This is the best turn based/tactical RPG I have ever played, without a doubt. The world truly feels vast and lived in. Every NPC you encounter has something to say and a few items to trade. Every corner of the map is filled with details, loot to find, enemy encounters (often with their own small mini stories and motivations), and fun interactions. You'll find a random statue in the wild, you discover you can solve a small puzzle to interact with it, and boom, it's one of the most memorable and funny parts of the game, just out there, randomly in the wild. You could have easily missed it (and I am sure many does!). Small things like this really make every moment feel special.
The story is filled with interesting characters, with their own motivations, stories, history, and have their own things going on completely detached from what the player is doing, making the world feel a lot larger than what you see. You'll help these characters, they will help you, and depending on your choices, and the people you help, the crew you make, the story will change.
It all feels larger than the sum of its parts, and there are a lot of parts.
The combat revolves around an "Action Points" (AP) economy system, and a special armor system where you can deplete either someone's magic armor or physical armor. This means that different encounters feel more unique, as a mage enemy might be really strong against magic, but weak against physical hit, it makes every encounter feel unique. There are many fun combos and synergies you can discover, and sometimes it really feels like you are cheating, only for the game to throw yet another curve ball at you, making what was previously an "insane combo, the devs probably didnt think you'd be able to do this" into a "Oh yeah, I totally need this, the enemy combos are way stronger!".
There is something so satisfying about doing a combo like "Okay, I will save some AP for the next turn, then the turn after I can do a move that spawns blood under me, making my blood moves stronger, then I can hit them with a move that removes their armor, then a move that makes them bleed, then finally a move that uses that blood to totally destroy them". It all synergizes so well, and the more you look into it, the better it gets.
With you being able to spec into as many classes as you want and learn pretty much any spell you can imagine, there are countless of ways to play the game, and a ton of strategies for you to discover. You can't see it all in one playthrough. For example, I used a combo that made it so when enemies walk, they take very heavy damage, then I used another spell to make them "Terrified", which will force them to run away on their next turn. These combos belong to different classes, and there are plenty of examples like these ones, there is so much to discover, use and abuse.
You can play as an assortment of different characters (or make your own), all of which have different main stories, different interactions with characters, and ways to play the game. Your party can be 4 of these characters, or you can make your own party from hired characters you find in the game. Depending on the characters in your party, characters will react differently to you. Some places might not welcome an undead character, while others may let you pass because one of your characters are a royal lizard. Some will straight up pick fights with you because you are an elf, and if you were to talk to that same character with a different character they might be all friendly and even have a quest for you. The world truly reacts differently to your characters, which is fun and must have taken a lot of development time.
All of this on top of a fantastic skill system, crafting system, exploration, character affinity, stealth systems and more. It is a complete video game, that has all the video game things, maybe except for the now common DLCs and Microtransactions (remember when those were controversial?). There is so much to this game that I know for a fact that if I were to play it again, I would have a whole different experience, despite my 170 hours of playtime.
For example, I barely engaged with the crafting system in the game, and the few times I did use it, I found I could craft incredibly powerful armor.
The only thing really holding this game back is some quality of life for certain things. There are many small frustrations all over the game, and they can sometimes add up. You have an endlessly large inventory with things you need to keep "just in case" (after all, did you use that key yet or was that for something you'll need in the future?), but no search bar. Some characters especially in the town squares repeat the same voicelines way too quickly, truly making them feel like bots, and sometimes the combat can be quite frustrating because the game does not properly predict what will happen (it might say your move costs 1 AP, but it spends 2, meaning you can't afford to do your move). Furthermore, enemies sometimes just cheat. They straight up don't follow normal game mechanics like cooldown for moves, or they can't be stunned despite not having stun immunity, or they can't be targeted from where you're standing but they can target you. It can sometimes make the game feel frustrating. This is mixed with the game giving you very exciting abilities near the end, which you never get to use. For example, near the end I received a "Control Voidwoken" spell, but I only ever encountered Voidwoken twice after that point, which was a huge shame.
My main other gripe with the game, which is quite funny considering I spent 170 hours to beat the game, is that there isn't more of it. I really wanted more, and I wish they would spend more time to flesh out certain aspects of the game. You have seen and probably learned all the spells you will need by the time you're halfway through the game. I wish the game would let you discover more spells as you get stronger. Some spells also require you to multi class, but it's literally "ehh, put two points into this other class".
