Divinity: Original Sin

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2293 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,929 out of 2293
  2. Mixed: 198 out of 2293
  3. Negative: 166 out of 2293
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Antart
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    I have the immense luck of have been initiated in RPGs with the legendary Baldur's Gate saga, and it was a curse too because after that all RPGs seemed casual crap (with so few exceptions)... then it comes Divinity Original Sin with exactly the same gameplay but modernized at the current times: you can fully custom your both characters, the system progression is deep and seems easy atI have the immense luck of have been initiated in RPGs with the legendary Baldur's Gate saga, and it was a curse too because after that all RPGs seemed casual crap (with so few exceptions)... then it comes Divinity Original Sin with exactly the same gameplay but modernized at the current times: you can fully custom your both characters, the system progression is deep and seems easy at starts but turns complex as you level up, the combat system is simply madness being possible to fight in almost any way: direct, stealth, magic, using the environment and elements like crates, using full party, splitting your party, you can even broke a guitar at the head (very funny) or push the caster near your fighters, ALL is possible. The story... if you enjoy reading you will spend HOURS with chit-chat in towns, and if you not, you have no need to talk with anything but quest givers, you can do a LOT of meta-gaming, you can steal every fork of the town, or not, the game greatly rewards the exploration, you get XP only for discover new rooms and moving objects often reveals more things behind them and secret doors, I can speak kilometers of words about how can I enjoy this game but I will resume all of this saying: It is Baldur's Gate, with MORE stuff, modernized and with the toolset to do our own mods. I think that says a lot of this game. Thanks Larian!… Expand
  2. Pesticide
    Jul 6, 2014
    10
    This is how a kickstarter campaign should be run.

    I'm a bit sad the engine feels outdated compared to their previous game title but its gameplay that counts in this day and age of copy bf123456 and cod123456 games and dlc maddnes. Game feels complete, multiplayer and coop is mega bonus points with me. Go buy this game, u will feel like playing games from a decade ago, where u had to    This is how a kickstarter campaign should be run.

    I'm a bit sad the engine feels outdated compared to their previous game title but its gameplay that counts in this day and age of copy bf123456 and cod123456 games and dlc maddnes. Game feels complete, multiplayer and coop is mega bonus points with me. Go buy this game, u will feel like playing games from a decade ago, where u had to read and use your brain :)    … Expand
  3. Stormkiller
    Jul 9, 2014
    10
    I was a big fan of Baldurs Gate and when I first played this in alpha it was like reliving my younger years. Yay!

    Larian seem to have done something not a lot of other companies do, listen to their fans, taken criticism, praise and ideas, and built upon them to create something that (for me at least) evokes memories of the great RPG's of old, and yet keeps it's own identity while    I was a big fan of Baldurs Gate and when I first played this in alpha it was like reliving my younger years. Yay!

    Larian seem to have done something not a lot of other companies do, listen to their fans, taken criticism, praise and ideas, and built upon them to create something that (for me at least) evokes memories of the great RPG's of old, and yet keeps it's own identity while adding new things into the mix, like the c-op, which is inspired.
    Oh, and the musical score KICKS BOOTY! Give the composer a wage rise!

    Thank you Larian.    … Expand
  4. krugman25
    Nov 7, 2014
    10
    I played this game beginning to end and finished much (70-80%) of the side quests. I played through the game with dual Lone-Wolf on the hardest difficulty to get the best possible experience. I have about 100 hours invested in the game as of the writing of this review. Here is a quick rundown of the pro's and cons from my play through.

    *RPG Element - The RPG element of the game is deep    I played this game beginning to end and finished much (70-80%) of the side quests. I played through the game with dual Lone-Wolf on the hardest difficulty to get the best possible experience. I have about 100 hours invested in the game as of the writing of this review. Here is a quick rundown of the pro's and cons from my play through.

