Divinity: Original Sin

Disclaimer: I didn't finish the game - after few days of playing I found out that it's not getting better, so I dropped it. I hoped that would be the case, because the scores this game got. I stil don't see any reason for it to be scored so high.

Writing in this game is awful and lacking in this department should be enough for avoiding any RPG. It's adolescent humor, simplistic, cliche plot, dialogs that don't matter, but for some reason were not cut - it all really put me off. It was either boring or cringe-worthy. Random basic isekai anime has probably more character development and clever wordplay, not to mention more surprising plot-twists. I honestly didn't believe they went the way they did and laughed - there are probably worse ideas than their's, but it doesn't really play in D:OS favor.

There are good ideas introduced in the game, but they often are spoiled by how the game works (ie. Talking with animals or telekinesis).

Visually it's decent, nothing groundbreaking. It's ok, if a bit oversaturated and heavy-handed with contrast in brighter areas. Music is boring and generic tho.

I played a lot of cRPG, some titles multiple times, so it's not like I hate the genre or setting. There are great cRPGs out there and D:OS is just awfully overhyped trash heap with a shiny gem here and there. This would be such a waste of time, if I had to play it solo.

Character development is extremely slow and leveling up is very difficult. Naturally, you can't step into other parts of the map because you don't have enough levels. The turn-based battle system is extremely difficult and slow. I even had to install a mod to speed up the clunky animations in the game. There is an unfair system in dialogs. The results are randomly determined by the npc, usually with a rock, scissors and paper system. After reading so much dialog, researching the map, talking to NPCs, everything gets messed up. The main quest and side quests get mixed up. Even though what to do is indicated a little bit in the texts, this is very, very insufficient. You can't understand what to do and where to go. You just wander around the town. The section where you can look at the list of available missions in the game does nothing but confuse everything even more. I think it is very difficult to finish the game without any help from anywhere unless you look at the walkthrough and follow it. After all, what's the point of playing a game if you can't finish it by looking at a guide? You need to spend hours having fun without getting bored. I don't have time to waste my patience for this game. In short, the game has an unbalanced system within itself. It bored me so much that I couldn't continue any further. A game that started well became a hopeless case for me later on. When you compare this game to the second game, it doesn't feel like a sequel, nor do you realize if it was made by the same developer. The only similarity between them is their names and they have nothing else in common. It's a very amateurish job by Larian. They got over their inexperience when they were developing the second game, but I wish they would have released big updates later on that would have fixed the first game because I was really curious about the story. Even if I somehow finish this game, I can never consider it a successful game regardless of the terrible experiences it gives me. This is a really bad and unsuccessful game.

As a huge fan of turn-based RPGs, with favorites like Wasteland 2 and XCOM, I stumbled upon Divinity: Original Sin during a chilly January in 2017 while searching for a way to pass the time before my internship began. I was curious about returning to the genre but had never heard of this game, which released in 2014. Luckily, I found it at a bargain price and decided to give it a shot.

What an incredible decision that turned out to be! This game is genuinely one of the best I played throughout the 2010s.

The story revolves around two Source Hunters on a mission to eliminate a mysterious energy called Source from the world of Rivellon. What starts as a routine murder investigation quickly morphs into a grandiose adventure where the fate of the realm rests in your hands. As I launched into the game, I noticed that the developers were somewhat new to game creation, which made me lower my expectations a bit. I even recalled some of the bumps in gameplay and storytelling from the folks who made Wasteland 2. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the well-told narrative, despite my occasional confusion about the world-building-something often expected of players.

Now, let me tell you, this game is massive! I clocked in over 75 hours to complete it, and that's without doing every side quest. The multiple chapters and areas are hand-crafted, with no pesky procedural generation to be found. The story branches based on your choices and actions, adding depth to every decision you make.

Gameplay-wise, it's a delightful blend of adventure, turn-based combat, and puzzle solving. One aspect I loved was the overwhelming freedom in how quests could be approached. The teleport pyramids to move my party around felt a bit like a cheat at times but added a cool layer of strategy. The combat often proved challenging too; I had to study my enemies' tactics and weaknesses to emerge victorious. Finding the right dialogue options was equally rewarding and played a crucial role in progressing through quests. I appreciated the expansive upgrade system, which even allowed me to communicate with animals-this came in handy for gaining insights and uncovering hidden gems in the narrative!

I journeyed with a party of four characters, always ensuring to have a healer on hand. While my crew wasn't dripping with personality, I still found myself emotionally attached to them and protective enough to want them to survive. The side quests were engaging, and every encounter with a new character brought something fresh to the story.

One of my favorite aspects was the ability to revisit previous areas. I often found myself wandering back to town squares to stock up on items I knew I'd need from vendors I had encountered before.

Graphically, the game is serviceable and holds up well, given that it's isometric and dated. Stellar visuals are secondary to gameplay in this genre, and the music perfectly complemented the mood of various settings. I made it a point to search every corner for potential loot and hidden quests, reveling in the depth of world-building.

Overall, Divinity: Original Sin proved to be incredibly addictive-I completed it entirely within that January. Honestly, it helped me through a less-than-happy chapter in my life, and despite some brief moments of frustration, my investment in the game kept pushing me forward.

In my eyes, this game deserves a solid 10/10. If you love turn-based RPGs, do yourself a favor and dive into the world of Rivellon. You won't regret it!