Some story elements also get glossed over a bit near the end. There is a huge voidwoken build up and attack, but you don't really see any voidwoken. They tease you with giant voicwoken you never get to fight, and you almost have to wonder what happened to them all considering theyre a world wide threat. A certain important story character you meet near the end of the game is also just... glossed over. You have one conversation with them, then you fight, then the game is over. For such an important character it is very weird that they get so little screen time. I wish there was more. And hopefully there will be more in a Divinity 3.
My gripes aside, this is still such a fantastic game, and Larian have shown that they are truly the masters of turn based RPGs. My dream Larian game would be a game with Divinity's combat, but with even more spells, mixed with Baldur's Gate's cinematic camera and quality of life features like a searchable inventory.
Needless to say, this game is absolutely fantastic, I recommend it to all.
The story is filled with interesting characters, with their own motivations, stories, history, and have their own things going on completely detached from what the player is doing, making the world feel a lot larger than what you see. You'll help these characters, they will help you, and depending on your choices, and the people you help, the crew you make, the story will change.
It all feels larger than the sum of its parts, and there are a lot of parts.
The combat revolves around an "Action Points" (AP) economy system, and a special armor system where you can deplete either someone's magic armor or physical armor. This means that different encounters feel more unique, as a mage enemy might be really strong against magic, but weak against physical hit, it makes every encounter feel unique. There are many fun combos and synergies you can discover, and sometimes it really feels like you are cheating, only for the game to throw yet another curve ball at you, making what was previously an "insane combo, the devs probably didnt think you'd be able to do this" into a "Oh yeah, I totally need this, the enemy combos are way stronger!".
There is something so satisfying about doing a combo like "Okay, I will save some AP for the next turn, then the turn after I can do a move that spawns blood under me, making my blood moves stronger, then I can hit them with a move that removes their armor, then a move that makes them bleed, then finally a move that uses that blood to totally destroy them". It all synergizes so well, and the more you look into it, the better it gets.
With you being able to spec into as many classes as you want and learn pretty much any spell you can imagine, there are countless of ways to play the game, and a ton of strategies for you to discover. You can't see it all in one playthrough. For example, I used a combo that made it so when enemies walk, they take very heavy damage, then I used another spell to make them "Terrified", which will force them to run away on their next turn. These combos belong to different classes, and there are plenty of examples like these ones, there is so much to discover, use and abuse.
You can play as an assortment of different characters (or make your own), all of which have different main stories, different interactions with characters, and ways to play the game. Your party can be 4 of these characters, or you can make your own party from hired characters you find in the game. Depending on the characters in your party, characters will react differently to you. Some places might not welcome an undead character, while others may let you pass because one of your characters are a royal lizard. Some will straight up pick fights with you because you are an elf, and if you were to talk to that same character with a different character they might be all friendly and even have a quest for you. The world truly reacts differently to your characters, which is fun and must have taken a lot of development time.
All of this on top of a fantastic skill system, crafting system, exploration, character affinity, stealth systems and more. It is a complete video game, that has all the video game things, maybe except for the now common DLCs and Microtransactions (remember when those were controversial?). There is so much to this game that I know for a fact that if I were to play it again, I would have a whole different experience, despite my 170 hours of playtime.
For example, I barely engaged with the crafting system in the game, and the few times I did use it, I found I could craft incredibly powerful armor.
The only thing really holding this game back is some quality of life for certain things. There are many small frustrations all over the game, and they can sometimes add up. You have an endlessly large inventory with things you need to keep "just in case" (after all, did you use that key yet or was that for something you'll need in the future?), but no search bar. Some characters especially in the town squares repeat the same voicelines way too quickly, truly making them feel like bots, and sometimes the combat can be quite frustrating because the game does not properly predict what will happen (it might say your move costs 1 AP, but it spends 2, meaning you can't afford to do your move). Furthermore, enemies sometimes just cheat. They straight up don't follow normal game mechanics like cooldown for moves, or they can't be stunned despite not having stun immunity, or they can't be targeted from where you're standing but they can target you. It can sometimes make the game feel frustrating. This is mixed with the game giving you very exciting abilities near the end, which you never get to use. For example, near the end I received a "Control Voidwoken" spell, but I only ever encountered Voidwoken twice after that point, which was a huge shame.