    *RPG Element - The RPG element of the game is deep and well fleshed out. This is a break of fresh air considering how shallow and watered down RPG games have been over the past 10 years.
    *Strategy Element - This isn't a run in and destroy everything type of game. Strategy is very much required and with the interaction with environment and very large skill trees it makes for dynamic and rich strategic combat. Even with a perfectly built out team, best gear, best skills/spells, without implementing good strategy you will get destroyed
    *No Grind - One of the first RPGs I have ever played where you don't grind and yet you make it through the game trying to stay ahead of the difficulty curve. Monsters don't re-spawn which means you can level beyond the monster which keeps the game tough, but it also eliminates the type of grinding required in 99% of all RPGs.
    Rewarding Battles - This is a combination of all of the above, most battles, even small trash mob type battles took me anywhere from 15-60 minutes to complete. Again the game puts an emphasis on strategy and instead of grinding the same mob hundreds of times for hours, you fight 1 mob 1 time but they make sure you work for it and you get rewarded as if you had been grinding it for hours.
    Rich World - The world is rich and vibrant. Some of the world feels bright and happy while other parts are dark and foreboding. The developers did a great job at drawing you deep into the game both through story telling and developing a world so real you forget you are playing a game.
    *Good Skill Tree/Loot - The game doesn't shower you in uber gear but it also doesn't keep it out of reach. You feel like you find good gear just often enough to make it rewarding but not so often that it becomes meaningless. My only complain here is that is errs a little to much to the side of being too stingy with gear. There were times where I would go 20-30 hours of gameplay before I found that better pair of gloves. Also there are plenty of well flesh out skill trees. You learn different skill trees, mix and match and try and find the best synergies between different trees. Because of that there is an almost unlimited number of unique character builds.

    I could probably list another half dozen minor things but those are the major pro's that stand out. My only complaint of this game is that the story line starts strong in the beginning but because a bit shallow and far fetched towards the end. Also the graphics are merely "ok". Although the game does have very nice looking spell animation. Overall any minor cons of this game are all but forgotten with all of the good it has going for it.

    It's a breath of fresh air to once again play a real RPG in the 21st century    … Expand
  5. demondred79
    Nov 28, 2014
    5
    Let me sum this up in one word: CUMBERSOME!

    After 35 hours of single and co-op play with a friend (both of us old school RPG players) we just couldn't take it anymore. It's a very polarizing game which explains why there are so many 0/10 and 10/10 scores on this one. Ambitious? Yes. Deep? Yes. Overwhelming amount of loot (and NOT in a good way), poor crafting, bugs, poor camera    Let me sum this up in one word: CUMBERSOME!

    After 35 hours of single and co-op play with a friend (both of us old school RPG players) we just couldn't take it anymore. It's a very polarizing game which explains why there are so many 0/10 and 10/10 scores on this one. Ambitious? Yes. Deep? Yes. Overwhelming amount of loot (and NOT in a good way), poor crafting, bugs, poor camera angles, UI issues in co-op mode, frequently getting lost in quest dead ends....yes.

    The bottomline is this one hell of a frankenstein's monster of a game. We wanted SOOO badly to love this game and the first 15 to 20 hours we were addicted after a steep learning curve. But ultimately it's the overwhelming amount of moving parts that sum to a bogged down adventure that forces you to overthink and slog rather than enjoy.    … Expand
  6. Vayra
    Jul 13, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not often do I rate a game with 10 out of 10. Divinity Original Sin does not even deserve a 10/10 in a way as it has been released with some uncanny design choices (mostly in the UI), but still gets the highest score because every other game element is so powerful and the game mechanics offer unsurpassed replayability, depth and tactical choice.

    Divinity:OS is best compared to classics like Baldur's Gate and older TES titles such as Morrowind. Going back to the old-school isometric perspective feels like a sensible, logical and nostalgic choice that shows its merit throughout the whole game. Not once would I consider playing this game in a 3rd or 1st person perspective. Every single piece of environment presents a potential piece of the puzzle to your quest solution which adds greatly to playtime and a sense of discovery and natural immersion.

    Combat and character development rules are original, inventive and understandable, but unforgiving. Imagine destroying a boss made out of lava in one turn, only to walk past its corpse on the next and instantly killing yourself because that boss left a puddle of lava. A simple example of one of the many reasons you will be saving often, retrying encounters and redoing pieces of the game just to experience the myriad of possibilities every little sequence has to offer. Every minute of play is a learning experience, adding new knowledge and depth to the game.

    In addition to the astounding brilliance in gameplay just from the original campaign, Divinity:OS also offers a complete construction kit and encourages a vibrant modding community. The first pieces of community-driven content are already underway and the patching and post-release support is fast, active and to-the-point. Larian keeps listening to the community and still strives to improve the game.

    Indie gaming at its best. RPG has been re-invented and redesigned. Divinity:OS is the new template for the future of the isometric, true Role-Playing Game.    … Expand
  7. Balmy
    Jul 8, 2014
    9
    Unreal.

