Pathfinder: Kingmaker | Is It Worth Playing in 2023?

My Pathfinder: Kingmaker game review came out a little late this time. I originally planned to release the video before New Year, but life happened so now we ask is Pathfinder: Kingmaker worth playing 2023? It's a beautifully made tactical RPG with great graphics and world/character building, but there are some aspects of the game that take out the fun for me. Overall Pathfinder is a great game for RPG fans and if by the end of the video, you feel excited to give it a go, by all means do so!

Hope you guys enjoy the video! Consider giving it a like hitting the subscribe button. It really helps me out a lot and I appreciate the support! More game reviews coming out soon!

Music used:
1. Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Main Theme (by Inon Zur)
2. Exploring the Stolen Lands (by Inon Zur & Dmitry Silantyev)
3. The Beginning (by Sergey Eybog)
4. The Dunsward Battle Theme (by Inon Zur & Dmitry Silantyev)
5. The Narlmarches Battle Theme (by Inon Zur & Dmitry Silantyev)
6. The Shrike Hills Battle Theme (by Inon Zur & Dmitry Silantyev)
7. Uplands Battle Theme (by Inon Zur & Dmitry Silantyev)
8. Dungeon Battle Theme 1
9. Dungeon Battle Theme 2

(I do not own any of these and I do not take credit for making these awesome soundtracks)

[Morden]

For anyone coming here as a new player to the series be warned: this game is NOT pulling any punches with regard to its difficulty. Unfair difficulty is, indeed, unbelievably Unfair 😂

[barbos]

What I find most fascinating about kingmaker, aswell as wotr, is that your first playthrough might take around 150+ hours, and the main thing is that something new always happens. It's one of few rpg's that will create stories of your own. A simple stroll around your barony can turn into a month long crusade against the undead.
Perhaps the most important advice - don't be afraid to pick your class. On normal difficulty or below your default party is more than enouth to carry you through the game.

[goldeneyekiller]

This game changed alot for me. It was an incredible piece of art and my life has since changed...honestly I can say that its one of my top 3 favorite games of all time. It feels nostalgic while also being my first run or my tenth. Something about it had charm..it really was amazing.

[michaelmoran]

The most important thing you need to understand going into Kingmaker is that the key resource is time, and you need to invert the way you normally play an RPG.

Every element of the main quest happens on a timer and you cannot make it come any sooner nor can you delay it, and your kingdom suffers tangible losses while those events are unresolved, so do the main quest first always.

If someone says do something now, they mean it. If a party member asks you to do something that seems time sensitive, it is, and you will fail if you put it off.

Put the kingdom management aspect of the game FIRST in your mind, and see the adventuring as the thing that allows you to keep the kingdom afloat, and the game will feel more natural.

[eduardo]

A fair warning about the auto-manager for the Kingdom. A lot of the "role-playing" of the game comes from how you shape your lands, so putting it on auto is handicapping the story by a considerable amount.

There's also the fact that to get some of the best gear in the game you will need to recruit artisans through the kingdom manager.

Also, there's a specific ending that requires you to complete special events in the management tab, and the auto-manager does not complete said events.

[johnmckinley]

This game isn't easy I've started over 5 times until I figured out how to play the game this is a different RPG GAME and having some diverse characters in your group will help I love this on Xbox one s

[sanderkiki]

Kingmaker honestly became my comfort game, something about them is so attractive and warming for me. Visuals, music, overall presentation is just so good. I replayed it 6 times and have fun runs "on hold" now, heh. And yeah i have more than 1000+ hours in both pathfinders.

DLCs are worth it. Companion is very well done. Varnhold's Lot is a nice side-story that expains backstory of act 4. And Rougelike dungeon(that is both separate game mode and in the main campaign) provides lots of loot and exp and some interesting enemies to fight.

I dont really agree that its better in RtwP, im purely playing PF games(wotr too) in TB mode, it provide deeper mechanics and give more understanding on them, like difference between types of actions(free, swift, standart and full) and their management, and overall many stuff just works better in TB while hard to pull on RtwP. But im playing mostly on Hard, maybe thats why i prefer more thoughtful approach. RtwP is only good for easier difficulties and faceroll encounters or if you are playing cheese click'n'forget broken builds thats are popular.