My main other gripe with the game, which is quite funny considering I spent 170 hours to beat the game, is that there isn't more of it. I really wanted more, and I wish they would spend more time to flesh out certain aspects of the game. You have seen and probably learned all the spells you will need by the time you're halfway through the game. I wish the game would let you discover more spells as you get stronger. Some spells also require you to multi class, but it's literally "ehh, put two points into this other class".
Some story elements also get glossed over a bit near the end. There is a huge voidwoken build up and attack, but you don't really see any voidwoken. They tease you with giant voicwoken you never get to fight, and you almost have to wonder what happened to them all considering theyre a world wide threat. A certain important story character you meet near the end of the game is also just... glossed over. You have one conversation with them, then you fight, then the game is over. For such an important character it is very weird that they get so little screen time. I wish there was more. And hopefully there will be more in a Divinity 3.
My gripes aside, this is still such a fantastic game, and Larian have shown that they are truly the masters of turn based RPGs. My dream Larian game would be a game with Divinity's combat, but with even more spells, mixed with Baldur's Gate's cinematic camera and quality of life features like a searchable inventory.
Needless to say, this game is absolutely fantastic, I recommend it to all.
This game absolutely blew my mind back when i played it back in 2019, it had so many possibilities and you could do whatever you wanted to in order to complete the quests, as killing important npcs or finding different ways to overcome the problems.
Everything was almost perfect, from the characters to the world.
I would have prefered a little more complexity in the builds, and the story could have been a little better, but those were only minor problems, and they also got solved in Larian's next game. Cheers.
Everything was almost perfect, from the characters to the world.
I would have prefered a little more complexity in the builds, and the story could have been a little better, but those were only minor problems, and they also got solved in Larian's next game. Cheers.
Divinity 2 é o CRPG com mais conteúdo que já vi, seja no combate ou no storytelling. É um jogo ambicioso que trouxe um design multiplayer no gênero totalmente diferenciado, permitindo jogadores darem freeroaming e fazerem missões quase como um MMO
Brilliant immersive-sim-like RPG with oh so many possibilities, interesting quests and well written characters
Ultra viciante y entretenido. Podría jugarlo horas y nunca me cansaría
I recognize this is a good CRPG, it just never clicked with me.
it got me super sucked in for a while but the story feels like its building up really hard to an awesome ending and then you realize its just the end of act 2 and now theres like a whole city section? i dont even think i finished this bc baldurs gate 3 came out LOL but i liked it
Overall:Great
Rating: B++/S++
"Deep dialogues with several possibilities that can affect your destiny others no longer affect so much this is something that this game take from the fallout franchise that we have a lot of this long dialogues with many choices and characters that affect our gameplay but it has a good story of "redemption" since you start as a prisoner and go to various adventures and plots, also be prepared because the maps and parts of the narrative that the story takes too long for this would be the negative point of the game but still everything is very well written "
"gameplay desing is simple inside but with lots of attack possibilities unlike baldurs gate 3 which did a lot more"
Gameplay/Game desing: B/S++
Narrative:B++/S++
Screenplay:A+/S++
Game Direction:B+/S++
Lore:A/S++
Actor/Actress Perfomances:A+/S++
Art Direction:B/S++
Characters:A+/S++
Contents:A+/S++
50 hours in, I need a break. This game is simply overwhelming and I don't have the mental energy to keep track of everything it requires me to. Plus I did not find it that captivating. Might pick it up again in the future or not.
Things I liked:
- colorful graphics
- the world is packed with all kind of things
- a lot of dialogues, all voiced
Things I liked less:
- generic fantasy "stock" story and characters, the kind you forget completely a week after you finish it.
- played on classic difficulty, it's not very newcomer friendly. On the 2nd chapter I gave up and started looking for guides online (including how to properly skill my characters) because most combats were frustratingly difficult. I shouldn't have to look at external resources in order to make the game bearable.
- the inventory can become messy really soon to the point you need 15-20 seconds to find an item. There is no way to search for a particular item and the sorting options are limited. Same goes for the quest menu. In general, the UI could use a lot of QoL improvements. Another example: you can't compare the pickable quest rewards with the items you have in inventory, so if you don't remember the stats of what you are currently wearing you could end up with a reward item that is worse or that you don't need.
