Pathfinder: Kingmaker

About

"Pathfinder: Kingmaker" is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing game set in the Pathfinder universe, inspired by classic RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Fallout. Experience a beautiful story with phenomenal visuals and great music, as you explore and conquer the Stolen Lands to make it your kingdom. Despite being very grinding, buggy, and having some hilarious moments, the game offers high replayability and can be highly emotional, making it a must-play for RPG fans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+17

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 20,936 reviews

story3.3k positive mentions

stability1.1k negative mentions

story
10,596 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
64%
5%
The story of "Pathfinder: Kingmaker" is generally praised for its depth and complexity, featuring engaging characters and a rich narrative that evolves based on player choices. However, many players express frustration with the game's pacing, particularly due to the presence of time-sensitive quests that can lead to game-ending failures if not completed promptly. While the main storyline is compelling, some side quests feel disconnected or repetitive, and the kingdom management mechanics often detract from the overall experience, making it challenging to fully enjoy the narrative. Overall, the game offers a substantial amount of content and storytelling, but its execution can be uneven, leading to mixed feelings among players.
- “The worldbuilding and the characters are great; the story is what kept me coming back.”
- “It boasts stunning graphics, a deep and intricate story that rivals tabletop campaigns, and an impressive level of player agency.”
- “The game is very difficult on normal settings, and you end up stuck with their pre-made NPCs to get the most out of the story and the most XP.”
- “The story is truly impactful, with player choices significantly altering the narrative and the fate of your kingdom.”
- “The main story is mostly bad, but there are really good moments in the main story and also some great side stories.”
gameplay
4,353 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
66%
8%
The gameplay of *Pathfinder: Kingmaker* is a complex blend of traditional CRPG mechanics and the Pathfinder tabletop RPG system, offering deep character customization and tactical combat. However, many players find the kingdom management mechanics tedious and poorly integrated, often leading to frustration due to unclear mechanics and punishing difficulty spikes. While the game rewards strategic planning and understanding of its intricate systems, newcomers to the genre may struggle with its steep learning curve and lack of in-game explanations.
- “The gameplay in general is good, and there are good aspects of classic CRPGs in it.”
- “Gameplay is as hard or as easy as you wish it to be.”
- “The sheer depth of the game, with hundreds of hours of gameplay, is both a blessing and a curse.”
- “One of the most frustrating game mechanics was the kingdom management.”
- “The game also is not great at explaining mechanics beyond the most simple ones, so sometimes it feels like it's cheating when it's probably doing legal things but not giving you the information of how that happened.”
- “The kingdom building mechanics are exhausting, not fun, and without mods, odds are you'll never see act 6 because you failed too much in act 2-4, due to no fault of your own, unless you just turn off a third of the game by disabling kingdom mechanics.”
graphics
1,377 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The graphics in "Pathfinder: Kingmaker" receive a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising the game's art style, detailed environments, and spell effects. While some reviews note that the graphics are not groundbreaking and can feel dated compared to modern titles, they are often described as beautiful and fitting for the game's aesthetic, successfully capturing the essence of classic tabletop RPGs. However, issues with optimization and occasional graphical glitches have been reported, impacting the overall experience for some players.
- “It boasts stunning graphics, a deep and intricate story that rivals tabletop campaigns, and an impressive level of player agency.”
- “Getting into the actual game, you are presented with a universe that has excellent world building, a great story that is gripping and intriguing, well-realized visuals (with some great lighting and fantastic visual effects such as the rain and thunder), backed up with a lovely soundtrack.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the voice acting is sufficient, and the music is fitting.”
- “The graphics in this game also feel unfinished, like the modeling team was rushed to hit a deadline and they never went back to complete it.”
- “I played on a PC that can handle Cyberpunk 2077 on ultra settings (albeit without ray tracing) without issues, and this game with 2010 graphics was frequently dropping below 10 FPS for me.”
- “The graphics are poor and with the Unity engine, it's based on a slow, and heavy use engine.”
stability
1,142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
93%
The stability of "Pathfinder: Kingmaker" has been a significant point of contention among players. Initially released in a highly buggy state, many users reported frequent crashes, game-breaking glitches, and various minor bugs that hindered gameplay. However, ongoing patches and updates from the developers have improved the situation considerably, with some players noting a much more stable experience in recent versions, though a few bugs still persist. Overall, while the game has made strides towards stability, it remains somewhat buggy, particularly in later chapters, and players are advised to save frequently to mitigate potential issues.
