Info about Pathfinder: Kingmaker — Enhanced Plus Edition:

Official game description:
  
With the help of over 18,000 Kickstarter backers, Narrative Designer Chris Avellone and composer Inon Zur, Owlcat Games is proud to bring you the first isometric computer RPG set in the beloved Pathfinder tabletop universe. Enjoy a classic RPG experience inspired by games like Baldur's Gate, Fallout 1 and 2 and Arcanum. Explore and conquer the Stolen Lands and make them your kingdom!  
Based on our players' feedback and suggestions, this version of the game improves and builds upon the original. This edition includes:  
*   numerous gameplay-enriching content additions and dozens of quality-of-life features  
*   new abilities and ways to build your character, including a brand-new class  
*   new items and weaponry  
*   improved balance, especially in the beginning and last two chapters of the game  
*   enhanced kingdom management system, both in terms of balance as well as usability and player comfort  
*   increased variety of random encounters on the global map  
*   thousands of fixes and improvements made since the game's initial release
Explore the Stolen Lands, a region that has been contested territory for centuries: Hundreds of kingdoms have risen and fallen in these lands, and now it is time for you to make your mark—by building your own kingdom! To do so, you’ll need to survive the harsh wilderness and the threat of rival nations… as well as threats within your own court.  
Customize your character with a wide range of classes and powers including specialized archetypes, powerful arcane and divine spells, choosing from a multitude of class abilities, skills, and feats. Pathfinder allows players to create heroes (or villains) that fit both their individual gameplay styles and their personalities.  
Meet a diverse cast of companions and NPCs, including iconic characters from the Pathfinder setting itself. You’ll need to decide who to trust and who to watch carefully, as each companion has an agenda, alignment, and goals that may differ from yours. Your journey will become their journey, and you’ll help shape their lives both in the moment and well into the future.  
Conquer new regions as claim them as your own, carving your kingdom from the wilderness. While classic dungeon crawling and exploration lie at the heart of this adventure, diplomacy, politics, and kingdom development are also part of the challenge. Choose your allies well, and keep them close while exploring ancient tombs and ruins — and while dealing with politics in your own court.  
Your kingdom is a reflection of your character and your choices throughout the game. It is a living thing shaped by your alignment, your allies, and your ability to lead your people. Not only can your kingdom expand, opening up new territories and allowing you to build new towns and communities, but your capital city will physically change based on your decisions, your policies, and even whom you choose to ally with. As your kingdom grows, a number of factions and neighboring countries will come to you to seek favor—and to test your strength.  
**Explore - Conquer - Rule!**  
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is an evolution of the 3.5 rules set of the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game, designed by Paizo, Inc using the feedback of tens of thousands of gamers just like you. Whether you’re new to the Pathfinder® universe or you’re a seasoned veteran, Pathfinder: Kingmaker is the CRPG you’ve been waiting for.

Release date: Sep 25, 2018

Categories: Isometric Action-RPG, Turn-based Combat, Kingdom Management, Player Customization, Non-linear Narrative, Tactical RPG, Companion System, Dungeon Crawler


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Exceptional story and characters (weight 0.67): The game features a deeply engaging narrative with well-written main and companion storylines, praised for its originality, lore, and replayability due to meaningful choices. Players highlight the depth of characters and their development as standout elements.
- High replayability and content volume (weight 0.45): The game offers hundreds of hours of content, multiple endings, and varied gameplay experiences (e.g., solo play, party dynamics, or difficulty adjustments). Its expansive world and quests ensure high replay value.
- Polished and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.41): Despite a learning curve, the game is praised for its solid mechanics, voice acting, and graphics. Post-launch support has improved its quality, making it a rewarding experience for RPG lovers.
- Kingdom management adds depth (weight 0.32): The optional kingdom management system is praised for its creativity, immersion, and strategic depth. It blends well with the RPG elements and offers adjustable difficulty, though some players prefer to minimize it.
- Classic CRPG experience (weight 0.31): The game successfully captures the spirit of classic CRPGs like *Baldur’s Gate* and *Neverwinter Nights*, with a deep D&D-inspired ruleset, tactical combat, and rich lore. It appeals to fans of old-school RPGs.
- Pathfinder ruleset fidelity (weight 0.19): The game is lauded for its accurate adaptation of the Pathfinder 1e system, including deep mechanics, lore, and tactical combat. It resonates strongly with tabletop RPG fans.
- Rich companion stories (weight 0.19): Companions are well-developed with unique quests, personalities, and storylines that react to player choices. Many are memorable and add emotional depth to the narrative.