Things I liked:
- colorful graphics
- the world is packed with all kind of things
- a lot of dialogues, all voiced
Things I liked less:
- generic fantasy "stock" story and characters, the kind you forget completely a week after you finish it.
- played on classic difficulty, it's not very newcomer friendly. On the 2nd chapter I gave up and started looking for guides online (including how to properly skill my characters) because most combats were frustratingly difficult. I shouldn't have to look at external resources in order to make the game bearable.
- the inventory can become messy really soon to the point you need 15-20 seconds to find an item. There is no way to search for a particular item and the sorting options are limited. Same goes for the quest menu. In general, the UI could use a lot of QoL improvements. Another example: you can't compare the pickable quest rewards with the items you have in inventory, so if you don't remember the stats of what you are currently wearing you could end up with a reward item that is worse or that you don't need.
I believe it is still better then BG3 in many ways
The modern CRPG from Larian Studios that really is leading to the revival of the genre. They went on to create BG3 that had such wide acclaim so obviously they are doing something right.
It is a good game and anyone who enjoys CRPGs should play it.
It is a good game and anyone who enjoys CRPGs should play it.
Pelotazo
One of the best RPGs ever created. 10/10
I stole the teleporting gloves and got our party killed twice and then we never got out of fort joy. Now that BG3 is out I never have to touch this game again.
huge win for the crate stacking suck n fuck genre
DISCLAIMER
I just finished the game for the first time, and while I acknowledge that I must not have done everything, I had a pretty good run. It could have been better, but I don't plan for it to be the only one.
This review is my fresh raw opinion of the game, just as I finished it.
TL;DR
This game has hands down the best and most entertaining combat system of the genre I've ever laid my hands upon. I'm not a person who enjoys turn-based combat, yet I loved fighting in this game! So getitgetitgetit, especially if you like a good RPG and a great turn-based combat system!
THE GOOD AND THE NOT-SO-GOOD
Now with that out of the way, I got into Divinity 2 thanks to a friend who wanted to play it and asked me to play through it together. I knew about Larian Studios but I've never played a game from them before. I had heard this was a great RPG title, but that's essentially all I knew, before purchasing it and going in full-blind while giving it a try.
I gotta say that, while we did have some idea of what we were getting into when it came to this type of game, we were not prepared for the length of it. We clocked in at 111h of co-op just for the first run in "Normal" - called "Classic" in the game - and we did get some hints during the run from some friends and sometimes checked the wiki when we were really stuck or before leaving a map.
This game features 6 "Origin Stories"; think of them as unique quests for each of these characters, all having their own motive and individual endings. Surprising but quite welcomed, the characters are fully dubbed! We went for Ifan and Fane, plus we recruited with us The Red Prince and Lohse.
The creation of the character doesn't allow you to change the characters too much and has no sliders whatsoever, but you can choose between a dozen faces/hairs/beards. Customization comes through especially with attributes and talents giving you a good start, added to the great selection of starting skills from your class, so you can already somewhat set an objective for your build right from the start.
The game has some really great design choices. For example, once the very lengthy introduction and 1st Act are finished you unlock the possibility to respec the character stats and change their appearance as many times as you want, which is great because by then we knew the game enough to have an idea of what to change and how we wanted to proceed going forward. The interactions with NPCs are amazing, for example, it's possible to steal from a merchant while a friend talks to them because, obviously, they're distracted. The game gives you constant choices and a lot of opportunities to build and approach situations the way you want, and it's just fun to play with different ideas! I do gotta say, the interaction with the world and your choices are astonishing, really. Your actions have consequences not just at the end of the game in a finale scene, but during the whole game and with various NPCs you'll meet in your journey.
Amidst the great ideas, there are also not-so-good ones, but I'll mention just a few that stood out to me. is such a strong talent that, when playing solo, it's almost a borderline no-brainer pick. In the last Act, we met enemies who could constantly resurrect thanks to x while being able to make more x, and that was really frustrating.
We played in Normal, and it gave us a decent challenge, but sometimes it felt a bit unfair. Two levels can make a huge difference for armor and weapon values, but that would also mean that we'd get destroyed just because a level 12 enemy stabbed us and we are a fresh level 11 with level 10 equipment.