- “I can't count the amount of patches and additions that have been added to the game, but as of today, it's one of the most complete and bug-free CRPGs that exists for its size.”
- “Nowadays this game is top notch, stable, almost entirely bug-free, and a fantastic experience from beginning to end.”
- “The game is now (mostly) bug-free and actually enjoyable.”
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
- “It's buggy as hell, constantly crashing or sputtering.”
- “This game is buggy as all hell, and broken.”
music
699 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its immersive quality and emotional depth, often likening it to the soundtracks of classic RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age. However, some players noted that the music can become repetitive over long play sessions, leading to suggestions to turn it off in favor of sound effects. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-composed and enhances the game's atmosphere, its limited variety may detract from the experience for some players.
- “The music is very nice and it is clear that the game designers put a lot of effort into making it.”
- “The soundtrack is excellent, each area has its own music and there are variant themes depending on the time of day.”
- “The music is fantastic and fits the visual style of the game well, creating a rich atmosphere to get immersed in.”
- “The game's music was dull, so I quickly muted it and played my own music instead.”
- “I would also recommend turning the music off because it will start wearing you down over time.”
- “The music is unmemorable and repetitive.”
grinding
688 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
98%
The grinding aspect of "Pathfinder: Kingmaker" has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating. Many reviews highlight the cumbersome kingdom management system and the excessive backtracking required, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. Combat encounters are frequently criticized for being drawn-out and lacking variety, leading to a gameplay experience that feels more like a chore than an engaging RPG adventure.
- “Almost no grinding nor boring maze so far.”
- “No tedious grinding, no meaningless questing, no repetitive fights: everything you encounter is part of a very well-told saga.”
- “The kingdom management system, intended to add depth and strategy, quickly devolves into a tedious micromanagement task that feels more like a chore than an engaging gameplay element.”
- “The biggest complaints are around the kingdom management: it is absolutely tedious, and abhorrently slow due to being hidden behind loading screens.”
- “The game suffers from grindiness, boring encounters that do nothing, and poorly written, edgelordy characters.”
optimization
466 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
58%
27%
The optimization of the game has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including frame drops, long loading times, and crashes, particularly in later stages of the game. While some users noted improvements over time, the consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, often requiring players to rely on optimized character builds to succeed, which can detract from the overall enjoyment and accessibility of the experience. Overall, the game's technical performance is seen as a major drawback, overshadowing its narrative and gameplay potential.
- “If you enjoy Pathfinder build optimization, there's genuinely a ton to explore.”
- “The game does allow leeway to be unoptimized, particularly if you are willing to adjust the difficulty as needed.”
- “Pathfinder: Kingmaker really shines in character creation/optimization, lots of options and builds for your main character.”
- “The game optimization is pretty bad.”
- “First thing: the game is a performance hog for no real purpose.”
- “The performance of this game is genuinely one of the worst I've ever seen in my entire life, with a 3800x, 1080 ti and 32gb of ram, this game does not reach a stable 60 fps at 1440p and constantly dips below 30 at max settings, which is absurd for a game that looks this bad.”
replayability
363 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
60%
3%
The replayability of Pathfinder: Kingmaker is generally regarded as high, driven by its extensive character customization options, multiple story paths, and alignment choices that significantly impact gameplay. However, some players find the game's length and complexity daunting, which can detract from the desire to replay. While many appreciate the depth and variety that encourage multiple playthroughs, others note that bugs and design choices can hinder the overall experience.
- “This enhances Kingmaker’s replayability, as seeing the game’s events unfold differently provides a strong incentive to try out different playstyles and alignment options.”
- “The multiple story paths that you can choose to take and the different classes that you can choose from makes this game infinitely replayable.”
- “With all the different character build options, difficulty customizations, dialogue options, side content, and endings, there's tons of replayability.”
- “However, the lack of fleshed-out systems and the abundance of bugs hinder its replayability and overall story.”
- “I think this was an enjoyable game, though this isn't really a CRPG that feels replayable for me; I went ahead and did two endings and I think I'm calling it good.”
- “The replayability is not very good either because it's a time-consuming game; maybe if I was 18 I would've probably completed this challenge, but I'm too old for this.”
humor
