Pillars of Eternity 2 Will Let You Sail Your Own Ship
Get ready to party like it’s 2009, because Pillars of Eternity 2 is on a boat.
That’s right friends. Fresh out of E3, a new slice of Pillars of Eternity II–this time, though, it looks like the adventure is taking us to the high seas with our very own pirate ship and quests that take you across an archipelago. Now, if you’ve never played the original game, Pillars of Eternity was a spiritual successor to and new evolution of classic CRPGs like Baldur’s Gate I and II, or Icewind Dale, or the like. Dungeon crawls, an expansive world, magic items that you had to pick up in your inventory–Pillars of Eternity had it all and more.
With a focus on exploration and adventure, you quickly were given command of your very own stronghold which had a massive dungeon in the middle of it–one that you could come back to as you grew in power to try and venture deeper within its bowels. And you had to, because this dungeon pulled no punches as you got to the lower levels. It was very much inspired by classic dungeon crawls–and it had the lore to back it up–but it’s Obsidian Entertainment, so what else would you expect.
At any rate, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire was successfully funded earlier this year on Fig, an innovative new crowdfunding platform that allows people to invest in a game (or whatever) and get shares that wills ee a return on that investment should the game do well. Well now that we’re seeing what the game looks like, things look pretty spectacular. Check out this demo video, grabbed by Gamespot out of E3.
It seems they want to outdo the previous game in every way they can. Now that they’ve done the thing, and know it’s possible, they’re looking for ways to improve it–which I’m excited to see shake out. I enjoyed Pillars of Eternity the first time around, even if I did sink a little too much time into it. This next one really looks to amp up the gameplay, showing off what classic ideas can do when given the flexibility and creativity of newer technology. Nothing can ever really replace those earlier games–but Pillars of Eternity and its ilk are looking to fill a very satisfying niche.
But you don’t have to take my word for it–here’s an interview with Josh Sawyer of Obsidian Entertainment where they talk about the goals and hopes of the new game, including lessons they learned trying to make the first one.
Of course this is all early stuff, and Pillars 2 will no doubt change over the course of the development cycle–but what we’ve seen so far looks pretty cool. Be sure and stay tuned for more updates on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Gonna be keeping an eye on this one.
No doubt Pillars of Eternity 2 will see you sailing to many a lonely island.