I know the game is inspired by D&D, but on a gameplay level when you're on such a big map and you go a couple of meters ahead at level 11 you don't expect 12 to be completely impossible until you gear up, although on a lore level, it might be reasonable, at least not in Normal. Following that, I read Easy is just too easy, to the point we forced ourselves to continue in Normal even during hardships pulling out crazy strategies to go forward, and sometimes going around and checking the wiki just to be sure we did all fights and quests available in that area we could at that level, just to make sure we were at the highest level and had all equipment we could by that point.
The key for us was when we stopped using only loot we dropped from fights but started investing into buying stuff from merchants since they have some new items immediately when you level up, at your new level, so it's definitely something to keep in mind. Not as strong as something you drop, but when the difference between level 10 and 11 is a few hundred points in defense, it all adds up.
The design of the maps, story, and enemies is just stellar, with so many little details that it just felt like a very well-done campaign, and one I want to revisit. When it comes to story Acts they are very balanced getting more focused closer to the end, having most of the side content earlier in the game, that way there was no need to leave the main quest on pause!
CONCLUSION
I enjoyed my hours on this game, and I'm looking forward to the future when I'll do a second and even third run!
It's great, and it could have been even more, but I wonder whether some things could have been even better or more polished thanks to a higher budget and some more time in the oven, but I guess we'll find out with Baldur's Gate 3. :^)
This wonderful title is 100% recommended by me, with a solid 8.9/10.
I just finished the game for the first time, and while I acknowledge that I must not have done everything, I had a pretty good run. It could have been better, but I don't plan for it to be the only one.
This review is my fresh raw opinion of the game, just as I finished it.
TL;DR
This game has hands down the best and most entertaining combat system of the genre I've ever laid my hands upon. I'm not a person who enjoys turn-based combat, yet I loved fighting in this game! So getitgetitgetit, especially if you like a good RPG and a great turn-based combat system!
THE GOOD AND THE NOT-SO-GOOD
Now with that out of the way, I got into Divinity 2 thanks to a friend who wanted to play it and asked me to play through it together. I knew about Larian Studios but I've never played a game from them before. I had heard this was a great RPG title, but that's essentially all I knew, before purchasing it and going in full-blind while giving it a try.
I gotta say that, while we did have some idea of what we were getting into when it came to this type of game, we were not prepared for the length of it. We clocked in at 111h of co-op just for the first run in "Normal" - called "Classic" in the game - and we did get some hints during the run from some friends and sometimes checked the wiki when we were really stuck or before leaving a map.
This game features 6 "Origin Stories"; think of them as unique quests for each of these characters, all having their own motive and individual endings. Surprising but quite welcomed, the characters are fully dubbed! We went for Ifan and Fane, plus we recruited with us The Red Prince and Lohse.
The creation of the character doesn't allow you to change the characters too much and has no sliders whatsoever, but you can choose between a dozen faces/hairs/beards. Customization comes through especially with attributes and talents giving you a good start, added to the great selection of starting skills from your class, so you can already somewhat set an objective for your build right from the start.
The game has some really great design choices. For example, once the very lengthy introduction and 1st Act are finished you unlock the possibility to respec the character stats and change their appearance as many times as you want, which is great because by then we knew the game enough to have an idea of what to change and how we wanted to proceed going forward. The interactions with NPCs are amazing, for example, it's possible to steal from a merchant while a friend talks to them because, obviously, they're distracted. The game gives you constant choices and a lot of opportunities to build and approach situations the way you want, and it's just fun to play with different ideas! I do gotta say, the interaction with the world and your choices are astonishing, really. Your actions have consequences not just at the end of the game in a finale scene, but during the whole game and with various NPCs you'll meet in your journey.
Amidst the great ideas, there are also not-so-good ones, but I'll mention just a few that stood out to me. is such a strong talent that, when playing solo, it's almost a borderline no-brainer pick. In the last Act, we met enemies who could constantly resurrect thanks to x while being able to make more x, and that was really frustrating.
We played in Normal, and it gave us a decent challenge, but sometimes it felt a bit unfair. Two levels can make a huge difference for armor and weapon values, but that would also mean that we'd get destroyed just because a level 12 enemy stabbed us and we are a fresh level 11 with level 10 equipment.