Common complaints:
- Unintuitive and Poorly Explained Mechanics (weight 0.74): The game fails to explain core mechanics (e.g., Pathfinder rules, kingdom management, combat systems) clearly, leading to frustration for new players. Tutorials and tooltips are either missing or inadequate, making the learning curve steep and inaccessible.
- Poor Quest and Encounter Design (weight 0.7): Quests are often poorly explained, bugged, or designed with unfair mechanics (e.g., hidden timers, misleading objectives). Encounters lack variety, require excessive save-scumming, or feel like they were designed to frustrate rather than challenge.
- Repetitive and Unbalanced Combat (weight 0.6): Combat encounters are repetitive, overly punishing, or poorly balanced, especially in later stages. Mechanics like excessive crowd control, high miss rates, and unfair enemy stats make battles tedious and frustrating rather than engaging.
- Severe Difficulty Spikes (weight 0.54): The game features inconsistent and often unfair difficulty spikes, particularly in early and late-game chapters. These spikes are exacerbated by poor enemy design, RNG mechanics, and lack of scaling, making progression feel punishing and arbitrary.
- Kingdom Management Overwhelming (weight 0.5): Players consistently report that the kingdom management system is poorly explained, punishing, and overly complex. It disrupts gameplay flow, adds unnecessary stress, and feels like a poorly implemented strategy mini-game rather than an engaging feature.
- Frustrating Timed Quests (weight 0.31): Timed quests with hidden or poorly communicated deadlines force rushed gameplay and can lead to game-over scenarios. Players feel stressed and penalized for exploring or prioritizing other activities, disrupting immersion and freedom.
- Game-Breaking Bugs and Performance Issues (weight 0.16): Frequent crashes, save file corruption, and performance problems (e.g., frame drops, stuttering) severely hinder gameplay. These technical issues persist even after patches, leading to lost progress and frustration.
- Unreliable Save System (weight 0.11): The save system is unreliable, with autosaves overwriting single files and failing to account for critical events. This leads to lost progress, softlocks, and frustration, especially for players who forget to manually save.
- Railroading and Locked Content (weight 0.08): Players feel railroaded by the game's design, with decisions locking them out of content or forcing unwanted plot points. The alignment system and mid-game choices can corner players into unsatisfying or emotionally taxing outcomes.
- Overwhelming Status Effects and Mechanics (weight 0.08): The game features an excessive number of status effects, debuffs, and mechanics (e.g., encumbrance, fatigue) that are poorly explained and persist unnecessarily. These systems add frustration rather than depth.

