PAX East 2020 was full of incredible games and experiences from the word ‘go‘. Making waves was the in-depth look at Balder’s Gate 3, made by Larian Sutdios, the studio behind the incredible Divinity: Original Sin II. But tucked away in a hotel off the water about a 10 minute ride from the convention floor was Owlcat Game’s Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. It was in this cozy little hotel room that I sat down with a member of the team and was treated to one of the more impressive demos of the entire show.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is the second game in the Pathfinder CRPG series. The game was kick-started to the tune of $1.5M dollars with a week to go as of this writing. It is no wonder why; this game is ambitious, and if it delivers on what is promised it is going to be a sure-fire hit among CRPG devotees.

I am an avid table-top RPG player, but most CRPG’s escape my grasp. Divinity: Original Sin II was the last to hold my attention, but not for very long as I became overwhelmed in its systems and unforgiving combat. I long for the days of the old CRPGs made for console where simplicity was key, but depth was the name of the game. It seems like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous looks to balance hardcore roleplaying and strategy, with fun and intuitive gameplay mechanics.

After getting caught up in the story prior to where our demo starts off, I am given control of a few heroes discussing battle plans for the massive siege ahead. The three members of the group are arguing their case as I weigh the options. Right away I am tasked with role playing what I feel would be a very “me” way to approach this battle. Knowing I am not typically very stout in battles, I chose to sneak beneath the city and attack from the inside as one of my members suggested. The dialog choices were compelling and I felt truly immersed as if I was only in the room for about five minutes.

As we set off for our battle we make it down under the city, but it is an AMBUSH! We have been set up! And now fighting commences. As this is further down the road in the game’s progress, my party members have a enormous array of spells and attacks to choose from. I was quickly told what heals and what attacks by our demo’s Sherpa, but outside that I was left to my own devices and decision. If I had a deeper knowledge of the games spells (I admit I am very rusty) I suppose I would have picked things up sooner, but I was able to pause the action and choose my spells without feeling the heat in battle too hard. After around five minutes I felt like I had control of my group and their abilities as I lay waste to the many enemies in my path. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous didn’t scare me. It invited me in to have fun, while also challenging my battle tactics and deep RPG acumen. While I might have been tested by this demo, the demo passed my test with flying colors. I was hooked.

Moving around the battlefield in a full 360 degree motion was fantastic. I didn’t have to fight the camera or the geometry of the world in order to see what I was doing. I could simply zoom out, swing around, and keep up my attacks. Targeting enemies was easy and smooth and selecting spells was a breeze once I figured out which ones did what. This felt more like an MMORPG akin to Final Fantasy XIV than it did the slower paced CRPGs like Divinity: Orignal Sin or Neverwinter Nights. It felt a little more like Diablo in the sense that you had a plethora of spells to cast and the action oriented combat, complete with loot drops! I cannot stress enough how well thought out the combat mechanics felt. Nothing felt accidental. I was in full control, but never felt like I was learning to play a game. It all came on naturally. Point, click, slash, conquer!

After the demo concluded I was brought up to speed on the game’s path ahead. The main mechanic for character development will be choosing one of eight “Mythic Paths”. Think mastery classes, but totally more badass. You start by creating your character from a pool of 11 races and 24 classes, later unlocking your Mythic Path as a Lich, Angel, Aeon, a Demon, a Trickster, an Azata, a Swarm-That-Walks, and even a GOLD DRAGON. Whichever path you choose will greatly impact your play-style and the story in front of you. The power at your disposal is frightening and incredibly exciting. Here are the character descriptions:

Deathsnatcher Concept

Angel​ is a general of celestial armies, able to summon angels to fight by their side and heal and protect their allies. Lich​ is an immortal undead, a master of necromancy who will ultimately be able to replace their companions with the undead minions under their command. Aeon​ is a cosmic judge of balance with the ability to change the current timeline. They can sense where the balance is broken and correct it, usually punishing the perpetrator in the process. Trickster​ is a Loki-type character who loves to have fun and play jokes on even the mightiest creatures. They can trick the rules that govern the world to gain unimaginable powers. Demon​ is a raging beast whose desire is to become the rightful ruler of the Abyss. They can choose to sink into a demonic rage and rip their enemies apart with their bare hands. The Demon Lords shall bow to their power! Azata​ is a rebel and a fighter for freedom and good. A superhero of sorts, that protects innocents against demons and purifies the land of corruption. Swarm-That-Walks​ is an incarnation of anger, allowing the character to become one with the swarm of locusts and consume everything that stands in their way. Gold Dragon​ is a protector of the lesser races, wise and merciful. A defender of Golarion, they can stagger even the greatest foes with their roar alone and guide those who are lost. Provided by Owlcat Games

More classes and options are wonderful but perhaps the more literal game changing systems come in the promised “turn based” combat. While I didn’t get to try this out first hand , this option is sure to add a layer of complexity to the combat, as well as bring in players that might avoid CRPGs for its lack of turn based deliberate combat mechanics. And if you are considering yourself a newcomer like myself, there will be a massive and deep evolving tutorial system called “enhanced tutorial” that will help teach you the Pathfinder rule-set as you play.

Owlcat is taking this game very seriously and is listening to their fan’s feedback while developing. The Kickstarter campaign ends on March 11th, 2020 and the game is targeting a June 2021 release window.

This article was updated to correct the spelling of Larian Studios and to clarify ‘Neverwinter’ as ‘Neverwinter Nights’.