[Maurodax]

Short and straight to the point. Good review.

I highly suggest you try Pathfinder Wrath of the Rightoeus, especially since they removed the timed Kingdom management which was a turnoff for a lot of people.

Again, keep up the great job.

[VestigialLung]

I recently started it, playing a sword saint magus. So far I’m enjoying it and looking forward to accessing the kingdom system (the main reason I was excited for this module back when it was only available in TTRPG form was that). It having been awhile since I played anything using the Pathfinder ruleset, initial character creation took forever for me. Best advice I can give someone is to either go in with a clear concept (sword and board fighter, fighter mage, stealthy rogue, etc) or go in prepared to spend an hour or more just sifting through the options figuring out what you want to play and how to make that.

[Dan-ufvh]

It is very different from Wrath of the Righteus with the exception of its Pathfinder mechanics .. even that feels different. Arguably the gameplay is better in Wrath, however Kingmaker has very interesting elements (story-wise, character-wise).
Advice for kingdom management: 1) avoid making buildings until chapter 5 with the exception for the artisan shops. 2) solve the main chapter quests as fast as possible to avoid wasting advisors' time on associated problems.

[Paehrin]

Well... it is on sale right now for people wishing to get it ! A little (important ?) thing is that the story DLC tie in your main storyline. In the DLC, you play/follow an NPC you'll encounter in the main game, and some decisions you took in the DLC will be observable during your main campaign. Some people didn't like the Kingdom Management aspect, but I honestly felt like it was part of the story. You were sent there to establish a new realm, and that's what the kingdom management does for you.

Also, note that there are tons of helpful guides if you're a bit lost (for builds, for kingdom management, for quests, for storylines, etc.). No shame in looking at them when needed !

[JBasilix]

I have played WotR before Kingmaker. In fact I am playing Kingmaker right now for the first time. My verdict after 50 hours in Kingmaker: WotR is way better. Atleast now. At release it was even more bugged than Kingmaker at release. I think my biggest problem with Kingmaker is the way the story works. You are always reactive. It´s just waiting for something to happen then deal with it. In the meantime explore on your own. Maybe something happens later in the game to change that up but I kind of doubt it since the game is build around the time limit. I guess what is really lacking to me is a clear goal at the end. At the moment I am just dealing with problems as they arise but there isn´t something to work towards except to grow your kingdom which is something you do anyways. I am still having fun with the game but where WotR sucked me in and I dreaded having to turn off the game because I have responsibilitys I do not feel the same way while playing Kingmaker

[albercik]

Pathfinder: Kingmaker has very interesting story - especially relations between our character and Nyrissa. And True Ending is very, very interesting and satisfying.

[abdulahmad]

Great video and points. You deserve a lot more subscribers man, keep up the good work.

[kamikaze]

Turn-based is buggy- sometimes won't let you select anything, complete a series of attack animations, or finish a turn. Clicking the map button on and off usually fixes it with no real drawback aside from not seeing the animation, toggling turn-based off then back on always fixes it but will end a turn prematurely or forego a surprise round.

Automatic Kingdom Management is clunky, plus you miss out on certain quests (especially Artisan quests, which yield some awesome gear for use or to sell for profit). Setting Kingdom Management to Effortless helps if you can't be bothered about failing random rolls often, and if you want to you can download mods to make it even easier (Bag of Tricks is really the only one you need, as it does so much more than Kingdom management, but you don't have to use the other functions). Use non-playable NPCs where you can if you swap out you party often, or use the backups you seldom adventure with for government roles. While it takes all player choice out of the matter (and is buggy leaving some positions unable to rank up past a certain point), you can use hired mercs to fill roles- best purchased during Act 1 before you level up (you can loot most of the available map with a Level 1 party with little difficulty). The higher your average party level, the more expensive they get. You really have to go all-in corrupt tyrant roleplay to tank your kingdom with Effortless Kingdom Management, and even then there's an out if you hold off on ranking up Divine until after Act 4 (or the middle of it depending on your choices), and that decision fits well with most Evil kingdoms. You really don't have to worry if you're playing more neutral or good aligned on Effortless management, as intentionally maiming the populace in acts of complete depraved merciless savagery are typically avoided then. Side with the merchants or the common folk- it's more personal taste and RP. However, with the Evil Counselor, you can side with the people in a bloodletting to cull the weak- but even that doesn't risk your nation. The Evil Treasurer, on the other hand, blindly following his advice is a surefire way to tank your nation unless you're experienced enough to counter it with others (or go from Rank 1 to 10 in each stat with the Evil advisors only, as there's only a moderate problem if everything is Evil). Also, be certain to visit A Ford Across Thorn River and the Ruined Tower AFTER you get the book intro to Act 3 and BEFORE you get to the final Act 3 dungeon, you'll thank yourself.