Gameplay feedback:
- Turn-based combat core (weight 0.51): The game prominently features turn-based combat inspired by Pathfinder and D&D rulesets, including dice rolls, tactical mechanics, and deep strategic elements like AC, feats, and spells. This system is central to gameplay, with options for real-time with pause modes.
- Difficulty customization options (weight 0.24): The game offers granular difficulty settings (e.g., Unfair, Core, Daring) that adjust enemy strength, encounter frequency, and scaling. This caters to both casual and hardcore players.
- Challenging combat encounters (weight 0.23): Combat is designed to be strategic and difficult, with enemies requiring advanced knowledge of weaknesses, tactical planning, and understanding of Pathfinder mechanics (e.g., AC, saving throws).
- Alignment-driven storytelling (weight 0.17): The alignment system (lawful/chaotic, good/evil) influences dialogue options, quest outcomes, and unlockable choices, creating roleplaying restrictions and narrative consequences.
- Timed main quests (weight 0.16): The main story includes chapter-based progression with time limits, forcing players to balance kingdom management, exploration, and quest completion within constraints. Consequences for failure are severe.
- Non-linear branching story (weight 0.16): The game features a non-linear plot with multiple endings, unique character arcs, and decision-based consequences. Choices shape the world, relationships, and story progression.
- Exploration and dungeon crawling (weight 0.16): Exploration is a core mechanic, with dungeon crawling, ration management, and world map travel. Fast travel is unlocked late, and quests often require revisiting areas later.
- Companion interactions and roles (weight 0.12): Companions have unique quests, interactions, and roles (e.g., tank, healer, DPS). Players can manage their skills, auto-level them, or recruit up to 5 companions for party composition.
- Dialogue and skill checks (weight 0.11): Dialogue choices and skill checks (e.g., persuasion, knowledge) significantly impact encounters and story outcomes. Some scenes are unskippable, emphasizing narrative depth.
- Resting and travel mechanics (weight 0.08): Resting mechanics (e.g., time cost, fatigue) and world map movement are tied to resource management. Players must balance health recovery, resurrection risks, and caravan travel.
- Story-driven narrative depth (weight 0.08): The game emphasizes a rich, lore-heavy narrative with deep storytelling, character-driven arcs, and a structured campaign. The story is central to the experience.
- Random and scripted encounters (weight 0.08): The game blends random encounters (e.g., traders, high-difficulty enemies) with scripted events. Some encounters feature invisible enemies or party-specific discoveries.

Performance notes:
- Poor optimization across hardware (weight 0.12): The game suffers from frame drops, stuttering, and inconsistent performance even on high-end systems (e.g., RTX 4070 Ti, Ryzen 7 7700X). Performance is poorly balanced regardless of PC power.
- Excessive loading times (weight 0.08): Players experience long loading times for areas, save games, and frequent loading screens, which disrupts immersion and gameplay flow.
- Performance drops in combat (weight 0.05): Severe FPS drops occur during combat, particularly in the final chapter, with some players reporting drops to as low as 8 FPS. Over-encumbering and excess enemies also exacerbate performance issues.
- Minor bugs and glitches (weight 0.04): While not game-breaking, minor bugs such as NPC spawning issues, quest flags not triggering, and staff recharge mechanics persist, affecting immersion.
- Audio and stuttering issues (weight 0.03): Players report audio stutters and frame drops after prolonged play sessions, which degrade the overall experience and require restarts to mitigate.
- Platform-specific bugs (weight 0.03): Critical bugs affect specific platforms, such as kingdom management issues on Linux and compatibility problems with the Steam Deck in kingdom mode.
- Hardware overheating concerns (weight 0.02): Players report unusually high temperatures during gameplay, with some experiencing clean PC shutdowns despite no apparent hardware fatigue.
- Improved stability in updates (weight 0.01): The Enhanced Plus Edition has addressed some stability and bug issues, indicating that patches can mitigate problems over time.

