With the success of games like “Tyranny” and “Divinity: Original Sin”, it is clear that this is a renaissance for the old-school, isometric cRPGs that used to be staples of gaming. “Pillars Of Eternity”, arguably one of the more popular games of this genre, has finally joined the others and released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Popularity of RPGs
It seems that, within the past few years, RPGs have made a huge comeback with gamers. “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” and “The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt” both proved that millions of fans were interested in these types of games.
The long play-time, the myriad choices on how to play and how to build your character, the epic quests to stop world-ending threats; gamers have proved that if you make a good game, people will buy it.
While the mainstream games are far more popular than old-school cRPGs, there is still a sizeable market for spiritual successors to “Baldur’s Gate” and “Planescape: Torment”. “Pillars of Eternity”, and recently its planned sequel, “Deadfire”, were both funded almost entirely through Kickstarter campaigns. There is an obvious nostalgia for the RPGs of the past with gamers today, and consequently, they are likely to be some of the most loyal fans of any gaming genre. RPGs are incredibly popular, and that is likely to remain the case for a while yet.
The Complete Edition
“Pillars of Eternity: The Complete Edition” includes the base game along with the two White March expansion packs for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This means console gamers will get access to a rich world full of interesting characters and a gripping story. What is unfortunate is that there are no plans for the Complete Edition to come to PC; it seems strange that developers would not create this edition for the original platform, as there are still many potential buyers who would love to have a copy that comes with all DLC.
Perhaps it is in the works, or perhaps the developers are too busy with the sequel. Regardless, console fans should rejoice, as they are able to buy the entire game, DLC included, for no extra cost.
With the game coming to consoles, and others such as “Tyranny” and “Divinity: Original Sin” doing the same, it is clear that old-school RPGs are as popular as they ever were a few decades ago. For RPG fans, this is great news, and one can only hope that this is just the beginning of a plethora of new titles coming to computers and consoles.
