Without
a doubt, Divine Divinity is one of the best RPGs of the year. This game
solidly proves that "if it aint broke, dont fix it." There are very
distinct reasons we love our computer role-playing games and Divine
Divinity capitalizes on just about all of them. When playing youll
notice that while the many quests and obstacles you face arent quite
reinventing the genre, they are making sure you stay right where you
are. This is an addictive title. My hat is off to Larian Studios and CDV
for their hard work. Thanks to their collaboration, youll once again be
kissing your social life goodbye.
Naturally
youll expect to encounter a strong story to back up any decent
role-playing experience. Divine Divinity delivers quite a long one
attached to the game in Adobe Acrobat format. While not exactly
original, the story does help to set the stage for the game. Once you
boil down the dialogue and drama, the story becomes recognizable. In the
past there was a huge battle where the forces of good stood hopelessly
outmatched, yet they narrowly escaped an all-powerful dark lord. He was
banished and his followers began to die off as time passed, but
nonetheless he has found a way to remerge and cast terror in the world
again. Granted, that is a short synopsis, but veterans of the genre will
be less than stunned by the plot. Still, though, it holds water and is
beefy enough to hold your attention for the real treats in this game.
Graphically,
Divine Divinity is quite possibly one of the best looking 2-D
role-playing games around. There is a great amount of detail lurking
within every nook and cranny. You can tell that the developers took a
lot of time to create a really strong atmosphere, something integral to
players immersion into a good title. The characters are large and quite
detailed, each possessing their own distinct style. The large inventory
of weapons and armor are also presented in a very satisfying manner. The
animation is very fluid due to the developers extra effort put into
anticipating the myriad of scenarios your character will find
him/herself in. This all congeals into a lot less work for your
imagination. Getting lost in this game is much easier thanks to the
beautiful presentation.
Divine
Divinity hits another homerun in the sound department. To compliment the
great graphics is a classical score, which always manages to capture the
feeling of your surroundings. There are quite a few voiceovers as well.
While the voices arent exactly outstanding, they fail to noticeably
take away from the game.
Divine
Divinitys interface and control system is easy to come to grips with.
At the bottom of the screen youll find everything you need to know,
from your health to your current spell, are just a click away. There are
times when players may become frustrated with the interface, but that
can be remedied with hotkeys. I especially appreciate the ease with
which you can execute both physical and magical attacks using the mouse.
Simply left clicking an enemy once will send you into the melee, while
right clicking will activate your current spell. Youll really love this
if you choose to play a mixed character that employs both methods of
attack because the transition from one to another is seamless.
Cosmetically
Divine Divinity has got all its bases covered, but much of its beauty
shines through in the awesome skill development of your character.
Basically you can choose from three paths, the warrior, the survivor, or
the mage. Players can also choose to be either male or female. The
warrior employs many of the usual skills youd expect to find associated
with one who spends most of their time swinging a sword or axe. The same
is true for the survivor, or thief, and the mage class. The greatness of
the system comes from the total freedom it gives you. Have you always
wanted a mage with lock picking skills that can wear armor and swing an
axe? When you think of the skill tree in those terms and the thousands
of different combinations you can create, youll start to really
appreciate some of the beauty of Divine Divinity. You can always choose
to be a true mage, warrior, or survivor if you want; this game is all
about choices.
What
would a great character be without a wide world to wreak havoc in?
Divine Divinity will drop you into a massive, open-ended world full of
interesting people to meet, rob, or do battle with. Developers say the
game consists of over 20,000 screens. There are over a hundred NPCs to
interact with that go about their own business, not simply standing
around waiting to talk to you. Just about every object can be identified
or taken a-la Morrowind. There are loads of quests to embark on too,
ranging from murder mysteries to political intrigue. One of the early
quests drops a tough decision in your lap. Two good men are deathly ill
and you can only save one, but who are you to play God? Thats just a
taste of what your character will have to unravel.
Rarely do
we get to play games that can include so many of the things we love
about RPGs. Larian Studios has created a game that single-handedly
produces a deep skill system that allows for endless customization, a
large number of interesting NPCs, great graphics, and above average
sound. I doubt many people were looking for Divine Divinity; it
definitely has sleeper written all over it. Granted, this game is may
seem unoriginal at first glance. One of the biggest things games are
rewarded for is innovation and trail blazing. This game doesnt really
do that. What it does do, quite well in fact, is remind us why we are
willing to give up such large amounts of time to sit in front of a
computer. This is a solid buy for any role-playing fan looking for a new
challenge.