Over the last month, I finished these two games: Trails in the Sky (first chapter, 49 hours, JRPG) and Pillars of Eternity (89 hours, CRPG). I’m not going to post any spoilers about plot line, but I do want to discuss the gameplay.
Trails in the Sky is the typical JRPG. The Orb system feels a lot like materia, and yes there are the equivalent of limit breaks. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allows you to build your characters and approach fights the way you want. The plot is on rails, which is normal fare for this genre, and I don’t have any problem with that because it is a good story. It gets slow occasionally, and it’s lighthearted in most places. As the story goes on, there are some detours into a darker tale, and sometimes there is some foul language, but overall it keeps its humor.
On the combat side, there are a lot of optional quests in each part of the story that allow you to seek out the challenge if you want it. I had fun doing the extermination missions. And the end of the story includes an optional boss that requires careful planning, good positioning, and spot on execution that really felt rewarding, even for a JRPG veteran like myself. If you like the genre, this is a solid entry. I will probably be picking up the sequel at some point.
As for Pillars of Eternity, this is a dark tale and takes itself seriously, minus the wisecracking from the party members as you travel. Clearly inspired by Planescape, there is ample opportunity for intricate storytelling and layered dialogue. However, combat is required if you are to experience the game (although there is plenty of dialogue opportunities for solving situations). This was a long story with an ending that is tailored to your choices, and I did not rush through it. I read through so many of the optional stories, optional quests, and enjoyed myself in this game world. Even in earlier parts of the game, there is challenge to be had with some of the missions, dungeons, boss fights, and multiple solutions to these problems. That’s how you know it’s a good RPG, when you feel like you can play along with the puzzle rather than feeling like you are grinding levels. And in both cases, Trails in the Sky and Pillars of Eternity are not having you grind levels. You are directly taking on the quests and stories of the games, which is an important part of the enjoyment.
Pillars of Eternity requires careful combat preparation, positioning, and getting used to having pause-able real-time combat. This is not turn-based combat. So you will have to carefully anticipate the spells of yourself and your enemy, manage summons, and use your abilities to manage combat. In many situations, you are outnumbered even though you can choose from six characters. My play style is all about summons, so I like stacking summons and using some of the movement abilities to gain a tactical advantage. For example, the teleport ability of the wizard is one of the best skills in the game, allowing you to tactically move characters around by continually swapping them. There is a cast limit on the best spells, but I never felt discouraged from using them.
I think that’s where Pillars of Eternity truly shines: when it comes to combat, there is a lot of game here. There’s a lot of choices to make and as the general in battle, it always feels like there’s some way to pull a rabbit out of a hat and somehow win the fight when it all looks grim. These are memorable gaming moments. If you do some of the optional quests, you’ll be treated to epic fights and experiences. There’s no real reason to skip any of it because the gameplay itself is enjoyable.
All in all, if you like RPG’s, you can’t go wrong with choosing either one of these titles. Just choose whether you want to turn-based or pause-able real-time combat, and enjoy the journey. I was extremely satisfied with both titles, and now I will be carefully selecting the next RPG.
