Review: Divinity: Original Sin II

Upon arrival the player is alone and free to explore the island. Certain NPCs and Origin characters from the ship can be found and react to the player based on how the player behaved toward them previously. Up to three party members can be recruited and there is no shortage of side quests or other activities. How the player behaves towards the party members and other people around influences the attitude they form toward the player, and if they find the player particularly unpleasant they may leave the group outright. All Origin characters can be recruited but only three may be in the party at any time so players are encouraged to swap out members and see who is the best fit based on combat attributes and personality.

The world of the sequel has also become much darker than the first time we visited it. The narrative is more grounded this time around, but with the Divine being dead and the Void growing things are much more desolate and dismal this time around, though with the greater emphasis on doom and gloom the distinct narrative voice we have come to know from Larian studios remains in place. In addition to the humans and humanoid races, information may also be gathered by communicating with spirits and animals. The battle engine will feel familiar to players of the original, though certain tweaks have been made such as the ability to combine elements such as fire and poison when one of those agents of death just doesn't seem like quite enough. Additionally, blessing and cursing areas can alter the very ground combat is taking place in, incurring bonuses or penalties to whoever sets foot in the effected area.

Divinity: Original Sin II is projected to be completed sometime in 2017. The Early Access build is accessible in Steam with a preorder. This version is obviously not the full game and may not have the same level of polish the final product will, so those wanting the complete final build would be advised to wait until it becomes available. For those wanting to get into the new Original Sin now, this build is worth the asking price. The first act of the campaign is available for both single and multiplayer modes which is easily a dozen hours of content and letting the players get their feet wet in experiencing the unbridled freedom of choice that is offered. The PvP Arena is available with select maps playable now with more coming in the future. Approximately half the skills are available across eight of the ten schools of magic. Those who take advantage of Early Access will naturally be upgraded automatically to the retail release upon completion.


A cult known as the Divine Order has been hunting down users of Source and locking them up for reasons heretofore unknown. The player steps into the role of a Sourcerer captured by this cult and is now on a ship headed to the island prison, Fort Joy. While en route, a huge Voidwoken Kraken demolishes the ship. The player's Sourcerer pulls through and now has to figure out what destiny intends for them by seeking out the Divine Or

Divinity: Original Sin II pulled off the impressive task of taking the kitchen sink approach to game design by cramming as much into it as possible yet somehow making it all work, making it a fantastic title for solo or multiplayer gaming. Playing the Divinity: Original Sin is not required to enjoy this title or its story, though having played the first SLG game missions will make the experience more rewarding. Everything about Divinity: Original Sin II is of the highest quality and any negatives that could be said are basically nitpicking, such as the camera angles might obscure characters one percent of the time or the inventory set up isn't as nice as you've seen in some other games. No game is perfect, but this one comes closer than most. Larian Studios created a masterpiece with Divinity: Original Sin and using that as a template and listening to player feedback during the development process, they challenged themselves to create a superior successor and accomplished that goal. Divinity: Original Sin II is not only a contender for best game of 2017, but one of the best RPGs ever created. The game could easily take a hundred hours to complete and the interplay between the well-constructed story, gameplay mechanics and player freedom creates a world I could see myself revisiting with different parties just to watch the story unfold differently. Simply put, Divinity: Original Sin II is truly divine.

Several weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get some hands on time with Divinity: Original Sin II at PAX . That experience only gave a brief glimpse into what is offered in this build and I imagine I will feel the same way about the Early Access build when the complete game is released. The predecessor was a massive choice-driven RPG that was in the vein of classic computer RPGs. The bar was set high by Divinity: Original Sin and everything that made that title so great returns here and then some. Making any definite declaration about a game's quality prior to its final release is impossible and I do not want to over hype this title to the point of having expectations it can not reach, but anyone who enjoyed its predecessor needs to keep this one on their radar, regardless of whether they want to wait for the final version to come out or if they want to dive into the early build right away.