Owlcats in Cologne - Our Gamescom Impressions
Posted by Berserkerkitten
Dear Pathfinders!
Did you know we had a booth at this year's Gamescom? While our studio head Oleg and our creative director Alexander were busy showing our game to the press, I was at our booth every day to meet the community, talk to the fans and help curious testers through the prologue of Pathfinder: Kingmaker.
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne is fun! I was born in Germany, but I haven't been there in nearly a decade and I've never been to Cologne at all. I went to the cathedral, which is as stunning as it is creepy. I also walked across the Hohenzollernbrücke. This bridge has been decorated with countless padlocks, left there by couples as a symbol of their love. They write their names and a date on the lock, then toss the key into the river Rhine.
Our booth
Gamescom was intense, to say the least! Our humble little booth offered space for ten testers. It was nice and cozy and we figured it'd be more than adequate, seeing as isometric CRPGs aren't exactly mainstream material. Yeah, about that...
Our ten seats were filled in minutes, then people were starting to queue up to get their chance to play. We gave everyone 30 minutes, which should be just enough time to create a character and experience the prologue, but after a while the queue got so big that we had to trim down play time to 20 minutes. That's a bit cruel, because it really isn't a lot of time to get into a game of this kind, but such is the nature of Gamescom.
Look at all these people!
That was on Tuesday, where only press and exhibitors were allowed in. By Wednesday our queue got so big, we had to ask some people to come back later. I shook hands with quite a few Kickstarter backers and it was really great to meet them in person. Two testers showed up in full armor! They had layers of leather, fur, chain mail and metal plates. It was an incredibly warm and humid day, the halls were packed with hot and sweaty people, but by some miracle, these hunky knights didn't seem bothered by their gear at all. One of them told me they're firemen, so they're used to heat and heavy gear. We chatted for quite some time and he bravely spoke to me in English the entire time, so I humored him and responded in English, as well. I didn't have the heart to tell him he could have talked to me in German.
You will never be this hardcore
One day this young lady in a Diablo shirt showed up. She didn't start with the prologue, but loaded a savegame we offered to testers, who wanted to see the game from a little further in. She battled her way through Trobold, quietly chuckling to herself each time she exploded a bunch of monsters into a shower of bloody chunks with powerful spells. She absolutely destroyed everything, kept highlighting for interactive items and hidden loot, disabled traps and bravely fought all the way to the big showdown at the end of the dungeon. I was in absolute awe at how insanely skilled she was! I have watched lots of people play our game at Gamescom and during our focus testing stage, but never like this. She was in a completely different league. Years of practice in Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, she told me. I salute you, brave Pathfinder! Watching you play was an incredible sight to behold!
People came from distant worlds
I made lots of new friends during my week in Cologne. There were Basti and Fabi, who only wanted to take a quick look at our game, then stayed to chat for over two hours. They fed me Pringles and gummy bears. Our armored fireman came back with a present - he gave me a d20 as a thank you for the fun time we had at the booth. I'll be sure to use it the next time I play tabletop Pathfinder. And then the good folks of the
Insert Moin Podcast gave us their 120% badge. If you understand German and you enjoy gaming podcasts, be sure to check them out! Thank all of you so, so much for taking the time to check us out, for your kind words and your generous gifts. You made Gamescom absolutely unforgettable.
Make kings, not Warcraft
Of course I couldn't go to Gamescom without checking out a few games and meeting a few people, myself. I saw the incredible Chris Huelsbeck at the Factor 5 booth, spotted the slugs from Prepare to Try, beat the asylum demon in the Switch port of Dark Souls and wiped the floor with three random strangers in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I spent my last night in Cologne stuffing my face with all the German snacks and treats I've been missing for all these years, because I can't get them in the UK. I made myself very, very sick. Totally worth it!
I'm a pig, but I regret nothing.
I had an incredible week in Cologne. But there's no time to rest - I'm already packing for my trip to Seattle. Next stop: PAX West! I can't wait to meet more of you guys. Bring snacks!
Hail to the Kings!
Berserkerkitten
Community Manager
Owlcat Games