I know the game is inspired by D&D, but on a gameplay level when you're on such a big map and you go a couple of meters ahead at level 11 you don't expect 12 to be completely impossible until you gear up, although on a lore level, it might be reasonable, at least not in Normal. Following that, I read Easy is just too easy, to the point we forced ourselves to continue in Normal even during hardships pulling out crazy strategies to go forward, and sometimes going around and checking the wiki just to be sure we did all fights and quests available in that area we could at that level, just to make sure we were at the highest level and had all equipment we could by that point.
The key for us was when we stopped using only loot we dropped from fights but started investing into buying stuff from merchants since they have some new items immediately when you level up, at your new level, so it's definitely something to keep in mind. Not as strong as something you drop, but when the difference between level 10 and 11 is a few hundred points in defense, it all adds up.
The design of the maps, story, and enemies is just stellar, with so many little details that it just felt like a very well-done campaign, and one I want to revisit. When it comes to story Acts they are very balanced getting more focused closer to the end, having most of the side content earlier in the game, that way there was no need to leave the main quest on pause!
CONCLUSION
I enjoyed my hours on this game, and I'm looking forward to the future when I'll do a second and even third run!
It's great, and it could have been even more, but I wonder whether some things could have been even better or more polished thanks to a higher budget and some more time in the oven, but I guess we'll find out with Baldur's Gate 3. :^)
This wonderful title is 100% recommended by me, with a solid 8.9/10.
Playtime: 14 minutes.
Breaking Point: the narrator describing the dwarf rubbing the coins in his beard while the model did not move. Just loudly broadcasting how much that game was not going to be for me with how luxurious the fantasy set piece actions & descriptions were going to be in the THREE DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICAL GAME.
Breaking Point: the narrator describing the dwarf rubbing the coins in his beard while the model did not move. Just loudly broadcasting how much that game was not going to be for me with how luxurious the fantasy set piece actions & descriptions were going to be in the THREE DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICAL GAME.
Before Baldur's Gate 3 came an equally amazing gem of a game from Larian. Without the shackles of the D&D 5E system, I feel like this game had so much more creativity in combat to offer. It is to this day probably my favorite modern game. The modding scene on PC definitely helped it out as well. I think BG3 with open mod tools may someday reach this level, but until then I will always treasure D:OS2 just a little bit more.
Such a good crpg, worst part is getting all 4 party members online to finish the game
Los elfos son horribles, pero el sistema de acciones godines.
The OTHER reason I knew Baldur's Gate was going to rule.
You see, there is this cat, and it really wants something from you, but I just keep getting it killed.
So anyway, you can play as this skeleton, but you need to remember to put a bucket on your head so folks don't freak out.
I guess that what I am getting at is that I really need to figure out what that cat wants.
You see, there is this cat, and it really wants something from you, but I just keep getting it killed.
So anyway, you can play as this skeleton, but you need to remember to put a bucket on your head so folks don't freak out.
I guess that what I am getting at is that I really need to figure out what that cat wants.
this game is the reason i think baldur's gate might not be for me
um dos melhores jogos que eu ja joguei. fiquei 1 mês inteiro vidradona nisso, nem falava com os meus amigos mais
After playing Baldur's Gate 3 last year, I remember telling one of my mates: "I have no idea where this came from? Larian just showed up and was like, I'm the greatest RPG developer ever, here's a certified godlike banger, goodbye." Having now rolled credits on Divinity 2, it turns out I'm just stupid. Larian's been cooking for years but my debilitating fear of top-down cameras and ability hotbars as long as Route 66 meant I completely avoided it. Divinity 2: Original Sin is essentially Baldur's Gate 3's older, slightly nerdier brother, and by extension, it's another boundary-breaking master class in how to make ginormous, sprawling experiences that are still somehow rewarding, reactive and quality-rich. And when I say quality-rich, I mean unfathomably quality-rich.
This game is like 80 hours long. It's just filled to the brim with stuff. It's one of those games that I have to dig deep, speak mystical incantations and summon my relentless 13-year-old, gremlin-brained self to have the patience, stamina and sheer lack of self-preservation to get through in a timely manner. And somehow, while offering such a vast spread of stuff to engage with, nothing in here ever really feels like it's scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's never just serving you up content. It's mission after mission of main event, must-play stuff, largely because everything from the side quests and the companion missions to the core story sections and even random NPC encounters are intertwined. Every quest somehow links into the larger story, every character has something relevant to say and every corner is filled with something worth investigating.