    I couldn't imagine that a game like this would be made and released in the year 2014. Larian knocked it out of the park on every level AND gave us a level editor, so we can start making our own content.

    Best cRPG in a decade. Nothing even comes close.
  8. AlexSeven
    Jul 4, 2014
    7
    This game reminds me of Baldurs gate, and thats a good thing. the turn based combat is fun and challenging. The graphics is nice and lush, and sounds are well made. The story and details in it is engaging. Excellent fantasy RPG if you want something more meaty to dig into.

    However, this game needs more work. I would wait with buying this if i was you because a lot of what makes an RPG    This game reminds me of Baldurs gate, and thats a good thing. the turn based combat is fun and challenging. The graphics is nice and lush, and sounds are well made. The story and details in it is engaging. Excellent fantasy RPG if you want something more meaty to dig into.

    However, this game needs more work. I would wait with buying this if i was you because a lot of what makes an RPG fun and exciting is missing here and there. Voice acting on a lot of the important characters you meet is not there and you have to read a lot of text instead. Its not catastrophic to have to read, but it takes away immersion. The music, although well done, i feel is not fitting in many places as well. Meeting with the woman of time for example the music was a combo between lounge piano and spanish guitar music which felt weird. I expected something more fantasy/epic and a voice to listen to. That would have drawn me into the story and moment much more (immersion).

    Another thing is the rush of gear looking the same.I found a lot of rare weapons and armor and a lot of them look like the armor and weapon you find in barrels or buy from people. The stats are there and they are what counts of course, but in RPGs you want to feel progression both through story and gear. You want to see that you get stronger and stronger. At least i feel the rare gear could have had a special look from common gear. So far a lot of the magical gear have had at least an effect to them even though they also looked the same as common gear. Hopefully they improve on this through updates. For me its too late though.

    The three negative points above is what stops me from playing it constantly since if they were all ok i wouldnt stop until i finished it because it is a very good game. You can see the amount of work that is in the details, i just wish they took more time before release

    Still i give this a 7/10 which means very good. There arent many (or any) RPG atm with this much awesome in it, and you should definitely buy it, but maybe wait a little bit (if you can).    … Expand
  9. AthanasiosT
    Aug 10, 2014
    10
    Following in the tradition of some of it's great predecessors, Divinity is simply a must for RPG fans. Everything in the game is pretty finely tuned, but what I liked more are : 1) the ability to mix magic spells with the surrounding landscape (i.e. setting fire in oil or electrocuting water ponds). 2) the dialogue and text details in everything around you 3) the difficulty of someFollowing in the tradition of some of it's great predecessors, Divinity is simply a must for RPG fans. Everything in the game is pretty finely tuned, but what I liked more are : 1) the ability to mix magic spells with the surrounding landscape (i.e. setting fire in oil or electrocuting water ponds). 2) the dialogue and text details in everything around you 3) the difficulty of some battles. All in all, for me it was a cool bomb for the summer !… Expand
  10. jdog90000
    Jul 3, 2014
    9
    This game is really really good, reminds me of playing D&D except it's a video game so there's more visuals. The best thing this game does is having you do things in a way that you don't know if that's what you're supposed to be doing. It's possible that every way I approached an event in the game was pre-designed but it doesn't feel that way at all. Yeah it's not perfect, I've noticedThis game is really really good, reminds me of playing D&D except it's a video game so there's more visuals. The best thing this game does is having you do things in a way that you don't know if that's what you're supposed to be doing. It's possible that every way I approached an event in the game was pre-designed but it doesn't feel that way at all. Yeah it's not perfect, I've noticed "things" happen here and there, I had the game crash once and there's some texture flickering but it's completely overshadowed by the experience. I've spent close to 10 hours in the Cyseal alone so this game goes well above and beyond it's $/hr value.… Expand
  11. CatinBoots
    Jul 5, 2014
    10
    This game is good because it draws from strong elements from several series. It has the realistic items and freedom of an elder scrolls game, the strong dialogue and questing of the Baldur's Gate series, and the tactical turn based combat of fallout/arcanum. The game draws all these elements together successfully, allowing for lots of different approaches to the same problem, as well asThis game is good because it draws from strong elements from several series. It has the realistic items and freedom of an elder scrolls game, the strong dialogue and questing of the Baldur's Gate series, and the tactical turn based combat of fallout/arcanum. The game draws all these elements together successfully, allowing for lots of different approaches to the same problem, as well as actually letting puzzles stew in your head for a bit, until you realise the solution might be incredibly simple or almost impossible, but for this one trick you picked up.

