Pillars of Eternity

So, I played Pillars 2 first - it just worked out that way - and then I came to Pillars 1. I know, I know, you shouldn't go backwards with games for a lot fo reasons, but I was very curious about the game as whole, and a lot of the lore that was hinted in Pillars 2. I was very much into starting a character in 1 and seeing how it carries into 2. Of course, there were clearly a lot of improvements between 2 and 1, so going backwards, some things were a little bit clunky or unfamiliar. On the whole, I was really, really impressed, however., and really enjoyed it. I thought the graphics were great (for me, and knowing it's an older game), I enjoyed the storylines, even though sometimes it felt a bit slow and too back-and-forth with traveling. I loved seeing the origins of Aloth and Eder (from POE2) in particular (everythig about Aloth makes sense now! 😂). I do love that so many of the places had SO much space to explore, and on the whole, it did feel like a longer game (although, personally, I found POE2 richer/more engaging - I wish I could take the expansiveness of 1 and blend it into 2). There were lots of little things in 1 that I recognized from 2, which speaks to how much care I feel like went into these two games to make them very clearly not only the same world, but fit together as chapters in one epic story. The companions were incredibly interesting, and my main struggle was just how much I wanted all of them to be in my party, like all the time 😅 so I could complete all of thier stories. (Except Durance - I was trying so hard to figure out his deal, but, naw. Next playthrough, I'm fully going to leave that dude behind 😂). Very cool storylines to explore and choices to make, and most of the choices, even if they're smaller, still feel like they do have an actual impact on how things go (ie. reputation), which I love. I did find the amount of times I needed to travel via map and go back to the keep kind of annoying, and having to try and manage the Keep/visitors while out in the middle of other missions was a bit annoying too. But, that being said, I did also really like the ability to be able to send companions on little side quests and missons (complete with journal entries on how it went, rewards, and some companions were better suited for some missions than others). That was a really neat mechanic that I would've liked to have seen in POE2. POE2 was my introduction to games like this (and I was obsessed with it). POE 1 scratched the same itch and I really, really loved playing it!! Definitely recommend for anyone who fancies any D&D/fantasy style games (exploration and RP, action/combat and puzzles). I'll say 9/10 only because POE2's ship sailing/pirate mechanics are my FAV, but POE 1 was overall absolutely excellent, IMO.