Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Review (PS5)

Take me down to D&D city, where the characters are buffed, and the rolls are pretty… satisfying. Pathfinder became one of the most popular tabletop RPGs in the world, so a videogame adaptation was inevitable. Just as the classical rock song, Paradise City, awakens nostalgia in many, so did Kingmaker among those looking to roll the perfect 20. Although far from flawless, the first game was successful enough to grant a sequel, Wrath of the Righteous. Does it manage to carve a path in the hall of fame?

The first Pathfinder released in 2018 had a lasting effect on the fans of RPGs thanks to its systems and gameplay that rekindled the flame that engulfed our hearts while playing the classics of the genre. Kingmaker had just as many shortcomings as it had homeruns, beyond the countless bugs, people mainly complaining about the storytelling, or better said the lack of it. Taking to heart the feedback coming from the community, the developers promised to fix all the shortcomings in a sequel.

Wrath of the Righteous is the best proof, that listening to your players pays-off. The new game builds on the foundation of Kingmaker, but does many things differently, better. It feels from the get-go like a fully developed game, not just an admirable foraging expedition in the world of RPG rules and game mechanics. The evolution is undeniable, thanks to the improved balance found by the developers from Owlcat Games.

It all starts with your hero being carried inside the safe haven of Kenabres, more dead than alive. After being patched up by a dragon and taking part in some merry festivities, pending further scrutiny, the story seems to steer you towards a milder beginning. But since there ain’t no rest for the wicked, and heroism doesn’t grow on a tree, a surprise attack of a demon lord throws everything into chaos, offering our hero the chance to embrace their heritage. Just like creating the background of your main character, you will also have to decide their present and future.

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Wrath of the Righteous is an epic tale with countless plot twists, numerous characters and no straight roads. It’s up to you as the player to decide how good or evil you want to be. The only set goal is to avoid doom and preserve the world, but you can opt for saving or enslaving it. Unlike Kingmaker, in this second part the story is an important part of the game, the developers trying to mix together humor with heavier topics. Although not without hiccups, it is very satisfying and light years away from the previous campaign.

The game system itself was revised as well and got bulkier, catering for the whims of a larger group of RPG afficionados. This becomes obvious from the moment you begin building your character: you can choose now from 25 main character classes, each split up in several archetypes. You can mix and match almost freely until you find the avatar that best represents you and your playstyle. And, to make happy even the pickiest, you will be able to unlock no less than 13 prestige classes, each with different specializations.

On top of all this you will have the chance to walk along a chosen Mythic Path, in order to evolve into a legendary creature. Beyond the usual suspects, like angel or demon, playing your cards right can lead to becoming a golden dragon or even a lich. Of course, unlocking these legendary statuses, you have to meet numerous conditions, that will challenge even those who are familiar with the Pathfinder ruleset.

Thankfully the user experience of the game is much better as well, offering all the necessary details for those who have the patience to go through all the documentation included in the game. The interface is also much more detailed and offers all the info the player needs. The fans of the genre will be happy to hear that the character creation process can take up to a couple of hours. At the same time that means that the novices will have a hard time figuring out how to roll a functioning build.

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To balance this aspect, the developers included several difficulty levels, up to custom rules, ensuring that even those wet behind the ears will have a chance to feel like heroes or arch villains, deciding the fate of the game world. These features are especially welcome since beyond adventuring on your own, you will also have to lead the fifth crusade against the demons. You will have to manage generals, command armies on a map, build and upgrade fortresses and make tactical decisions in large scale battles.  

By far, the most notable and most welcomed new feature is the turn-based battle system, that fixes the chaos and mayhem of the real-time approach. Finally, you have time to take decisions and use the party tactics to get the upper hand in any combat situation. Having the possibility to freely switch between the two also means that you don’t have to trouble yourself with minor clashes, you can focus on the big ones.

We already talked a bit about the new interface, but make no mistake, Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous is a huge game, extremely rich in content that can be hard to navigate even by experienced players. It is like a heavy meal that you need a long time to digest. There are also a few questionable design choices like the inventory system that is clumsy at best, the weight limit that can be circumvented and the control scheme chosen for the console version that is over complicated for no good reason.

The graphics evolved as well, and Wrath of the Righteous is easy on the eye. The menus and static visual items could have benefited from more attention, but the game world looks convincing, together with the animations and the FX. The soundtrack remained just as catchy as it was in Kingmaker and fits the atmosphere of the game completely. An extra point goes for the developers for voicing many of the secondary dialogues, not just the ones related to the main story.

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The Good

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