Pillars Of Eternity Launches: A New Take On An Old Legacy

Very few Kickstarter projects can claim to be the second most crowdfunded RPG game in history, fourth when you include all other game-related campaigns. But Pillars of Eternity, which was called Project Eternity back then, can definitely lay claim to that title. Although almost exactly a year late in their promised delivery time, the game from the designers of some of the world's best loved computer RPGs, like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, has finally gone gold and is now available to backers and buyers alike.

Kickstarter is a haven for making dreams that would otherwise be impossible come true. That has exactly been the case for some game developers, even the former big ones in the industry, who have ideas and ambitions for what could be extremely popular games. The problem, however, is that publishers don't always root for popularity but for what will earn more money. To be fair, they are running a business, not a charity. That's why developers like Obsidian, who take their roots from Interplay's Black Isle Studios, have resorted to the crowds to help make the game, which was met with resounding success amounting to almost $4 million.

The Pillars of Eternity Kickstarter appealed more to old time gamers, those who are more familiar with the style of Infinity Engine games like Balduer's Gate and Planescape: Torment. In fact, this new game aimed to recreate that feeling and the atmosphere, especially the aesthetic of those "old school" RPGs. None of the easy quest marking and mind-numbing "kill X number of rats" of today's RPGs. And none of the twitch-based, stress-inducing gameplay either.

That's not to say that there is nothing for new gamers here either. In fact, aside from the "feel" of the game, Pillars of Eternity is completely new. Of course, it uses newer technology, like the Unity 3D engine, but the world itself was created from scratch. Unlike the aforementioned Infinity Engine games which were all based on the Dungeons & Dragons world that is owned by Wizards of the Coast, Pillars creates a new world, new races, and slightly new classes. But don't worry, you'll still get elves and dwarves in here.

This slightly long video summarizes the vision for Pillars of Eternity back in 2012:

Pillars of Eternity is available now on a variety of digital distribution channels, like Steam and GOG, as well as from Paradox, the game's official distribution partner. The game supports Windows, Mac OS X, and even Linux. The base game costs $44.99 But there are two other tiers, at $59.99 and $89.99, that offer various addons to complement the gaming experience.