Divinity: Dragon Commander

Complicated, difficult, different. A true strategy game for the gamers with classical tastes, who have time and will. It's also a pleasant blast from the past, when a genre template was not an option. [Issue#233]

A weird but interesting hybrid that mixes RTS, RPG, board game and trading card game mechanics in one delightful experience. Unfortunately, even if the mix works, the singular gameplay components aren’t deep enough and the game itself is mined by many minor issues.

An inventive and imaginative strategy title that will slap a big grin across the face of anyone looking for something different. [Oct 2013, p.65]

A wonderful and addictive combination of different genres, filled with humor and character. Well worth checking for gamers who are after something fresh.

Looks like Larian Studios had a lot of ideas regarding gameplay but instead of choosing the best one they decided to utilise all of them. As a result Dragon Commander was stitched together from elements that don’t necessary fit each other. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.46]

A surprise of the year? Definitely! Dragon Commander is a big entertaining game, proving above all that more the genres you mix it does not necessarily mean more the risk and pain. The dragon soup is a gastronomic hit of the summer.

Dragon Commander is worth buying only if you intent to play it in multiplayer, because the story campaign, even on the highest difficulty setting, fails to challenge to excite.

If you can look past Divinity: Dragon Commander’s shortcomings, you’ll find a charming and unique experience.

Everything in Dragon Commander (aside from these bosoms) is slightly underdeveloped. Still, what Larian has created is a coherent and idiosyncratic game that's remarkably enjoyable if you're a strategy fan who wants something less po-faced than the Total War series.

On one hand, it's a good game full of strategy with an interesting setting and chock-full of original ideas. On the other hand, however, it features a simplistic gameplay and a general lack of inspired mechanics.

Divinity: Dragon Commander is an atypical but all in all interesting mix of different genres.

An RTS designed for entertainment rather than e-sport. Colourful, fun and memorable, its elements mesh surprisingly well.

Larian Studios did a really good job in making a RTS-tactical-managerial hybrid full of things to do, well balanced, technically up to raids and even action oriented, especially in online battles.

Just don’t pick this up hoping to graduate from the campaign to a major and thriving online community – for all practical purposes, consider this to be a singleplayer game first and foremost. And a damn good one at that.

If you’ve ever wanted to play an RPG/RISK/Real-time-strategy/third-person-shooting hybrid, Divinity: Dragon Commander is your best choice. It’s also your only choice. And despite how unwieldy that sounds, it actually kind of works.

Divinity: Dragon Commander came out of nowhere to become one of my favorite games of the year. Swift, brutal dragon combat paired with large RTS battles works way better than I ever expected it to.

Without a solid foundation — namely, a better RTS at the bottom of everything — Dragon Commander is a frail novelty that will fall apart shortly after you’ve handled it.

Divinity: Dragon Commander oddly finds its comfort zone when it’s focused on interpersonal relationships rather than on sweeping tales of high adventure, and that’s bad news for players looking for anything resembling a truly challenging strategy experience on the battlefield.

A prime example of a game being bigger than the sum of its parts. The RTS elements are a bit rough, but at least it's possible to control a dragon with a freaking jetpack to blow stuff up, while the boardgame-esque territory map requires players to think of the big picture.

A gem. The flaws are overshadowed by the role playing, the politics, the humor, and of course, the dragon in a jetpack.

Divinity: Dragon Commander is a classic example of the sum of the whole being greater than its individual parts.

The change of genre does fit to this series, even though there are still some thing that need polishing. Still, it's a great choice for fans of strategy games.

The unusual scenario with its tongue-in-cheek humor manages to camouflage some of the strategic shortcomings in the realtime battles. And so does the clever combination of the political, strategic and tactical elements in Rivellon.

Divinity: Dragon Commander has a lot of layers. I enjoyed the Risk-like strategy of spreading my army across a world map as I sabotaged my opponent’s units using different battle cards, but I dreaded the slog of each RTS battle. If Larian Studios can refine their battle system then it might have a strategy series that appeals to a wider audience, but right now only hardcore strategy fans feel safe under this commander’s wings.

An invigorating mix of snooty lizardmen, jetpacking dragons, absorbing political decisions and strategy of both turn-based and real-time hues.

An utterly bizarre mix of influences that tries to squeeze in far more elements than would ever be deemed sensible, but somehow manages to work despite it all.

A joyful melting-pot of different gameplay elements, for a fantasy-filled, delirious version of "The Love Boat". But Dragon Commander's pacing isn't really well balanced, and real time sequences lack finesse. Play it in short bursts and if you plan on taking it online, you'd better have assiduous friends at hand.

A really unique game - the developers have changed the concept multiple times and the final product differs from the basic idea. The most obvious thing is that the RPG layer is smaller and less important, than the dominant strategic one. Fans of previous games in the series may be disappointed, but strategy fans should give it a try. Dragon Commander's big advantage is the fact, that it works perfectly as a real time and turn-based game at the same time.

It hangs together because its distinct strands feed into one another just enough, even if that relationship is as crude as a dialogue tree leading to you gaining a stat-altering card that you can play during the campaign phase.

Despite its highly repetitive nature, I had a great time with Dragon Commander. It may lack a good story, but interesting characters, carefully written dialogue and a smart way to handle some pretty sensitive issues more than make up for that. As a strategy game, Dragon Commander is not as good as it could be. The overall experience however feels fresh and memorable.

For whatever else Dragon Commander is, it's also a game that puts big issues on the main stage, then lets us reap the rewards and shoulder the consequences of their decisions without moral judgment. For that reason alone, it's worth a look.

Divinity: Dragon Commander is an excellently written and polished blend of action, RPG, and strategy that delivers on each front without feeling disjointed or glaringly weak in any one area. It’s a game in which each component meshes together well as a whole package, and the end result is a fantastic genre mixing title that is both entertaining and thoughtfully constructed.

Divinity: Dragon Commander has a unique setting and interesting characters, but its real time and turn based strategy elements don't hold up to its narrative aspects.

Every individual component works so well that you might even wish the game would have focused more on a specific area or genre. This doesn’t hurt the game, but like its aerial controls, it leaves you wanting more. Still, Dragon Commander manages to combine all of its different gameplay elements and delivers one cohesive experience that's highly worth playing.

It’s a shame that so many people are opposed to the idea of a new-direction for the Divinity series. Even if its main story leaves much to be desired and some of its rules aren’t presented particularly well, Dragon Commander is a whole lot of fun. I urge everyone, even skeptical Divinity fans, to give Dragon Commander a shot — especially if they’re amused by the notion of a dragon wearing a jet pack.