Divinity: Original Sin Reviews
With more than 80 hours of gameplay and a toolkit to create your own levels Divinity: Original Sin harks back to the golden age of single player RPGs. This is a very good thing.
When I play Divinity: Original Sin, I'm back in my parents' study, gleefully skipping homework as I explore the vast city of Athkatla. I'm overstaying my welcome at a friend's house, chatting to Lord British. And it's not because the game is buying me with nostalgia, but because it's able to evoke the same feelings: that delight from doing something crazy and watching it work, the surprise when an inanimate object starts talking to me and sends me on a portal-hopping quest across the world. There's whimsy and excitement, and those things have become rare commodities. Yet Divinity: Original Sin is full of them.
Technical issues aside, this enhanced re-release of one of our favorite games of recent memory is worth a buy.
A game any true RPG fan should be impatient to play.
A potent, frustrating, demanding, amusing, tedious, exhilarating world unto itself.
Eventually Divinity: Original Sin might find it's most blissful balance, but right now it really needs to be considered a work in progress.
Divinity: Original Sin provides endless opportunities for you to play the game how you want. You can spend hours doing nothing but talking to NPCs, or you can venture off into the wildness slaughtering every beast you come across. The inclusion of cooperative play allows for you and a friend to go on an adventure together. At first I was overwhelmed by the complete freedom in the game, as many games tend to handhold players for the first few hours. Expect to spend well over 50 hours with your characters, and that's even without doing everything the game offers.
If there's ever been a time to throw out the words "Indie" or "Developed on a budget" then now is the time. As it proves that time, effort, fan feedback, and passion, are more important than high budgets, annual recycling, scripted Hollywood aesthetics, and glorified tech demos.
Freeform, creative and compelling, despite the odd rough edge
It feels like there's a very good game inside Divinity: Original Sin, but it's hidden away behind a thousand glitches and gameplay problems. At its core there lies an enjoyable experience, and those brave enough to reach it will likely sing its praises. If you're willing to battle through obscure systems, poorly designed menus, gameplay issues, a legion of bugs and glitches, and poor support from Larian Studios, you just might find something worth playing. For most, however, it will be a different story. Video games are a form of entertainment, but unfortunately, as the problems mount and mount, this one veers more towards frustration than entertainment. Ultimately, it's difficult to recommend any game which provides more negative moments than positive ones, and that is precisely the kind of game you'll find in Divinity: Original Sin.
Divinity: Original Sin is an homage to a RPG style that as long since faded, with the genre now flooded with overblown storylines and photorealistic cinematics. Yet there is still a strong audience that has been clinging to the hope that a quality turn-based fantasy would reappear. Larian Studios has delivered on our wishes by providing a world ripe for discovery, and gameplay that gives as much freedom and roleplaying options as we could ever hope for.
While in my opinion it has a few flaws that hold it back from true all-time-classic status Divinity: Original Sin is an excellent, beautifully designed and engaging RPG that absolutely never gets boring.
Divinity: Original Sin might not be an instant classic, but it certainly feels like one at times. During parts of my playthrough I felt as though I was replaying Baldur's Gate, without the terrible graphics and archaic mechanics, but I don't know if it was truly unique enough to be remembered like the games it was attempting to emulate. It's going to please a lot of experienced RPG gamers and those that love a challenge, but with virtually no hand holding and punishing combat mechanics it's going to turn off the more casual player base.
However, it's by no means a terrible game. There's a ridiculous amount of fun to be had with combat alone if you can look past these issues. There's even a co-op mode that will add some re-playability. Nonetheless, Larian Studios had plenty of ambition with this game, but just couldn't live up to the hype.
Overall Larian has produced a real gem with Original Sin and a fitting addition to the Divinity franchise.
If I was Swen Vincke, I'd make sure to work on this engine and release a few more games using the same exact gameplay scheme. What he has here is the basis for a very lucrative new (old?) breed of CRPG and it would be criminal to not take advantage of it. Original Sin is his masterpiece, and with it he has filled a void that a lot of old school RPGers came to Kickstarter looking for. Congratulations Larian, you did the impossible. Now make more.
But such trifling concerns really don't deserve your attention. This is a modern RPG classic that screams for your attention if you have even a passing interest in the genre. Clever, in-depth, engrossing and just utterly wonderful.
With its rich story, compelling characters, and wealth of different ways to approach any situation, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a title that plants its flag in the tactical RPG genre and stands heads and tails above its competitors. Requiring plenty of patience to learn the game mechanics and to absorb the immense amount of story thrown at the player; this title may not be for everyone but if you're willing to invest the time this title is one that will be played over and over for years to come.
Divinity: Original Sin is a detailed and engrossing RPG with great combat and a healthy dose of charm, but the weak central narrative, goofy tone and myriad moments where you don't know what to do or where to go greatly mar the experience.
It might have its limitations, but it's still probably the best modern rendition of a classic PC role-playing game, one that is born out of love, and one that will surely stoke long-dormant passions for the genre, as well as spark some new ones.