Recommendations:
- Not for casual or beginner players (weight 0.42): The game is explicitly not recommended for beginners, casual players, or those unfamiliar with D&D/Pathfinder rules. It requires patience, research, and tolerance for complexity.
- Ideal for hardcore CRPG fans (weight 0.4): The game is repeatedly recommended for fans of classic CRPGs, deep storytelling, tactical combat, and complex mechanics. It appeals to players who enjoy mastering systems and investing significant time.
- Tactical combat focus (weight 0.37): Combat is highlighted as tactical and rewarding, with recommendations to use buffs, scrolls, and careful planning (e.g., turn-based mode) for optimal play.
- Guides and research required (weight 0.37): Players are advised to read guides, consult wikis, or research mechanics (e.g., character builds, camping skills) to overcome challenges or avoid frustration.
- Recommended with caveats (weight 0.27): Many reviews suggest the game is worth playing but only under specific conditions, such as on sale, with mods, or after adjusting difficulty settings. Some recommend it despite flaws.
- Mods enhance experience (weight 0.13): Mods like 'Bag of Tricks' or general QoL improvements are frequently recommended to address bugs, balance issues, or enhance gameplay.
- Avoid DLC and late-game content (weight 0.13): The DLC and later chapters (e.g., Pitax, Nyrissa's dungeon) are criticized for poor design, bugs, or pacing issues, with some suggesting to skip them entirely.
- Disappointing ending (weight 0.12): The game's ending is criticized as frustrating or disappointing, with some players suggesting to stop before the final act or watch the ending online.
- Superior sequel recommendation (weight 0.1): Several reviews suggest playing *Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous* instead due to fewer bugs, better pacing, or an overall improved experience. Some consider this game a precursor to the sequel.
- Adjust difficulty for accessibility (weight 0.08): Players are advised to lower difficulty settings, especially for story-focused experiences or to mitigate frustration with combat or kingdom management.
- Kingdom management challenges (weight 0.06): Kingdom management is highlighted as a pain point, with recommendations to disable it on subsequent playthroughs or use auto-mode cautiously to avoid frustration.
- Frequent saving advised (weight 0.05): Due to bugs, crashes, or unexpected encounters, players are repeatedly advised to save frequently to avoid losing progress or getting stuck.
- Optimized for PC, not consoles (weight 0.02): The game is noted for poor console performance, with some reviews suggesting it contributed to abandoning the console market. PC is the recommended platform.