There are only a couple choices that can result in permanent loss of companions, aside from killing them the moment they say "hello, " or commanding their banishment. One choice at the end of Act 3 can lose one of my favorites. You have to bring the NG cleric along for each step of the NE inquisitor's companion quests and redeem her if you want both- if you don't want to redeem her, then you'll have to dispose of the goody-goody somehow. Dating only one of the poly couple will lose the other if you complete the romance (though you can date and even marry both to avoid that, or simply don't romance them). And the DLC twins can cause you to lose one depending on your choices during their companion quest, though that doesn't happen until just before the final FINAL "dungeon, " which can be skipped if you finish the game in the puzzle dungeon before the final act. All-in-all, the only surefire way to lose companions is to fail their companion quests, but you don't permanently lose them until the next-to-last act, and all but 1 are avoidable as long as you do their companion quests. Further, even if you somehow lose them all there, you can still hire mercs to fill the slots (you should have more than enough money at that point), so the game is still beatable.

The biggest pain is pursuing romances- almost all require camping scenes, and you have to camp in the middle of a map location or dungeon to get them (as in not camping on the overworld map). Aside from that, it's easy enough to pursue if you keep in mind their general personality, making decisions they'd like while they're in your active party (not just sweet words during the camping scenes). There are two straight companions, so correct gender needed for them (they let you know they are early enough it's only a minor hassle to restart with their preference). The other five go both ways. There's only one that's a "guide dangit" to get her, requiring two successful seemingly non-related rolls you might not even know happened, any Good alignment, and completing quite a few side quests to get Curse research, then completing the Kingdom management Curse research projects, all on top of saying the right words during every interaction with her, which is seldom clear, plus locking yourself out of a political alliance, meaning you'll have to choose another one or either "none" option, and even visiting the correct rooms with the right companion in a certain dungeon, making the best decisions to unlock a single option at the end of said dungeon so you can take it instead of the other options - yeah it's a pain in the butt.

[MeneltirFalmaro]

I'm still not done with the first playthrough 240 hours (that does include DLCs and I like turn based too much).
Kingdom management is best addressed with a cheat mod as opposed to the auto mode, it's a lot more fun if you remove the time sinks in it.

[robertopereira]

YES, I love this game and I'm playing right now with several mods: call of the wild, races unleashed, etc. It's fantastic. Replay value is astonishing. Even more in WOTR - another truly AMAZING game!

[erthan]

I have tried PFKM so many times and bounce off it before unlocking your kingdom. I hate quest time limits. I get that they make sense immersion wise but it just punishes exploring and sweeping a map clear like a swarm of locusts (my favored gaming style). Add to that the oppressive rest requirements and I felt like I couldn't do anything I wanted. I was also new to PF and building a character felt like advanced calculus, it is very easy to make a dud character if you don't know what you are doing. I felt overwhelmed pretty much immediately. I want to like this game and its sequel so bad, it should be my jam, but I just can't get into it. I loved Solasta though. To me it felt like DnD lite. Characters were simple but fun to play, the traveling was way more streamlined (automatic rest system) and combat didn't feel so punishing.

[scottlette]

And if you either like this version enough, or want another experience, you can pick up the pen and paper roleplaying version of this campaign for Pathfinder 2nd edition!

[yammoto]

This game is pretty fun if you know what you are doing and its very friendly towards multiple playthroughs. One of the best rpgs ever made.