There are very few games that get me writhing with anticipation. Even fewer can ruin my work day by sending an email that there is a new update being released. Focusing on work rather than investigating what new changes have been made is an agony of indescribable horror and suffering. Swen Vincke and the team at Larian Studios just put me through that.
If you've had the misfortune of not hearing about Divinity: Original Sin before now, then accept my pity. We've previously reviewed Divinity's 3D RPG counterpart, Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga. And we liked it quite a bit.
But Original Sin is completely different from a mechanical angle.
What is Divinity: Original Sin?
Divinity: Original Sin is an isometric RPG similar to Baldur's Gate and Ultima 7. It starts with two Source Hunters, customized how you want in standard RPG fashion, who've been sent to investigate a murder and arrive just in time to aid a town under assault from Orcs. The innovative design for co-op play, turn-based combat, and mutual player input on conversations adds to a captivating story.
Gameplay mechanics do a great job of recreating the feel of tabletop gaming. The designers put great thought into a game that mimics the creativity of players -- the system is designed to think as far out of the box as possible and aid creativity on the player's part. Electric spells interact with puddles of water to hurt anyone standing in it, water can put out fires, many random items can be combined in numerous ways to create, hopefully, something useful. Or, if it's anything like my D&D sessions, a potion of fireball...
The point is that the game works to emulate the interactivity found in tabletop games where you're not limited technologically and mechanically, and so far, Divinity does this well.
There is also a good amount of thought put into ways to kill off the player. This is something I've always appreciated, but maybe that's the evil DM in me. Clouds of gaseous vapors melted a very unfortunate team of mine into goo and reminded me of one of the numerous deaths Roger Wilco suffered under my control. It's also possible to obliterate the party with an ill-placed spell (don't fireball a door while you're trying to pick it). The game forces players to think, which is a welcome change from the mindless drivel many games put out.
Some of the features that make this game both fun and campy, intentionally so, include: playing rock, paper, scissors to decide who wins if your two characters have a disagreement; being able to wear a pot on your head for armor; talking to animals to solve problems; and selecting the underwear your characters wear. The humor in Original Sin is on par with the previous games.
So What's That About an Update?
The current update not only gave us an official release date but also implemented massive features, like an integrated community chat. This makes it easier to find someone to join in co-op mode or get questions answered.
Perhaps the best part of this update, for me, is the new music tracks that are included. Kirill Pokrovsky has done a great job of creating music to aid in transporting the players into a fascinating world. As a notorious multi-tasker – I'm often streaming movies or anime while playing games – it is very rare that a game is able to capture and hold my undivided attention. Divinity: Original Sin has definitely achieved this.
Original Sin is a must-have for fans of the series and of tabletop RPG mechanics. Moreover, it's a must-have for modders: Larian Studios plans to release the toolset they used to create the game. Attracting and enabling modders on day one is critical to the longevity of RPGs, as we've seen with the TES and Baldur's Gate series.
Like with Star Citizen, Larian Studios' Kickstarter campaign successfully raised the funds required to make the game. Crowd-sourcing allowed the team to create their vision without having to sacrifice to meet a publisher's quarterly demands, which caused problems with the release of Divinity 2.
Barring the typical behavior of Imps to blow up everything, there is an official release date set for June 20, 2014. The game is currently in an open beta and available on Steam.
Learn more here: http://www.divinityoriginalsin.com/
- Scott "Abibiliboop" Griffin.