Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous Review

If you’re looking for an RPG to take up weeks, possibly even months of your time, then developer Owlcat Games may have something for you! Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is an incredibly in-depth title that has an almost overwhelming amount of mechanics to learn. But is this a game that is worth taking the time to understand and invest countless hours into, or is it best to find a different path to take?

Although the game is technically a sequel to 2018’s Pathfinder: Kingmaker, you can go into the latest title without having played the first one. They are set in the same universe however, so returning players may recognise some terminology and names, but — having not played the first one — I didn’t feel like I missed out on any vital story beats.

Taking place in the nation of Mendev, a mysterious portal has opened, granting demons the ability to enter the mortal world. Almost immediately after the adventure begins, your player character is thrust into the ransacking of a city, narrowly escaping the demon onslaught. As it so happens, your character discovers latent mythical powers and uses them to drive back the otherworldly attackers; thus beginning the real adventure!

There is a lot that happens throughout the main story, and though the occasional conversation or plot point can drag on, overall it’s a well-told tale that helps keep players wanting to progress (that is, if they can tear themselves away from the multitude of sidequests!) whilst giving them the freedom to choose how they want the story to unfold.

Something I really liked was the ability to open a glossary during dialogue. If a word is highlighted in purple, a simple press of a button will give you an overview of who, or what, the word in question is referring to, giving you a better understanding of the world you’re inhabiting.

Whilst the game is bright and colourful, with a medieval fantasy aesthetic that — while not exactly original — has its own charm (aside from a few low quality textures), the game falls short on the technical side. Numerous slowdowns occurred during my playthrough, even during quieter moments with little to no action on screen. Certain textures could take upwards of 10 seconds to load in — with character armour being the biggest offender — making zoomed-in cutscenes look really poor quality.

Sound on the other hand was much more of a positive point. Whilst not every line of dialogue is voiced (the majority of the main story and side quests are) those that do have wonderful voice recordings from a range of actors that really play up to the setting of the game. Similarly, the musical score is excellent, once again fitting in with the themes presented throughout.

Right from the start, Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous gives players a wide range of menus to navigate through in order to adjust settings and create their character. Difficulty settings are abundant and fully adjustable, so those new to the genre will feel just as comfortable as those that crave a challenge. After this comes character creation; perhaps the most difficult task in the game. It’s an absurdly intricate set of menus that let players choose from one of over twenty different classes, fine-tuning their abilities and the like as they proceed. It took me almost 40 minutes to finalise my character simply because I was so spoilt for choice.

Whether you choose a halfling alchemist, an elven monk, or any number of other potential characters, it will eventually be time to get stuck into the actual gameplay. If you’ve ever played titles such as Divinity: Original Sin, or any of the Baldur’s Gate games, then Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous will feel instantly familiar to you. If not, then the consistent tutorials popping up in the opening hours should ease you in, explaining everything as you play.

You’ll freely explore the world from an isometric viewpoint, picking up quests, traversing through dungeons, gathering loot, and conversing with lots of different NPCs. Many choices presented throughout the game will also incur objections (or praise) from your party of up to six members, which leads to some potentially game-altering outcomes, and close allies becoming sworn adversaries!

 In most situations, you’ll find yourself elbow deep in monsters to fight, and the combat system was the true star of the show. Battles are fought either in real-time or using a turn-based system. With all the complexities that Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous has going on, I played through the majority of the game using turn-based combat. It was a godsend to be able to take a minute to compose myself and plan my next phase of attack without the threat of my party being wiped out because I didn’t act quickly enough. It helps that each spell and ability has a description on what exactly it does, meaning if I acquired a new party member I could bring them straight into battle and figure out what they could do, instead of trawling through menus and learning everything by heart. A quick mention to the user interface and inputs on the console versions; it takes what is usually a genre that is best played with mouse and keyboard, and manages to fit it all onto a controller, without sacrificing anything in doing so.

What I felt wasn’t quite as enjoyable was the managing of your armies for the Crusade portion. You’ll split your time between developing your soldiers, keeping morale high, and other tasks you would expect whilst not out battling demonic forces. A grid-based battle system replaces the normal combat during these moments, and it just felt a little underwhelming and stripped back almost all of the mechanics that make the regular battles so much fun. The option to turn on an auto mode so you don’t have to spend time in this mode speaks volumes to the fact that it just isn’t that enjoyable, and feels like aimless busywork, even if some of the rewards are great.

Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous is an absolutely colossal game; one you better be prepared to sink hours of your life into. What you get in return is an incredibly engrossing role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world that has so much content, rewarding exploration, and an engaging narrative.