210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the witty dialogue, quirky characters, and amusing situations that arise during gameplay. Characters like Nok Nok and Harrim provide comedic relief, while the game's absurd challenges and unexpected outcomes often lead to laughter, even amidst frustration. Overall, the humor balances well with the more serious elements of the story, creating a rich and engaging experience that resonates with fans of tabletop RPGs.
- “The characters are pretty funny, some are pretty endearing.”
- “The funny thing is I replayed this game out of unsatisfactory experience of its newer game, pathfinding 'Wrath of the Righteous,' and I enjoyed playing this game more.”
- “The dialogue is well written and often funny.”
- “The barbarian has the biggest chip on her shoulder I've ever seen; the bard is just unfunny, and you can't get rid of her, to use but two examples.”
- “You also just get super annoying and unfunny ones like Linzi.”
character development
187 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
60%
5%
Character development in the game is praised for its depth and complexity, allowing players to create unique characters and experience meaningful growth throughout the story. Many reviews highlight the importance of player choices in shaping character arcs, with well-written companions and personal quests that enhance engagement. However, some players note that the learning curve can be steep, and mismanagement of character development can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- “Character development reincarnates the old system known in Neverwinter Nights (also D&D), with complexity that I miss; it was a sad loss in modern RPG gaming.”
- “This game brings it all to the table: complex character development, deep and multifaceted story where choices matter, great detailed graphics, and a real challenging and thus rewarding experience on the higher difficulties.”
- “The level of character development in this game is a rare treat.”
- “If you seek depth in character development or an in-depth journey for the companions, you might be disappointed.”
- “Character development can be a steep learning curve for those not familiar with D&D-style rulesets, which Pathfinder is a part of.”
- “Many character development options are not explained well, or at all.”
atmosphere
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, reminiscent of classic CRPGs like Baldur's Gate, with a warm and cozy vibe that enhances the storytelling experience. Players appreciate the dynamic graphical elements, such as seasonal changes and detailed sound design, which contribute to a rich and engaging world. Overall, the combination of compelling narratives, atmospheric music, and well-crafted environments creates a captivating experience that draws players into the game's fantasy setting.
- “The graphical atmosphere changes according to the season and time of the day, and the lighting and audio reflection effects in the dungeons provide atmosphere without becoming a tedious gimmick.”
- “A solid RPG that, once you get into it, has a fantasy atmosphere that falls on you like a warm, cozy blanket.”
- “The world building and atmosphere of this game is amazing; it does such an incredible job of making you feel like you're in a real game of Pathfinder or D&D, including all the stories and quests in the game.”
- “The design of the whole game encourages a tense atmosphere where you worry about getting things done in time; main quests all have timers saying when you'll automatically fail them, and random kingdom management events have limits on when they can be done, and then the game actually punishes you for trying to go quickly.”
- “Sadly, besides the end game and start of the game, the atmosphere mid-game will tend to get boring and repetitive.”
- “All the atmosphere is completely ruined by enemies moving around--even after death!”
emotional
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The emotional aspect of "Pathfinder: Kingmaker" elicits a wide range of responses from players, with some experiencing deep connections to characters and moments of genuine heartbreak, while others find the story and character development lacking. Many players report feeling a rollercoaster of emotions, from joy and nostalgia to frustration and disappointment, particularly regarding character deaths and the overall narrative coherence. Despite its flaws, the game is praised for its ability to evoke strong feelings, though some players ultimately feel disconnected or overwhelmed by its complexity and emotional weight.
- “I cried when Linzi died in a dungeon, but thank the gods of Olympus that she has that ring.”
- “I cried for a whole hour after the epilogue.”
- “The story is great so far, the relationships with companions are deep and emotional.”
- “I did want to like it and really gave it a good solid stab, but I can honestly say it ended up just being a terribly boring story.”
- “Boring characters, boring story.”
- “Of course, then I get some skill check conversation and a boring storybook text ending.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is not perceived as a cash grab, but rather as a result of ambitious design that may have outstripped its budget and development capabilities. Players feel misled by the marketing, particularly regarding the promised replayability and the significance of player choices, which they believe were not adequately represented. Overall, while the game has potential, its monetization strategy has left some players feeling disappointed.
- “I am early on, but I can already see that the advertising of replayability is false!”
- “Let's say you are buying a car that will have a radio in it, then when you start to drive, they say the radio will be plugged in the future. You say it is okay, then they remove the 'radio' from the advertisements.”
- “To me, it feels like a total cash grab.”