Well over a decade ago, long before I was covering video games professionally, I backed the Obsidian project that would become Pillars of Eternity on Kickstarter, and it's been wonderful to see the world of the throwback RPG live on in Avowed. But as much as I enjoyed Avowed, it ain't Pillars 3, and a new interview with Pillars project director Josh Sawyer has me dreaming of the possibilities of what might happen if Obsidian ever properly returns to the series.
Both of the original Pillars of Eternity games were isometric games in a slightly modernized form of the same basic 2D style that powered classics like the original Baldur's Gate titles. Sawyer reckons that a third Pillars game might do well to build on the same kind of 3D environments that made the combat in Baldur's Gate 3 so engaging.
In an interview with Gamepressure, Sawyer teases what might happen if Obsidian had a "chance in the future" to make Pillars 3. "I've said this before and some people are really, really bummed out about it, but I think if we did go into a 3D environment, we could patch up one of the things that's really lacking," he explains.
"Because it is isometric, there's no sense of height, and the environment can't be that dynamic. When you compare it to something like BG3, you realise it's such a huge part of the appeal. I think, at some point, I would like to see a game that used all those Deadfire mechanics, plus more environmental mechanics, elevation hazards, and dynamic terrain stuff. That could be super-cool."
The Pillars series originally got started as a very direct throwback to old-school CRPGs, right down to their isometric 2D environments. I eat that stuff up, and it's easy to see why some fans might be disappointed if the hypothetical Pillars 3 had more modern environment designs. But equally, the three-dimensional combat environments were a huge part of what made BG3's battles so spectacular.
"Our team did an incredible job on Deadfire, for a number of reasons," Sawyer continues. "I think that a third game should be an isometric 3D with an environment more like Baldur's Gate 3; it would work. And I think that could be really awesome. It would be easier for us to make the art and be a lot more dynamic. I've said this before, so hopefully nobody will get mad [laughs]. I think there's a lot of cool stuff that we could do with it."
Sawyer has spoken about a hypothetical Pillars of Eternity 3 several times in the recent past, noting that he'd love a Baldur's Gate 3-level budget to make it happen. Maybe the success of Baldur's Gate 3 will help prove that the audience wants that kind of game, but in the meantime hopes are high for Avowed DLC to help keep the world alive.
There's a reason Pillars of Eternity still ranks among our list of the best RPGs ever made.