Having played this and Baldur's Gate 3 only a few months apart, it's wild to me how good Larian is at spinning these kinds of stories. They're unparalleled at setting up a huge world that you can explore freely while still somehow making every element you interact with feel like it's part of one, seamlessly unified narrative. Their games are labours of love, and Divinity 2 is no exception. It's just a really saucy, well-made, video-game-ass video game.
And that extends far beyond the story. The way it doesn't establish arbitrary rules regarding how you play or solve a situation. The way combat is a puzzle that challenges you to think outside the box. The way it never holds your hand or tells you what to do but slyly always somehow guides you back to your objective.
And yes, I don't think it's quite as good as BG3. It's more tedious to play, the inventory management is hellish, and act 4 is filled with bullshit gimmick fights and puzzles that are more annoying than fun. The difficulty spikes are also ROUGH at points. The tutorial area's my personal favourite, because it's like, oh here's some slugs to fight. Really learn the game and all that. Then it randomly just decides it's tired of all the loser baby shit now, and spawns in giant alligators with teleporting magic who will absolutely push your shit in for no reason at all.
And don't even get me started on the many, many sections where you get a potato-brained AI teammate you have to protect. Every single one of these goofy lil bastards will single-handedly pull off the most elaborately stupid manoeuvres you've ever seen, to the point where you wonder if they're throwing on purpose and you're gonna pop up in a YouTube prank video in two months' time. They'll actively cancel out every big-damage-set-up you're currently putting together, and then after they inevitably die, every NPC you meet will just chat mad shit about what a terrible person you are for not reloading every turn 9 times to protect them from their own stupidity.
But this is still an absolute banger from a studio that I'm slowly learning is incapable of dropping the ball. Considering the talks before Baldur's Gate 3 were that Divinity 3 could be the next big project on the docket for Larian, I'm pretty gassed to see what these dudes could do with the IP now they've managed to launch arguably one of the best RPGs ever made. Gonna hazard a guess that it'll feature way more horny vampire dudes and shapeshifting grizzly bear sex...
This game is like 80 hours long. It's just filled to the brim with stuff. It's one of those games that I have to dig deep, speak mystical incantations and summon my relentless 13-year-old, gremlin-brained self to have the patience, stamina and sheer lack of self-preservation to get through in a timely manner. And somehow, while offering such a vast spread of stuff to engage with, nothing in here ever really feels like it's scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's never just serving you up content. It's mission after mission of main event, must-play stuff, largely because everything from the side quests and the companion missions to the core story sections and even random NPC encounters are intertwined. Every quest somehow links into the larger story, every character has something relevant to say and every corner is filled with something worth investigating.
Having played this and Baldur's Gate 3 only a few months apart, it's wild to me how good Larian is at spinning these kinds of stories. They're unparalleled at setting up a huge world that you can explore freely while still somehow making every element you interact with feel like it's part of one, seamlessly unified narrative. Their games are labours of love, and Divinity 2 is no exception. It's just a really saucy, well-made, video-game-ass video game.
And that extends far beyond the story. The way it doesn't establish arbitrary rules regarding how you play or solve a situation. The way combat is a puzzle that challenges you to think outside the box. The way it never holds your hand or tells you what to do but slyly always somehow guides you back to your objective.
And yes, I don't think it's quite as good as BG3. It's more tedious to play, the inventory management is hellish, and act 4 is filled with bullshit gimmick fights and puzzles that are more annoying than fun. The difficulty spikes are also ROUGH at points. The tutorial area's my personal favourite, because it's like, oh here's some slugs to fight. Really learn the game and all that. Then it randomly just decides it's tired of all the loser baby shit now, and spawns in giant alligators with teleporting magic who will absolutely push your shit in for no reason at all.
And don't even get me started on the many, many sections where you get a potato-brained AI teammate you have to protect. Every single one of these goofy lil bastards will single-handedly pull off the most elaborately stupid manoeuvres you've ever seen, to the point where you wonder if they're throwing on purpose and you're gonna pop up in a YouTube prank video in two months' time. They'll actively cancel out every big-damage-set-up you're currently putting together, and then after they inevitably die, every NPC you meet will just chat mad shit about what a terrible person you are for not reloading every turn 9 times to protect them from their own stupidity.
