Divinity: Original Sin Reviews
Boasting a huge open world to explore, over one hundred hours of gameplay and not even the slightest suggestion how it should be tackled, Divinity: Original Sin is remarkable. Will you be the stalwart hero or rob everybody blind and sell their stuff to merchants? There are so many different ways to do so many different things, from how to solve a particular quest to how to best tackle a group of enemies.
An incredibly deep and engaging RPG, Larian have delivered one of the finest RPGs of the last decade in a paean to player choice and freedom, all presented with the knowing smile and cheeky wink we've come to expect from them. Divinity: Original Sin might prove a little overwhelming for some, but old-school RPG fans will absolutely adore this.
The excellent Divinity: Original Sin isn't a look into the history of role-playing games, but instead a look into their future.
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.
Overall Larian has produced a real gem with Original Sin and a fitting addition to the Divinity franchise.
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.
Freeform, creative and compelling, despite the odd rough edge
But that's really the only big downside of the game. Divintiy: Original Sin shows for the rest that the pure computer role-playing games are alive again and that we can actually uncork the champagne for that fact.
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Despite some minor gripes, Divinity: Original Sin is easily one of the best RPGs in years and every hour I spend with it has it slowly climbing its way into my list of all time favorite RPGs.
A game that does well as a single-player RPG, and does well as a vast, exploration-based semi-open-world adventure, but excels at neither. Better than many of the RPGs in its ancestry, it nonetheless suffers from frustrating NPC engagement and lacks the intelligent storyline required to make it a classic of the genre.
Suffice it to say, there's absolutely nothing arousing about this game and yet it made me stop surfing for porn – for a bit. I'd call that one hell of an achievement.
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.
A potent, frustrating, demanding, amusing, tedious, exhilarating world unto itself.
Divinity: Original Sin is one of the deepest and most unforgettable games I've played all year
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.
Divinity: Original Sin is a classic RPG from top to bottom. Unfortunately some of those older elements could have used some extra polish and improvement. However, for those looking to relive the glory days of PC RPG's this is the game for you.
Divinity: Original Sin is likely to be an extremely polarizing game. While many hardcore RPG fans will love its old-school style and fans of innovation in gaming can find a lot to love in its creative character interaction and environmental damage systems, it also presents gamers with a tough ride right out of the gate.
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.
They may not make games like this anymore, but maybe they should. Larian's latest CRPG is a deeply satisfying turn-based adventure that rewards players with patience.
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.