Much like Dark Souls, Baldur’s Gate has become the easy comparison for traditional RPGs, and while I strive to avoid such lazy writing, I think Pathfinder: Kingmaker might be the exception. Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a lot of things, but most obviously, it is a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate. If you played that series back when it first released in multiple disc sets (the first game was six discs!), or on the Steam re-release, you’ll know exactly what I mean. From the camera positioning to the character portraits and incredibly detailed class system, everything about Pathfinder: Kingmaker will be familiar to those who’ve played the classic cRPG.

If none of that makes any sense, let me guide you through the complexity of games based on pen and paper RPGs. Pathfinder: Kingmaker is not a simple game. Even making my character took over half an hour as I meandered through the various menus creating my beloved half-elf bard. Picking a race, class, portrait that looks something like your character, and all the skills and spells is no easy feat, especially if you have no idea what to expect. Once you get into the game proper things don’t get any easier, though.