But this is still an absolute banger from a studio that I'm slowly learning is incapable of dropping the ball. Considering the talks before Baldur's Gate 3 were that Divinity 3 could be the next big project on the docket for Larian, I'm pretty gassed to see what these dudes could do with the IP now they've managed to launch arguably one of the best RPGs ever made. Gonna hazard a guess that it'll feature way more horny vampire dudes and shapeshifting grizzly bear sex...
Это уважаемая игра. Несколько лет Нина пиарила мне эту игру как ультимативный шедевр, и по сути так и есть. Огромная вариативность в прокачке, множество классов, способностей, просто глаза разбегаются и лично я тратил по часу на то как лучше прокачать своего перса ( все равно выходил какой то амеба )
Сюжет эпичный, и завлекает. Из незначительных минусов, последний акт в городе показался не таким нагруженным на контент, как остальные.
Ну и тот факт что в это можно играть с другом еще плюс баллы к игре
Сюжет эпичный, и завлекает. Из незначительных минусов, последний акт в городе показался не таким нагруженным на контент, как остальные.
Ну и тот факт что в это можно играть с другом еще плюс баллы к игре
A beautiful sandbox of chaos with enriched story telling and beautiful environments. Definitely one of the best CRPG's of the decade that it came out in if not the best.
I played as a skeleton and I collected bones and other dead things. My party didn't like me
Played through the whole game with my friends, it was incredible. My only issue is the third act. It's just kinda.. meh, and our reactions at the endings were weirdly silent. Like, we were excited that we finished the game, but the endings weren't very good. Regardless, the fun far, far outweighs the bad. A fantastic, easily recommendable game.
Puro engorilamiento. Mi agosto se fue y nunca volverá.
Pros:
- Es la experiencia más cercana al rol de mesa que he jugado en mi vida, con Baldur's Gate 3 pendiente. La cantidad de posibles interacciones con todo lo que te rodea, ya sea durante la exploración o el combate, es apabullante.
- Las posibilidades a la hora de crear diferentes builds son muy numerosas y permiten una libertad absoluta, sin el encorsetamiento clásico de las clases.
- La dificultad está bien medida. Siempre sabe cuando buscarle las cosquillas al jugador cuando este empieza a confiarse en exceso.
Contras:
- El escenario tiende a convertirse en una ensalada de personajes, enemigos, invocaciones, efectos de área y obstáculos que vuelve complicado enterarse bien de lo que está ocurriendo.
- Los diálogos, pese a estar muy cuidados, perfectamente doblados y ser muy numerosos, no consiguen dotar de suficiente carisma a los personajes que los entablan. Tampoco ayuda el nulo mimo artístico puesto en sus retratos.
- Lo que al principio son todo sorpresas a nivel de progresión, con infinidad de sinergias posibles y nuevas habilidades que mejoran a las anteriores, con el paso del tiempo adquiere mucha mayor importancia la estadística pura, el número con trazo grueso.
- La gestión de inventarios es un auténtico dolor de cabeza.
Pros:
- Es la experiencia más cercana al rol de mesa que he jugado en mi vida, con Baldur's Gate 3 pendiente. La cantidad de posibles interacciones con todo lo que te rodea, ya sea durante la exploración o el combate, es apabullante.
- Las posibilidades a la hora de crear diferentes builds son muy numerosas y permiten una libertad absoluta, sin el encorsetamiento clásico de las clases.
- La dificultad está bien medida. Siempre sabe cuando buscarle las cosquillas al jugador cuando este empieza a confiarse en exceso.
Contras:
- El escenario tiende a convertirse en una ensalada de personajes, enemigos, invocaciones, efectos de área y obstáculos que vuelve complicado enterarse bien de lo que está ocurriendo.
- Los diálogos, pese a estar muy cuidados, perfectamente doblados y ser muy numerosos, no consiguen dotar de suficiente carisma a los personajes que los entablan. Tampoco ayuda el nulo mimo artístico puesto en sus retratos.
- Lo que al principio son todo sorpresas a nivel de progresión, con infinidad de sinergias posibles y nuevas habilidades que mejoran a las anteriores, con el paso del tiempo adquiere mucha mayor importancia la estadística pura, el número con trazo grueso.
- La gestión de inventarios es un auténtico dolor de cabeza.
I've try to finish this game 3 times, and third time is indeed the charm.