Divinity: Original Sin II

This is a fantastic RPG, and a big improvement on the first Divinity: Original Sin. With a gripping storyline, imaginative settings and a thoroughly enjoyable cast of characters, your first playthrough is guaranteed to be a highly rewarding experience. The broad range of choices available to the player and the flexible class system will make it very likely that you won't just stop at one playthrough. I completed the game just a few days ago, and I'm already planning which characters and skills I want to invest in next time.

I highly recommend this to fans of tactical RPGs. The range of difficulties makes it accessible to players of all experience levels.

I first stumbled upon Divinity: Original Sin back in 2017, and let me tell you, it blew my mind. So when I discovered that the sequel was coming out in the same year, I was beyond excited. I couldn't wait, and I bought Divinity: Original Sin 2 on release day with high hopes.

Overall, I think this game is nearly as good as the first one, if not better in many respects. The story is more coherent and engaging, and the characters have far more personality and depth to them. Everything from the graphics to the music and sound design has seen a noticeable improvement. Plus, in terms of length, it matches the first title-if not exceeds it!

The plot kicks off with your character, a Sourcerer, getting captured by the Divine Order and shipped off to Fort Joy, an island prison. Everything changes when a colossal Kraken Voidwoken attacks, sinking the ship and leaving your character to fend for themselves. This is where the mysterious voice calling you "Godwoken" comes in, and soon enough, you're on a quest to unravel your purpose and save the realm from the Voidwoken menace. I won't spoil the rest, but trust me-there's plenty to keep you intrigued.

The gameplay remains familiar, packed with turn-based combat, adventure-style mechanics, and puzzles to solve. The levels are vast and complex, split into multiple chapters that keep the experience fresh.

What stood out to me the most were the characters I chose to accompany me on my journey. I went with the crossbow-wielding guy, the red lizard, and a mage. Each character was vivid and relatable, with their own backstories and quests. I have to give special mention to the red lizard; he was not only hilarious but also brilliantly acted. By the time I finished, I really felt like my crew had become my friends.

Now, in terms of gameplay difficulty, I did notice a difference. It felt a bit easier than the first game-though the challenge was still present. I found that I was usually at a higher level than my opponents. At one point, I accidentally revisited a particular location early on and racked up a hefty amount of experience before moving on. Maybe the developers didn't anticipate players doing that! But don't get me wrong-there were still boss fights that drove me up the wall. The puzzles were just as complex as in the first game (if not more so), and my characters each had unique abilities that contributed to the gameplay in interesting ways.

Graphically, the improvements are clear, and the music is a significant upgrade as well. You can tell that more resources went into the sound design this time around. The voice acting is also top-notch, enhancing the immersion considerably.

Now, I have to address why I feel like it's not quite as good as the original. There's always that sense of nostalgia and yearning for that original magic, which is hard to replicate. Another small annoyance was the restriction on backtracking to previous locations once you entered a new chapter-something that I appreciated in the first game.

In conclusion, despite a couple of minor hiccups, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is still a fantastic game. When I completed it, I felt a genuine sense of camaraderie with my squad. I'd confidently rate it a solid 9/10. If you're a fan of RPGs or enjoyed the first game, I can't recommend it enough!

Divinity: Original Sin II is the fifth game in the Divinity series, featuring high difficulty and a turn-based combat system. Similar to the first game in the series, the second game was re-developed by the Belgian development studio Larian. It's also worth noting that the development process was partially funded by a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. At the time, over 2 million dollars was raised.

Although the story takes place about a thousand years after the events described immediately after Beyond Divinity, the player is again transported to a fantasy world known as Rivellon. This time, however, the player takes on the role of a character who wields the power of the Source. The previous game put the player in control of two hunters who were after the masters of this forbidden magic.

The conflict between these two factions is still ongoing and the character controlled by the player is on the run from the representatives of the Order who are trying to pursue them. At the same time, the protagonist struggles to put an end to the crisis caused by the invasion of monsters from the Void that resulted from the death of the Divine. This entire setting also brings a different atmosphere than the first Original Sin offered, as it's noticeably heavier and more serious here.

This time the player begins to create a character representing one of the several races available. Another important innovation in the character creation process is that the player can add a background to their character's picture. They can also be male or female, depending on the hero's background, the inhabitants of the game world react to their presence in various ways and can even give them different tasks. As a result, the role-playing layer of the game is deeper than in the previous game and the problems put before the protagonist can be solved in more ways.

The second game further develops the mechanics from the previous games. The biggest changes are in the combat system, as the ability to climb platforms or towers has been added and the effect of heights on the characters' fighting abilities has been taken into account. Action points are calculated in a somewhat simplified way here, with most actions costing between 1 and 3 points to perform.

Also, the developers have added new skills and item combinations. A good use of these can tip the balance in favor of the player's victory in battle. The powers of the resource are another novelty worth mentioning. Although the player needs to find and refill special resource points to use these powers, the time invested in this is worth it as it gives you access to extremely powerful and dangerous abilities.

As with the previous game, the adventure can be experienced by up to four players. The relationship between groups of players can easily turn into individual rivalries as well. Apart from that, Larian Studios includes a separate online mode that places groups of four players against each other in creatively designed arenas. Participants take on the roles of predetermined characters and compete against each other in different variations of classic modes with names like capture the flag or king of the hill.

The second game uses an improved version of the engine used to make the first game, namely the Divinity Engine 3.0. This technology provides significantly better graphics than the previous Divinity game, apart from more advanced physics and DirectX 12 support. The game offers over 100 hours of gameplay with all side content. It also has different endings depending on the choices made by the player, so there's a good chance you'll play it again to see it all.

Finished my first play through 3 weeks ago and I am blown away by the level of detail in the story and characters I am already itching for another run of this fantastic RPG

This game has tons of content from character creation to player choice( The choices are expansive and help sell the world and the story). I found myself laughing quite often as well this game has such a great sense of humor (my lover at the reapers coast tavern made me laugh so much when it told me what happened to him after the game ended). The combat was great as well as classic turn-based combat with so much depth and options available to you in nearly every battle.

I loved this game from start to finish and I hope my review encourages someone to check this game at some point. And may I lift my glass to the developers of this game, Larian Studios I salute you proudly.

(Editors Note after 100% completion) This game still Kicks Ass after 180 hours and I am always looking for an excuse to dive back into the world of Rievllon.