Divinity Original Sin 2 Review – The new benchmark for CRPGs

Developed by Larian Studios, Divinity Original Sin 2 is an increadible leap forward, not only for the series, but for RPGs in general.

Debuting back in 2014, the original Divinity was a refreshingly intricate and non-restrictive CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game). The game was reminiscent of CRPGs of yonder, but brought seemlessly into the modern age. The game had so much depth, 2 player coop and one of the best combat systems seen in gaming. If the game had managed to create a narrative as engaging as other CRPGs then it would have blown everything else out of the water.

So in walks Divinity Original Sin 2, and oh boy is it something special.

So what makes Divinity so special? Divinity feels like a game of Dungeons and Dragons come to life. The freedom and depth on offer is insane, and yet the systems put in place are so intuitive and fun that you don’t feel overburdened or inconvenienced. The story is much better than the original (though, still not perfect), the entirety of the game is voice acted, and the combat is just pure bliss. It’s a smart advancement on the already fantastic Divinity 1 combat and honestly I couldn’t fault it for trying. But I’ll gush more about that a bit later. Let’s start with the basics.

Jumping into a game of Divinity you’ll get to choose from a set of pre-created Origin Characters or you can make your own from scratch. Origin Characters will all have special interactions with the world, and NPCs will treat them accordingly.

I played my first game as a royal lizard creature who specialises in close-quarters combat but also possesses the ability to metamorph. Metamorphs can shift their bodies into varying forms, growing a tentacle for a long range slap, growing bull horns and charging into battle or sprouting wings and leaping around the battlefield, for instance.

The narrative sees you held captive on a ship heading to a detainment camp because you are what is known as a Sourcerer. Sourcerers are feared by many of the world because you possess the ability to use powerful Source magic. Another Sourcerer on your ship escapes captivity, murders her captives and flees. Her use of Source magic triggers the arrival of Source Woken who now pursue you and the other Source Hunters. Your ship goes down, but the world isn’t finished with you yet and you wash up on the shore of the very detainment camp that was to be your ships destination. Your task now is to escape the camp, find out who ordered your detainment, fend off Source Woken and other foes, and find out who the evil Source Hunter is, among like… hundreds of other quests.

Questing is organic and non-mandatory. Divinity isn’t a trope of a video game. There aren’t quest givers with giant exclamation marks above their heads, there aren’t quest logs that tell you exactly what to do and where to go, and the world doesn’t stop to wait for you. Shit keeps moving with or without you. That NPC who just asked you to help isn’t going to wait for you to do 100 other things first, he is going to move on. You are not the centre of this universe, you could come across a quest-giver murdered because your slow ass didn’t get there in time to save them. And it is such a bold and refreshing way to handle things. Not to mention there are often a range of different methods to complete any given quest. Of course there is still a main narrative here and some things won’t change, but Divinity manages to feel so variable and organic and not video-gamey at all.

Now, the combat. Divinity’s combat is genuinely one of if not the best turn-based combat systems I have ever seen. With up to 4 characters to control going up against a bevy of enemies, things can get very dynamic and interesting. Your team of 4 is presumably very different from one another with different strengths, weaknesses, abilities and play-styles. Not to mention the unknown variables that come from the enemies you’re up against. Divinity finds a way to be incredibly engaging and strategic. Figuring out the best way to use your squad cohesively and react to your enemies is very satisfying. The game is hard but it’s absolutely beatable if you are playing smart. The amount of interesting and creative interactions your characters can have with one another during combat makes for an intense and powerful feeling of gratification, and watching your enemies do the same is equal parts scary and awe-inspiring. Divinity Original Sin 2 just has so many options with so many different abilities impacting on one another that you are left with a diverse, engaging and adaptive fight that plays differently every time. I simply can’t get enough of it.

The new additions to Divinity 2’s combat includes high ground advantage and magic / physical armour. These are some very smart inclusions into the game and make what was an already fantastic combat system even better. The way Larian have made the physical space of a battle more interesting is also very commendable. It’s something I didn’t even know I wanted coming out of Divinity 1, but it makes things much more exciting.