“Streamlined” is a buzzword you hear often when talking to developers about games. “Simplified” is almost as common. The unspoken implication behind these descriptors is that complexity and time-consuming mechanics are a thing of the past. If that’s true, Pillars of Eternity is a time machine.

Developed by Obsidian and designed to evoke the look and feel of the Infinity Engine games – Planescape: Torment, Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale – Pillars of Eternity is as old-school as a roleplaying game can get without turning into a text adventure or a dice-rolling tabletop quest. There is nothing simple or streamlined about Pillars, and therein lies the appeal.