    The combat is quite difficult, requiring some saving and loading, which is a staple of older games like this, but perhaps not so welcome now. However, a properly balanced party could probably reason things through and work out that, for example, rain would hamper the efforts of a fire demon.

    The duration of the single player campaign is excellent, with lots of different things to do and see. Overall a worthy game, which promises to soak up lots of time without any grinding or RNG abuse.    … Expand
  12. sisho
    Jul 14, 2014
    6
    Divinity: Original Sin is a good game indeed but it won't go further as the groundbreaking title everyone is claiming it to be. The developers put a great deal of effort in making it look and play like the old school rpg titles and the game really shines when it comes to it's re-inventive gameplay, but sadly it is not strong enough to cover the cliché story and foolish dialogs.
  13. Auldskul
    Jul 5, 2014
    10
    Old School, but with modern graphics, physics. A great product from a company that listens. A few bugs on release, but I have every confidence that they will be addressed. Buy it.
  14. Wik
    Jul 5, 2014
    10
    This is the best game I have played in years. Its also the first time in many years, i care about the plot. I read all quest text and it is amazing. Combat, the world, crafting - so much good stuff...
  15. gongal
    Jul 6, 2014
    10
    Long awaited masterpiece for every true oldschool RPG entusiast. Don't mind haters opinions, as they are nothing more than youngsters that find Fallout 3 the ULTIMATE RPG EXPERIENCE, and can't stand anything that is not ridiculously action packed.
  16. okamimiyazaki
    Aug 22, 2014
    10
    Let me make something clear: this is NOT "Baldur's Gate 3". It is nothing like Baldur's Gate. Pillars of Eternity is the game that is striving to be like the Infinity Engine classics.

    Divinity: Original Sin is more like Diablo with turn-based combat. It's not a terrible game but I'm left feeling unimpressed. Music is okay. A few songs are gorgeous (e.g. character creation music) but    Let me make something clear: this is NOT "Baldur's Gate 3". It is nothing like Baldur's Gate. Pillars of Eternity is the game that is striving to be like the Infinity Engine classics.

    Divinity: Original Sin is more like Diablo with turn-based combat.

    It's not a terrible game but I'm left feeling unimpressed. Music is okay. A few songs are gorgeous (e.g. character creation music) but many are forgettable and dull. The opening cinematic was cheesy. Environmental graphics are nice but the level design is a bit repetitive and I don't feel the urge to explore the world because it's not a very exciting one. Character models are hideous and the character creation is very basic. You'd think that in a game where you create two characters at the start, it wouldn't be this way. I had a lot of trouble attempting to get my male wizard to not look like an identical twin of my male warrior.

    I'm not impressed by the class system. It doesn't have anywhere near the depth of D&D games like NWN, where you have ability points, feats, skill points, spells/abilities, and various unique classes that can be combined in any way. Instead, you just have class 'names' which attempt to make the game look as if there are classes, which there aren't, really. You just pick a few skills and build your own character from scratch. The limited skills are VERY much like D3/WoW and NOTHING like the Forgotten Realms games.

    I don't feel myself enjoying the dialogue as much as PS:T, NWN or BG. It's not as well-written and a lot of it is filler/boring. Still, it's not -that- bad.

