Actually, MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus wanted to test the new Starfinder: Afterlight on Steam. He did – but due to something an NPC mentioned in passing, the desire for an old role-playing game suddenly resurfaced: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
As you may have already noticed, I am really looking forward to the upcoming Starfinder: Afterlight, a cRPG from a Spanish indie studio that has managed to get the help of Baldur’s Gate 3 star Neil Newbon.
Starfinder is the sci-fi version of Pathfinder, one of the biggest competitors to Dungeons & Dragons with a significantly more complex system. The world is completely crazy with the weirdest aliens you can imagine.
With Afterlight, the developers of Epictellers Entertainment are focusing primarily on companions and their stories, with an emphasis on narrative and the relationship between player and companion. This already caught my attention during the presentation, and I am in constant contact to absorb as much new information as possible.
We have now been invited to see some new features in advance and especially to play the upcoming playtest right now. There wasn’t much to do in the game yet and it is… still very raw, but I am still really excited. Starfinder: Afterlight knows exactly which buttons to push for me.
A single hint awakens beloved memories
The playtest is just that: a test in a very early stage of the game. In an hour or less, you can already get through the content available in the playtest:
- Three pre-made characters with fixed archetypes and weapons are available; character creation will come later.
- You get to know two of the companions, the
space grasshopper
Preach, actually G’og N’o (along with a cute, very awake larva), and Sterling. - There is a tutorial fight, a boss fight, and an optional fight.
- A small part of the city Akiton is available for exploration, as well as some information about the plot surrounding the missing captain Khali.
- A few smaller decisions lead to some alternative paths at least.
- The narrator, Roger Clark, who also voices Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption, plays a large part in the narrative.
However, in one of the first conversations, the bartender of the dive I go to right at the beginning dropped a single word that made me sit up straight: Iomedae. I clicked through the dialogue and started over just to make sure I heard it right.
A mouseover over the text field and the underlined word “Iomedae” confirms what I suspected: it is indeed about a goddess from the world of Pathfinder. And one that I know all too well.
Already 400 hours in Wrath of the Righteous, now it will be even more
Iomedae is one of the central figures in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and one of the possible patrons for a faithful player character – with appropriate hints in the game itself when you worship her.
For me, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is one of the absolute best role-playing games ever, even though it can be quite confusing for beginners due to its complexity. Actually, I have already completed the game twice and started several runs, but right after the playtest of Starfinder, I reinstalled it for a new run.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous offers an enormous amount of content that one cannot see in just one run because much depends on one’s own choices:
- There are different “mythical paths” that you can take, some of which can literally change the course of history.
- Evil, good, chaotic, and lawful actions affect how NPCs react to me and sometimes even how the town I manage looks. In my first run, for example, I was a lich and quite a few of my citizens were… not quite alive anymore.
- The behavior towards companions also plays a role, as does who I enter into a relationship with and who I don’t.
When I played my first run back then, I could hardly decide which path to follow. Meanwhile, I know the stories of the lich and the aeon – now my goal is to play a trickster who knows he is in a game and can take corresponding actions. I am really excited about that!
Starfinder evokes the right feeling, but is still quite raw
The reason I’m falling back into Pathfinder is not just the word “Iomedae.” Epictellers Entertainment has taken inspiration from the games of Owlcat and Larian, and you can definitely tell in the short playtest.
There are many familiar details, such as a visible die for tests and, of course, the UI that many cRPGs share. However, the atmosphere emanating from Starfinder immediately reminded me of Pathfinder – and also Rogue Trader as a science fiction inspiration.
Nevertheless, I didn’t stick with Starfinder but switched to Pathfinder. Why? The simple answer: because I have completed the test. There’s simply not much more to see yet. Plus, the game in its current state is still quite rough.
Fights are somewhat awkward because there are hardly any proper hotkeys; attacks must be performed manually by clicking on weapons and opponents. There is no tutorial, and you can’t save. And closing loot windows doesn’t work with escape, only with a click on a very small button, similar to annoying pop-up ads.
Epictellers definitely needs to work on these things, and this should serve as information for you: if you play the playtest yourself, don’t expect too much. Check out the world, but keep in mind that the game is still a long way from release. You can sign up for the playtest on Steam, which starts on March 19. Early access is still planned for this year.
I have to admit I have a bit of a bias toward Starfinder because I want this game to be good. Still, I am convinced that the gameplay is already on a good path and can become really strong with proper polish. Then again, I’ve only seen an hour of it and hope for more.
Until Starfinder finally comes out – or other role-playing games that I am eagerly waiting for – there is at least one new title that I will certainly someday check out, which could shorten your wait, Solasta 2: New role-playing game is perfect for evenings when your DnD group cancels
