Divine Divinity

 PC
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Cubed3
    Jul 17, 2025
    60
    As is very common in video games, what the press hailed as one of "The Best Games of the Year!!1" was forgotten a few months after its release. No, Divine Divinity is far from one of the best the ARPG genre has to offer. The good news? If you can stomach its flaws, you’ll receive a 70+ hour, immersive and occasionally funny experience. An old-school classic, though? Nope.
  2. IGN
    85
    Above all, it's plain fun to play, to develop your character and find ever-better weapons and armor, to face the foe around the next corner.
  3. Four Fat Chicks
    75
    There is definitely too much of a good thing here—by the time I was ready to put this game behind me and move on to something else, I still had to spend another full day playing just to reach the "real" end.
  5. Game Informer
    78
    There's a comfortable familiarity to its medieval setting, and the story is refreshingly non-linear - if you want it to be. [Dec 2002, p.148]
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  6. Computer Gaming World
    70
    If Divine Divinity had come out for Christmas 1992, we'd have raved about it unreservedly. [Dec 2002, p.128]
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  7. netjak
    72
    In the final tally, this game gets put above "Prince of Qin" in the battle for most like, but not quite "Diablo II."
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  8. PC Gameworld
    91
    If you liked "Diablo 2," but are perhaps looking for a gaming experience with more depth and story, look no further.
  9. GameSpy
    84
    Such a terrific experience, reminiscent of the roleplaying games of old, that hours upon hours would pass with no knowledge of the passage of time.
  10. GameSpot
    86
    A well-designed, open-ended, lengthy role-playing game sporting impressive graphics and sound and a lot of replay value.
  11. ActionTrip
    81
    Every second of the game, it vibrates with the desire of programmers to make you feel the pure, clean fun of the adventuring.
  12. Computer Games Magazine
    80
    Some of the best medieval hack-and-slash to come along in quite a while. [Jan 2003, p.78]
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  13. Computer and Video Games
    71
    The graphics are decidedly old-skool and the combat isn't nearly as tactical or as spectacular as the developer claims (I feel Larian should drop the Diablo-style combat entirely). However, with BioWare moving ever more mainstream, the Divinity series could well take over from where Baldur's Gate left off. [PC Zone]
  14. Adrenaline Vault
    70
    Despite its many faults, it remains a solid contribution to its genre, with graphics and music that form a particularly credible environment. That the arrival of its hasty conclusion is so regrettable is only a testament to its many strengths.
  15. PC Gamer
    84
    I went straight from "Neverwinter Nights" to Divine Divinity, and I enjoyed them equally. [Dec 2002, p.108]
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  16. FiringSquad
    85
    While I typically look upon design appropriation negatively, Divine Divinity’s conciseness and irreverence set put it an uncontested step ahead of the opposition.
  17. G4 TV
    80
    The level of player interaction and attention to detail rivals that of "Morrowind" and easily surpasses the "Baldur's Gate" series.
  18. Gamers' Temple
    81
    Although it suffers from a few problems and annoyances, overall Divine Divinity is an expansive and quite enjoyable RPG.
  19. Worth Playing
    83
    Divine Divinity goes an extra mile to create a dynamic world for the player.
  20. PC Format
    68
    A bona fide labour of love that evidently had the blinkers on.
  21. GameZone
    78
    There can be some frustrations with gameplay, but the overall experience is a positive one.
  22. Quandary
    90
    Everything else about Divinity was a joy, and now I find that it's crept onto my list of 5 favourite RPGs of all time. And that's one tough list to get on, believe me!
  23. Game Over Online
    83
    If Larian Studios could have maintained that difficulty throughout the entire game, then Divine Divinity really could have been something, and perhaps reviewers like me wouldn’t call games "hybrids of Diablo and Baldur’s Gate," but instead call them "games like Divine Divinity."

Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best PC Game of 2002
23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2002
25
#25 Most Shared PC Game of 2002

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 225 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 184 out of 225
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 225
  3. Negative: 14 out of 225
  1. PrincessSunny
    Aug 9, 2012
    10
    This game is simply amazing and timeless. I played this a good few years ago closer to when it came out and picked it up recently when it cameThis game is simply amazing and timeless. I played this a good few years ago closer to when it came out and picked it up recently when it came out on Steam due to nostalgia (and it's damn cheap!), half expecting it to be crap because of age - like playing one of the first Pokemon games again. On the contrary, I loved every minute of it just like when I first played it through. I don't usually play games for the story but I found myself reading every line of dialogue and doing every quest. Unlike most games, the side quests are all very-well developed story-wise. Combat can be as complicated and fast paced as you want it to be as your character is pretty much completely customisable. You can pick any spell or skill no matter what 'class' you pick so you can be the hybrid stealthy mage-ninja you always wanted to be. The map is huge and exploration is extremely rewarding. There's always a polymorphed boar or a magic wishing well just around the corner to keep you on your toes. There are tonnes of secrets as well, secret items and quests, treasure maps and hidden areas, allowing this game to cater for casuals and those traditional OCD-completionists. The game falters somewhat in difficultly, to be honest. Generic monsters tend to be hacked down in a few hits but you can easily turn the wrong corner or get to the end of the dungeon only to be completely annhilated by a certain mob. The game isn't so much about strategy, but building the best character possible to deal as much damage while staying alive as possible. The game feels a bit like what Skyrim should have been, if you take graphics out of the equation.… Full Review »
  2. DantheMan
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    One of the problems with being a small studio is that you don't get the breaks the big boys get when it comes to quality. If this had been aOne of the problems with being a small studio is that you don't get the breaks the big boys get when it comes to quality. If this had been a Bioware title in would have been rated in the mid 90s instead of the 80s. The fact of the matter is that this is a great game. People nit pick about the title, or call it a Diablo clone, or other such rot because they just need to find something bad to hide the fact that a small unknown group of developers kicked their ass. Make no mistake: this is one of the best RPGs ever done. It wouldn't make my top five list but it would make my top ten list.

    What I like about this game so much is, expect for the ending, all the combat has a purpose. One of my complaints is that RPGs too often use combat as a filler or a time sink without it advancing the story in any way. Some people might say that as a result the story is light in this game. That's true if you compare it to something like Planescape. But the fact of the matter is that the game play in DD gives heft to the story in a way that it doesn't in a game like Gothic. For me, this game manages to weave the story and the combat into each other in a way that seems light and effortless but is in fact not. This game also has some of the best music ever written for a video game. Don't expect the characterization you get from Buldar's Gate or the depth of Planscape. But this is a solid, well designed and well executed RPG that shouldn't be overlooked as much as it has been.    … Full Review »
  3. erezike
    Aug 31, 2014
    0
    I remember playing this game demo back in the day, it was released in the same era of diablo and the Baldur's gates.
    I remember quitting the    I remember playing this game demo back in the day, it was released in the same era of diablo and the Baldur's gates.
    I remember quitting the demo 15 minutes in due to my disgust with the graphics.

    12 years after I have received this game for free with divinity original sin, and decided to take this acclaimed game for another spin.

    Its terrible, absolutely terrible, the graphics, the story telling, the clunky combat system.
    It's lack of immersion, lack of atmosphere.
    This time I survived a few hours in before I finally hit the delete button. It tried to copy paste diablo style of gaming without innovating and without the multiplayer which really made the diablo game so successful.
    It was supposed to be a diablo with an interactive story.
    but the story doesn't even come close to bioware golden era or cd project.
    And the gameplay is a pale imitation of the successful diablo 2.

    Do yourself a favor and stay away from this game even if its free.
    There are much better stories out there for you to experience and many games which are a lot more fun that this.    … Full Review »
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