Larian Studios has been around for a long time. We’ve seen some great RPGs from the small Belgian developer over the years, but nothing like Divinity: Original Sin. It’s the Divinity series’ first cRPG stylized game, with a strong emphasis on text dialog and exploration. It might be classically inspired, but it’s the best modern game from the series yet.
Divinity: Original Sin is a cRPG with an isometric camera angle. Despite the first impression that its combat will probably be like Diablo and other hack and slash titles, it’s actually turn based. You can see enemies within the game world, and once you walk close enough to them battle begins without a loading screen or interruption. You control up to four characters (two of which you create yourself) on a battlefield, moving around on a grid-less plane while using melee attacks and spells to conquer foes.
Although the combat is simple in its execution, it layers in elemental mechanics and objects to add functional complexity. For example, you can summon rain and then cast ice spells to freeze enemies. Alternatively, you can toss oil near an explosive barrel and then detonate it to light enemies ablaze. Paying attention to your surrounding both offensively and defensively is the most important ingredient to success.
Combat is arguably the game’s greatest asset. It’s tactical, and encounters are challenging, requiring careful decision making. Frankly, no matter how how good you are at strategy games you’re bound to lose a few battles. However, it isn’t perfect. Engagement distance isn’t particularly well-defined, and a tile design would have made actions more dependable. There are times where you think you’re in melee range, but you’re not. Similarly, spell range is extremely hard to decide with just a number. Nonetheless, these are mere blemishes on what is one of the most well-executed modern RPG combat systems.
At the beginning of Dinivity you’re able to design two characters. As with many cRPGs, you have a lot of control over the definition of your main characters; you can set their skills, stats, name, and visual design. Only the visual design suffers from a limited number of options. You’ll want to think carefully about how you design your characters, because the game’s grueling difficulty will punish you if you aren’t at least close to being optimized.
On that topic, there are some significant balance issues in Divinity. At launch, offensive Wizards are ferocious at low levels, and then two-handed Warriors become unstoppable around mid-game. Rangers and Rogues are fun to play, but very underwhelming. This is something that could be fixed in a post-launch patch, but for now your builds and composition design will have a major effect on your experience.
Related: 5 Reasons to Check Out Divinity: Original Sin
The loot is similarly unbalanced. Rarely do you find an item worth equipping. Instead, you’ll find rare items, even legendaries, with horrible stats. This is due to the items being randomized, which results in your party’s effectiveness being at the mercy of RNG. No matter how great of an adventurer or combatant you are, you’re never guaranteed strong items.
Divinity‘s main story arch isn’t particularly interesting. Instead, the game derives much of its value from its armada of side quests. There are tons of unique stories and encounters to take part in that are made significant by fantastic writing. In a way, it feels reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in that it’s very easy to get lost in the world.
The quest structure is where a lot of Divinity‘s classical RPG influence shows; it makes almost no effort to hold your hand. For many players, dialog between characters will offer enough of a hint to point you in the right direction. For some, the experience evolves to become one where you boldly venture out and see what you stumble upon, sometimes leading to quick death.
At times, Divinity is unreasonably unfriendly. If you’ve never played a cRPG before, you’re in for a difficult time. This is one of those games that requires a lot of thought despite not being a puzzle game at heart, and regular referencing of material on the internet is the norm. It doesn’t help that early on the game pushes you into a multi-hour mission that is vague and combat-less.
What comes across as a big negative is actually one of Divinity‘s strengths, though. The sense of adventure in games has long deteriorated as they’ve become commercialized. Divinity might be a crick in the back at times, but you’ll stumble across interesting situations and take part in well-designed side stories often enough that you’ll hopefully remain invested.
The great presentation helps in making Divinity a place you can become immersed. Grass flows with the wind, and torches cast light across pitch black caverns. Environments are varied, making the lengthy journey one without a feeling of repetition. There’s even a great variety of enemy types, which vary in strengths and weaknesses you must adapt to—especially the menacing bosses. Made better, the UI is arguably the best we’ve seen from the genre, and the soundtrack is epic.
The co-op side of the game is an alluring second option for enjoying the game. You can start a brand-new adventure with a friend and make your own characters. The only shortcoming is that you can’t progress without one another, so choose your partner wisely. If you aren’t up for that but still want to socialize, there are lobbies you can create and join. There’s also a prevalent modding community, which could be a deciding factor for some.
Despite being unquestionably polarizing, Divinity: Original Sin is a romantic game. Once it lays its arms upon you with countless missions and endearing combat, it’s hard to let go. Soon you’ll find yourself investing up to 100 hours in its world provided you’re willing to overlook its shortcomings.
If nothing else, Divinity: Original Sin shows that cRPGs can exist in a world where on-rails experiences are the best-sellers, and be really good at it. It’s unfortunate that its design is missing polish, making the game extremely unwelcoming and unbalanced. However, if you miss the days where Baldur’s Gate was the rage, and games still had a sense of adventure, then Divinity: Original Sin will surprise you.
Copy not provided by publisher. Divinity: Original Sin is exclusive to PC.