    I'll say that the game is somewhat charming and the turned-based combat can be fun/creative, but overall it doesn't deserve the high ratings that it's getting.    … Expand
  17. naomha
    Jul 22, 2014
    10
    A story rich RPG with turn based combat, mighty spells, dastardly rogue skills, heavy handed tank traits and minions? Heck yeah! I'm not going to go through the reiteration of what probably countless others have done. I'll make it simple. It's the best rpg to grace a pc in over 10 years. Easily. It's fun, requires some intelligence and is epic in scope. I put over 120 hours into it postA story rich RPG with turn based combat, mighty spells, dastardly rogue skills, heavy handed tank traits and minions? Heck yeah! I'm not going to go through the reiteration of what probably countless others have done. I'll make it simple. It's the best rpg to grace a pc in over 10 years. Easily. It's fun, requires some intelligence and is epic in scope. I put over 120 hours into it post launch. What game have you bought in the past ten years that is getting crazy good reviews the world over and can boast that kind of playtime? I bet none. If you're an avid rpg fan you deserve to play this game.… Expand
  18. retrobax
    Jul 20, 2014
    10
    This is an RPG made by RPG'ers for RPG'ers.
    Most of the previous reviews do this game more justice than I ever could write. I haven't enjoyed a game this much since the first Witcher game was released.
  19. Shang
    Jul 7, 2014
    10
    I have been waiting for a game like this ever since I finished BG2. Great setting, great gameplay, strategy, story, graphics. Everything is better than you can ask for. GOTY for me already. If you haven't got it yet, do buy it, you won't regret it if you like a good long RPG.
  20. Plutarch
    Jul 12, 2014
    10
    This is the first time I regret about not giving money to developers at Kickstarter. They did their job and overcome their promises. Divinity is an absolute hit, old-school modern RPG. Just give Larian ur money, don't think. 1010
  21. Bakteeri
    Jul 16, 2014
    10
    I was really surprised how enjoyable a turn based game can be, a must have cRPG game. Fluid combat mechanism simple and easy to understand. Hard difficulty could have been a bit more difficult in my opinion, other than that i don't have any major flaw to point out out of this epic game. Single or multiplayer both provide an awesome experience you don't want to miss. Worth every penny.
  22. Dracolich6z
    Jul 14, 2014
    7
    I have reviewed this game before but I change my score to a 7 from a 10 due to not being able to continue the game past the last boss, thus ending the hope for more content or mods that allow end game content.
  23. Sjalka
    Jul 17, 2014
    9
    i am very positively impressed by that game. it features classic RPG elements like top-down-view, turn based combat and improves them with new elements. Graphics are well done, the sound is - acceptable, feeling free to do as one pleases works for the world feels just large enough.

    the quests are plentyful but not always too well done. It is just so easy to overlook some key item (    i am very positively impressed by that game. it features classic RPG elements like top-down-view, turn based combat and improves them with new elements. Graphics are well done, the sound is - acceptable, feeling free to do as one pleases works for the world feels just large enough.

    the quests are plentyful but not always too well done. It is just so easy to overlook some key item ( sometimes literally key ) to proceed and get stuck - there are also situations when the game progression gets bugged ( like attacking an enemy before they had their say can lead to a cull-de-sac eventually )

    the dual character system is a nice novelty that does not so quickly gets old - however the character "arguing system (rock-paper-scissors)" .. well, i do not like it - like at all.

    the game does come with an editor for plenty of new content, truly EXCELLENT combat synergy systems and a huge amount of items to hoard.

    what i did find a bit odd was that the world, despite being full of "stuff" sometimes felt a bit sterile - but i cannot pin down why i had that feeling - the NPCs while not too mobile, are not lazier than NPCs in skyrim or similar - so maybe it is just the top-down-perspective.

    at its core the game does so many things right that all the nitpicks are but meaningless. - a clear 9/10 from me - a game and game concept to build on for sure - and i just love to see such a great example of a top down RPG again.

    oh - and i found the game really hard - and shamefully had to pick "easy" to get my chars rolling for the first hour or so... - so i think it is a tough nut, even for pros.    … Expand
  24. spyganza
    Jul 7, 2014
    10
    I have played Dragon commander. That good game.also Divinity: Original Sin is provide good game exp. It's like old school RPG , like F2 or PSTM, you throw choice and choice.......

    10/10
  25. Aresius01
    Jul 11, 2014
    10
    For me absolutely Game of the Year, better best game in 12 years. Mass of hidden content, great turn-base fighting system. Really rich world with many quest. It's game when really you are playing not game playing for you. You can perform tasks on many opportunities for example. In Divinity Original Sin you are doing what you want and like you want. I really love this game.
  26. CrueBrew
    Jul 6, 2014
    10
    The last time I played a great RPG in this style was Dragon Age (the first one) and this one is way better than that and has online Co-op to boot!

    I wish I had known about this game during the kickstarter because I would have loved to been able to back it from the start. I hope it is a great success so that we can see more games like it. If you are a fan of Baulder's Gate and the    The last time I played a great RPG in this style was Dragon Age (the first one) and this one is way better than that and has online Co-op to boot!

    I wish I had known about this game during the kickstarter because I would have loved to been able to back it from the start. I hope it is a great success so that we can see more games like it.

