Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Valentine's Day Update

Originally Posted by Redglyph

Spoiler

Do you mean Arueshalae is less quirky than Camellia? That would say a lot

Yes, I'd say Camellia is a lot more quirky than Arueshalae

Not a fan of Camelia at all. I'd kill her if I had the chance.

Otherwise I like most of the characters and looking forward to all the relationships and romances and questing with them.

Originally Posted by Pladio
I've never really been one for in-game romances. I don't find they add anything to my game, but I do understand why others may enjoy them.

I do follow one through once on a while to see how it goes, but it's never been something I look forward to.

I used to think I just didn't like romances, but a handful of games have shown me that it's not romances I mind, per se, it's the romances that we actually tend to get. They're often so poorly done. I'd still rather not have them than have terrible ones, but if the writers are up to it, it can be a cool part of the story/character development.

The thing with romances in these games is that they are scripted to happen. Most of the time it's obvious what you have to say or do to get someone's "favour", and it is so in such a manner, that players already check out beforehand the steps they need to take to pursue the waifu or husbando of their choice and just go from event to event like a checklist to make it happen.

So it becomes a kind of immersion-breaking side-feature that only exists to grant some sense of "conquest", or perhaps "bonding" with something that was scripted to be conquered. With that said, a videogame couldn't do any better, so if the writing is good and the romance makes sense, I'm happy to experience it as one more part of the story.

If I have criticism on the topic, is that the romanceable characters should remain undisclosed until a while after the final release, or at least keep it as something you have to look for rather than shoving a fancy news post on the front page about it. I would have rather stumbled onto something fun and unexpected as a consequence of my choices and actions than being presented a list of the prospects for me to choose as if I was going to have dinner in a restaurant and I was just picking from the menu. That just makes it the more immersion-breaking and trivial thing to pursue.

Originally Posted by Nereida
If I have criticism on the topic, is that the romanceable characters should remain undisclosed until a while after the final release, or at least keep it as something you have to look for rather than shoving a fancy news post on the front page about it.

I agree, but that doesn't help sell copies.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I agree, but that doesn't help sell copies.

People on discords been tearing their hair apart trying to figure out which ones are romance options lol.

I also prefer not knowing the candidates beforehand but as you said, I think its one of the selling points now.

Originally Posted by JFarrell71
I used to think I just didn't like romances, but a handful of games have shown me that it's not romances I mind, per se, it's the romances that we actually tend to get. They're often so poorly done. I'd still rather not have them than have terrible ones, but if the writers are up to it, it can be a cool part of the story/character development.

Yep, just like with every other feature.

Originally Posted by Nereida
If I have criticism on the topic, is that the romanceable characters should remain undisclosed until a while after the final release, or at least keep it as something you have to look for rather than shoving a fancy news post on the front page about it. I would have rather stumbled onto something fun and unexpected as a consequence of my choices and actions than being presented a list of the prospects for me to choose as if I was going to have dinner in a restaurant and I was just picking from the menu. That just makes it the more immersion-breaking and trivial thing to pursue.

Yep, I did that for CP77. I haven't read anything about romance options and thus it came really naturally during the game. I didn't know who the other options were until after finishing the game.

Unfortunately for WotR I already failed here.
But I don't decide who to romance before playing.

Yeah, I prefer to know them a little before deciding. Actually, I'd prefer that to be a surprise and a spontaneous interaction. I'm not convinced that such a display really makes a difference in sales, and guides will reveal the content soon enough but at least you can choose not to know, same as the main plot. Just knowing it's in there and that there are several options should be enough IMHO.

Got a few clear hints in a dialog with Galfrey, so it may already be in the beta. I turned down those answers though, they felt like lying for the purpose of romance (nothing outrageous, don't worry), mostly I'm just not sure about her. I'm also curious to see if other lines will be offered later