There’s nothing quite like a good RPG to really sink your teeth into and Wrath of the Righteous is a perfect fit.

Already a storming hit on PC, the latest Pathfinder game has now found itself on consoles where, despite its complex systems and busy UI, manages to be a relatively comfortable fit on a controller.

While there’s times you’ll pine for a mouse and some keyboard shortcuts, once you get the rhythm of game flow with its regular pauses, character switching, and action bar selections, you’ll be flowing through combat and traversal with somewhat relative ease.

Fortunately, some of those shortcomings are easy to look past with a story as gripping and compelling as the one found here. It’s a classic, good old-fashioned, lore-filled adventure with some fascinating characters, unexpected plot twists and tough decision-making.

I would not exaggerate the point by saying this is the most compelled I’ve been by an isometric RPG since the Divinity series. It’s potentially even better.

The game starts out with action and does not let up as you find yourselves deep in the throws of a war it seems impossible to win. You need to get used to battle early, otherwise you won’t be able to keep up with the endless demons and enemies that litter your path.

They complement a strong campaign, but where I found the game better than most is how well it handles its side quests. Many really dovetail nicely into the primary, over-arching plot, making sense in the grand scheme of things, rather than taking you too far off the beaten track causing you to lose the thread.

The threat is always clear. You’ll often contemplate your choices, wondering if you’ve made the correct judgments, trusted the right individuals, whether time has been wasted on the wrong things. But it all ties and adds up to make for a truly memorable experience.

In WotR, it’s your job to close a rift to the Abyss, a gateway to all manner of ferocious creatures that are now walking the world and destroying everything in their path. Teaming up with the Crusaders and a merry band of characters that should never get along but somehow find a way, you’re the planet’s last hope. Because of course you are.

Wrath of the Righteous just oozes that 90s RPG vibe. It has a true vintage Baldur’s Gate, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights feel that hooks and engages you right off the bat. There’s a ridiculous amount of customisation possible with 25 classes and 12 races. You can really tailor your character’s journey to suit how you play, focusing on so many key areas and distributing your points in a way that makes sense to your playstyle.

Then you can actually switch the combat stances, either having turn-based battles or letting battles play out in real-time. If you’re in a particularly challenging fight for instance, it may make sense to slow things down and take it one strike at a time. But if you’re in a hurry and are between quests, keeping the action fluid helps the experience feel more dynamic. It’s nice to have the choice.

There’s even a field command, tactical mode in certain situations, which allows you to control more outside of your party of folk, and actually take part in a sort of RTS. It’s very cleverly implemented and really makes you feel like your voice matters on the battlefield as well as within the key story beats.

But this game can be a tough one to love at times. The RNG of dice rolls is a strange one. I don’t feel like I’ve ever missed quite so many strikes in battle before, so that became a bit agitating.

I also found so many of my team mates just absent-mindedly walk into traps and danger when I’m doing all I possibly can to avoid them. Most of my encounters and health loss came from them venturing a little too close to the sun.

There’s also a couple of stray, random issues I found like the dialogue sometimes skipping several paces on my Xbox controller when I barely tapped the button. This actually led me to making one or two choices I wanted to avoid, like attacking people inadvertently and having to revert back to an older save.

I was also really surprised to find the game wasn’t optimised for Xbox Series X|S. Not a deal breaker by any means, but when you’ve got a high quality PC version out there, you have to wonder why this version isn’t trying to maximise the game’s full potential as the hardware can clearly handle it.

And truthfully, the game is also pretty daunting at first and could put players off. There’s a lot to think about, take in, memorise and try to keep on top of. As mentioned, things like inventory management, combat navigation, levelling up, are all at quite an advanced level for an RPG. You’re talking more Wasteland 2 than Mass Effect, here. And that’s completely fine, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself in for.

Because all that aside, I had the best time with Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. I loved the sub-plots, I loved exploring the map in full, taking on the side quests, learning more about my party, figuring out who my friends and enemies are, and seeing who gets to live to fight another day.

It’s one of my favourite CRPGs of the last decade and one I’m going to end up returning to for years to come. OwlCat Games have taken what worked well with Kingmaker and expanded upon it, improved it, evolved it and made a complete excursion that PC and console owners alike won’t be able to put down.

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Verdict

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has one of the most interesting cast of characters and gripping stories I’ve played in a good, long time. It hooked me from its opening moments and despite some misgivings and frustrations with its controls and mechanics, it’s a CRPG that will stay in my rotation and remain with me for years to come. 

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Pros

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Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is out now on PC, Xbox, and PS

Code Kindly Provided by GameTomb

Tested on Xbox Series X