Other player notes:
- Frequent comparisons to other CRPGs (weight 0.03): Players often compare the game to other titles in the genre, such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Wrath of the Righteous, calling it a 'downright classic.' This suggests high expectations and benchmarking against established games.
- Lack of non-English localization (weight 0.03): Multiple players protest the absence of Spanish or other language localizations, noting the game is only available in English. This limits accessibility for non-English speakers.
- Extended playtime noted (weight 0.01): Players report long playthroughs, such as 260 hours, suggesting deep content and high replayability or engagement with the game’s mechanics.
- Unique romantic encounter praised (weight 0.01): A specific romantic interaction with a Nymph is highlighted as a memorable or standout feature, indicating player engagement with narrative elements.
- Cultural references in feedback (weight 0.01): Some reviews include cultural analogies (e.g., durian vs. cherry) to describe their experience, adding a unique but niche perspective to the feedback.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.36): Players experience frustration primarily due to technical issues (crashes, bugs, save corruption) and poorly designed mechanics. Key pain points include repetitive or unbalanced combat (e.g., high miss rates, unfair dice rolls), tedious kingdom management, and unclear or unintuitive systems (e.g., spellcasting, time limits, lack of tutorials). The final dungeon and late-game encounters are frequently cited as overly difficult or poorly balanced, exacerbating frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Disappointment stems from the game failing to meet expectations set by its potential or comparisons to other RPGs. Players highlight unresolved bugs, lack of polish, and design choices that break immersion (e.g., unfair mechanics, abrupt endings, or poorly written quests). The contrast between enjoyable early-game content and frustrating late-game design (e.g., Acts 4/5) or kingdom management often amplifies this emotion.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Satisfaction arises from the game's depth, strategic combat, and rewarding character customization. Players appreciate overcoming challenges through creative builds, tactical planning, or mastering complex systems (e.g., kingdom management). The sense of accomplishment from earned victories, impactful decisions, and the game's rich narrative or replayability contributes to this positive emotion.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Enjoyment is driven by the game's engaging story, well-written companions, and immersive world-building. Players highlight the variety in gameplay (e.g., exploration, quest design) and the faithful adaptation of Pathfinder's tabletop rules. The flexibility in character progression, fun combat mechanics, and the overall sense of adventure make the experience enjoyable despite flaws.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement is sparked by the game's depth, strategic depth, and the thrill of discovering optimized builds or overcoming difficult encounters. Players express enthusiasm for the immersive storytelling, epic combats, and the anticipation of replaying or exploring sequels. The initial character creation and the game's ability to evoke a genuine tabletop-like campaign also contribute to this emotion.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the game's ambition, effort, and faithfulness to classic CRPGs. Key aspects include the rich lore, deep roleplaying mechanics, high-quality voice acting, and the sheer volume of content. The game's post-launch support, modding community, and its ability to rekindle passion for the RPG genre are also frequently praised.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): Nostalgia is evoked by the game's resemblance to classic CRPGs like *Baldur's Gate* or *Neverwinter Nights*. Players highlight the throwback to early 2000s RPG design, the immersive storytelling, and the comfort of familiar mechanics. The soundtrack and replayability also contribute to this emotional connection.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is directed at anti-player design choices, such as unfair time limits, punishing difficulty spikes, or kingdom management mechanics that feel like a chore. Players express frustration over wasted time, game-breaking bugs, or vindictive mechanics (e.g., Wild Hunt enemies summoning reinforcements), which can lead to destructive reactions like smashing keyboards.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Relief is felt when players discover workarounds for the game's challenges, such as automating kingdom management, lowering difficulty, or using mods. Completing the game despite its flaws or finding ways to bypass impossible fights (e.g., stealth mechanics) also provides a sense of release.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm stems from the game's modern take on classic CRPGs, its deep D&D-inspired mechanics, and the engaging storytelling. Players recommend the game for its world-building, mod support, and the sense of immersion it provides, often describing it as a must-play for RPG fans.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion is achieved through the game's richly detailed world, atmospheric music, and engaging narrative. Players describe feeling like they are part of a live-action fantasy book, with the kingdom management and adventure aspects contributing to a deeply immersive experience.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust is directed at poorly designed mechanics, such as the encouragement of save-scumming, overly complex Pathfinder rules, or the final dungeon's frustrating design. Players also express distaste for repetitive or tedious gameplay elements, like excessive map running or resting mechanics.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is inspired by the game's impact on the RPG genre, its sheer depth, and the brilliance of its design. Players respect the complexity of the alignment system, the volume of content, and the game's ability to deliver a rich, rewarding experience despite its flaws.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement arises from humorous or creative moments, such as overcoming atrocious dice rolls, transforming bosses into animals, or experimenting with unconventional character builds (e.g., a longbow-wielding cleric). Players also find humor in the game's quirks, like companion interactions or kingdom management.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by repetitive or poorly designed gameplay elements, such as artificial time pressure, missable companions, or buggy quests. Kingdom management can also feel like a time sink, and the lack of guidance for timed events or mechanics contributes to this frustration.
- Exhaustion (weight 0.01): Exhaustion is felt during the game's later stages, particularly due to the overwhelming number of kingdom tasks or the tediousness of endgame combat. Players describe the 100+ hour experience as an 'endurance test,' with the final chapters feeling particularly draining.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by the game's deep mechanics, meaningful decisions, and well-written stories. Once players understand the basics, kingdom management can become engaging, and the tactical combat or character progression systems keep them invested in the experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stems from unclear mechanics, lack of intuitive descriptions, or unexpected difficulty spikes (e.g., overleveled enemies in early areas). Players also report technical issues, like unexplained PC shutdowns, which add to the sense of disorientation.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love is expressed for the game's story, music, creativity, and deep systems. Players appreciate the combat, kingdom management, and the overall experience, often describing the first 95% of the game as emotionally resonant and rewarding.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom arises from repetitive gameplay, shallow companions, or pacing issues. Players describe the kingdom-building aspect as tiresome over time, and the lack of engaging side content or meaningful exploration can make the experience feel monotonous.}