in these discussions probably because they took the series in a different direction after the 1st one... Dragon Age Origins.

If you like these types of games and haven't played that one ever or in a while do yourself a favor and play it. You'll see just how well these games can be done.

Talraekk · August 2019

I didn't read too much of the comments but as to the game itself. PC wise. A very good successor to the Baldur's Gate series. Going back to play Baldur's Gate is actually difficult with the advanced pathfinding and options the new age has brought us, to me, even though I still believe the games themselves outshine even these gems.
I don't have much to say on the Switch version itself, but I feel the need to inject a few comments about the game (and its successor) due to some comments. A very good game hampered (I think) by a DR system that looks good on paper but folds somewhat in game. Story was a good and bad mix. The best of its genre since Baldur's Gate and it's Ilk though. Pillars of Eternity 2 does nearly everything better (but in my opinion) is a worse game.

Mythla · August 2019

Torval said:

urinal_goose said:

I hope this game does well and sparks a renewed interest in POE2, which is even better but didn't sell as well due to inadequate marketing. But if you like this game and you haven't played POE2, it's a must play after you finish this one.

It didn't sell well due to bad marketing. It sold poorly because PoE is way overrated and not a very good game. PoE2 promises more of the same sort of fan service design. This is what happens when the hype machine oversells games instead of letting them find their own popularity. Anemic marketing didn't keep games like Factorio or Subnautica down because they sold themselves on their quality.

Man, it's sad how bitter people can be toward a game they don't like. It's OK, bud, you don't have to like it! Even if everybody else does! When a game has 70 positive reviews on Metacritic, 0 negative, and only 1 mixed, it isn't the product of a "hype machine." It is an excellent game. PoE is NOT for everyone. Its methodical pacing can definitely be a sticking point with today's younger ADHD generation. It is a slow burn for RPG fans. It's also hard to engage with if you don't like reading. Aside from the reading and lack of fast-paced action, what exactly is it missing that this "hype train" had you looking forward to? World building, character progression, and freedom in creating your party/build (you know, the core tenets of RPGs) are all 2nd to none. I'm genuinely curious what someone who reads articles on MMORPG wants from an RPG that PoE doesn't deliver?

jonp200 · August 2019

Thanks for this review. The game was fantastic but I had questions about how it would translate to the Switch. Now thy have been answered!

Iselin · August 2019

Gorwe said:

Mythla said:

Torval said:

urinal_goose said:

I hope this game does well and sparks a renewed interest in POE2, which is even better but didn't sell as well due to inadequate marketing. But if you like this game and you haven't played POE2, it's a must play after you finish this one.

It didn't sell well due to bad marketing. It sold poorly because PoE is way overrated and not a very good game. PoE2 promises more of the same sort of fan service design. This is what happens when the hype machine oversells games instead of letting them find their own popularity. Anemic marketing didn't keep games like Factorio or Subnautica down because they sold themselves on their quality.

Man, it's sad how bitter people can be toward a game they don't like. It's OK, bud, you don't have to like it! Even if everybody else does! When a game has 70 positive reviews on Metacritic, 0 negative, and only 1 mixed, it isn't the product of a "hype machine." It is an excellent game. PoE is NOT for everyone. Its methodical pacing can definitely be a sticking point with today's younger ADHD generation. It is a slow burn for RPG fans. It's also hard to engage with if you don't like reading. Aside from the reading and lack of fast-paced action, what exactly is it missing that this "hype train" had you looking forward to? World building, character progression, and freedom in creating your party/build (you know, the core tenets of RPGs) are all 2nd to none. I'm genuinely curious what someone who reads articles on MMORPG wants from an RPG that PoE doesn't deliver?

Besides a lot of systems being average at best as well as very obtuse, the game's missing one KEY INGREDIENT:

FUN.

Ok, that's subjective, it's missing this keystone as well:

DRIVE.

You know the moment when the game yanks you and you can't let go until you're finished? That sounded dirty. Anyhow, that moment's almost completely absent in PoE. Sure, end of Act 2(I believe ; after the courtroom etc) gives you one, but the game kills it almost immediately once you reach Twin Oaks.

It also bit quite more than it can chew. Striving to be Baldur's Gate AND Icewind Dale AND Planescape all in one is...a troubling prospect. Especially once you realize that ID and PS:T approaches basically nullify eachother.

A lot of these types of games miss on fun by over-complicating systems. The great games strike the right balance between the two. IMO Bioware itself did it with NWN when you advance enough and it becomes a mess of counters and counter counters and even more counter counter counters... it gets tedious. I think PoE and D:OS both suffer some from that.

I already mentioned that I'm currently having fun re-playing Dragon Age Origins. I like that one much better simply because they are closer to striking that balance than most other CRPGs.

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