Those of you who have already been privy to my thoughts and feelings on Owlcat Games know that this review has been a long time coming. I've already given my thoughts on the incredible work of art that is Rogue Trader, and although I've played Kingmaker before... it's been a little while. I did a replay of Wrath of the Righteous in order to really home in on my feelings for this one.
Once again, Owlcat does not disappoint.
In Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, we start as a wounded individual brought to the middle of a festival in the grand city of Kenabres. After some quick healing from the local dragon, you read that right, we get to participate in a couple activities before the proverbial sh!t hits the fan. Deskari, a demon lord hell-bent on destroying civilization as everyone knows it, shows up to wreck the party and sever a dragon's head in the process. After a timely spell prevents your death, you explore some caves and emerge to start becoming the hero you're destined to be.
Eventually forming the vanguard of the 5th Crusade, you and your companions grow in strength that can be fueled by mythic forms like Desna's chosen, demonic lords, swarms (basically just grosser forms of undead demonic forces), aeons (celestial forces), angels, and eventually even dragons. The powers that come from these forces aid your party in the individualized missions against chaos. On a broader scale, you're also tasked by the queen with running the day to day affairs and conquests of the current crusade. Establishing armies and running demons to ground grants new items and bonuses that can be felt throughout all of the Worldwound.
The Good
There's a lot of great stuff in this game. The characters, the volume, the heart... all of it.
First things first. In a CRPG of this magnitude, the characters are critical. In a lot of these types of games, characters really just fill the boots of certain archetypes. There's only one, maybe two, dimensions to who they are. That's not the case with Wrath. Seelah is a paladin with a checkered past, just trying to fill the role of a true hero. Lann is a mongrel with mommy issues, and a bit of a problem with taking the reins himself. Regill is a gnome who has never concerned himself with the bleaching (an enigmatic disease endemic to the elders of his race), preferring to climb to the upper echelons of the grim Hellknights on pure merit. Arueshelae is a succubus pushing against her very nature to find the one thing that all demons can never have... redemption. This is just a handful of the colorful cast found in Wrath, and every one of them is nuanced and well-written with excellent voice acting to boot.
The sheer size of the game is incredible, but a strong narrative never gets lost in the process. I plugged in well over 100 hours in each of my playthroughs, more so when you factor in the amount of deaths and reloads that occur. Even on story mode, the game is a lengthy ride with hundreds of thousands of words to read along the way that build upon the Pathfinder lore established by Paizo. Owlcat did their homework, and turned in a great product.
I think the strongest thing that Wrath has going for it is probably the amount of heart poured into every aspect of the game. The visuals are strong, especially for a CRPG, but they aren't going to redefine graphics. The soundtrack matches the tone and feel of every moment, but it's not going up for a Grammy. The controls work well with what we need, but you're not going to need full engagement with haptic feedback. All those things work in conjunction with one another as the subordinate pieces, however, of the larger puzzle that makes up Wrath of the Righteous. It's the narrative, and the party that you traverse with, as well as the well-written quests that all seem to carry their individualized gravity... that's what makes the game so good.
The Bad
It's by no means a perfect game, now.
The volume is great, if you're into that large of a game, but that doesn't mean that every piece of every DLC is a banger. Through the Ashes... it's okay. Lord of Nothing is another add-on to that which also would probably be a six or a seven. Treasure of the Midnight Isles is something of a major miss, story-wise. It probably shouldn't exist. Inevitable Excess was shoehorned in, which is somewhat exemplified by the fact that you can't even access the quest during the main campaign. As a matter of fact, the only DLCs that truly stand out and shine would probably be The Last Sarkorian and Dance of Masks (although the Children of Morta mini-quest is a lot of fun, too). The Last Sarkorian introduces Ulbrig, a chieftain who lived a century before the events of Wrath and fell under a spell that caused him to miss the fracture and dissolution of his people. It's a compelling tale, and even brings us to a whole new map with wonderful NPCs that add to the overall flavor of the game without taking a bit of it away. Dance does its best to give us all a Mass Effect: Citadel moment for the characters of Wrath, and for the most part it pulls it off. The other DLCs though... they really only serve by extending the run time for even longer. For a lot of people, myself included, that can contribute to what might feel like overstaying its welcome.
The Glory
I think that overall, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is more than worth your time. Especially as it's just sitting on PS Extra for free right now. You don't need to buy any of the DLCs to go with it, as I stated above, because you'll have plenty of game time and an incredible narrative as it is with the base game. And the best part is, you get to play it your way with whatever direction you want to take it. Want to be a demon lord ready to take over the abyss after your conquest in Golarion? Do it. Want to become a golden dragon with a penchant for aiding the simple mortals in all their tasks? Do that instead. It's your story. Live it your way.
8/10
Glorious
To check out my own Pathfinder adventure... no relation, whatsoever, check out my prologue.
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