    If you are a fan of Baulder's Gate and the Ultima games, this one is for you!

    I've got about 20 hours in the game of which 15 hours of it is in multiplayer and we haven't had any major problems. No crashes to desktop, no lost connections. Just small bugs like some items not displaying correctly (item still shows as broke after repaired until I trade it). Nothing game break or big.

    I want to say a big THANK YOU to the developers for making a game like this! When Bioware can go from making the great games that it made in the past to making games like Dragon Age 2, it is a sign that these types of games are hard to get made.

    To be fare I haven't finished it but it is hard to imagine something happening by the end of the game to make me change my mind about the game.

    Congratz to Larian Studios for making a great game!    … Expand
  27. 731
    Jul 11, 2014
    7
    It is definitely a fun game in co-op and a step in the right direction in a genre that has been very underwhelming for the last few years. But I don't really consider this a masterpiece, as it has its fair share for problems like a very forgettable story, lots of bugs, terrible charisma system and shallow characters. It is not meant to be taken seriously but I can't say I am a big fan.It is definitely a fun game in co-op and a step in the right direction in a genre that has been very underwhelming for the last few years. But I don't really consider this a masterpiece, as it has its fair share for problems like a very forgettable story, lots of bugs, terrible charisma system and shallow characters. It is not meant to be taken seriously but I can't say I am a big fan.

    But combat is really where this game shines, it is really fun with a friend and provides some good encounter design and neat challenge. Exploration was alright, I was expecting more but the scope is quite large for a 40$ game. Visuals were pretty good and varied. Soundtrack was alright but nothing to write home about.

    I had good fun for about 60 hours, time will tell if I ever replay it. But as of now, I am more interested in Pillars of Eternity by Obsidian, as I expect it to be more story-driven and bring some of that Black Isle magic back.    … Expand
  28. Denthamos
    Jul 11, 2014
    10
    For this game I had to create a mc account for to review this. After having no good crpg games for quite some time, the most notable one being Baldur's gate from back in 1998, I was skeptical to buying this game. Decided to give it a shot after seeing the reviews and watching some videos and that skepticism was thrown away. After only an hour into the game I got my friend into the gameFor this game I had to create a mc account for to review this. After having no good crpg games for quite some time, the most notable one being Baldur's gate from back in 1998, I was skeptical to buying this game. Decided to give it a shot after seeing the reviews and watching some videos and that skepticism was thrown away. After only an hour into the game I got my friend into the game as well for some co-op action and together we have been exploring the world.

    I have no regrets about this purchase, even at only half-way through the game even though as the tank for our party I am constantly getting blown up, disintegrated, or even launched around the battlefield like a rocket from my friend who is a elemental wizard.

    Solo or coop, if you enjoyed Baldur's gate, Dragon age, or any of the like games you will enjoy this.    … Expand
  29. Karadoc
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    Very Addictive for the right person,
    High value for money if you like RPG and Adventure type of games.
    If you like Baldur's Gate or Lion heart , you will love this game.

    Larian Studios delivered a grand game , have been waiting for years to play a game that has so many things going on.Puzzle , Adventure , Tactical Turn Based Combat , Crafting and much more.
  30. Megalithic
    Jul 16, 2014
    10
    This is one of the most fun and daunting games I've played in recent years. It has the right combination of beautiful graphics, an enthralling soundtrack, humour and turn-based gameplay (only in combat). If you, as me, like turn-based gameplay like XCOM, combined with a well-written fantasy world filled with minor and major questlines and you are not afraid of reading once a while thenThis is one of the most fun and daunting games I've played in recent years. It has the right combination of beautiful graphics, an enthralling soundtrack, humour and turn-based gameplay (only in combat). If you, as me, like turn-based gameplay like XCOM, combined with a well-written fantasy world filled with minor and major questlines and you are not afraid of reading once a while then this game is made for you! If you are interested in this game, but not quite sure if this will fit your style, just watch some of the gameplay video's, either on youtube or twitch (AngryJoe and ForceStrategyGaming have been playing this game for some hours).

    While there are some minor issues, like the bit chaotic inventory system, some difficulties in camera rotation, this certainly does not have any real impact on the gameplay or overall enjoyment (but I reckon this is personal). Especially since Larian is very busy resolving issues through regular patching. This is why I ranked the game with a 10 in stead of a 9.

    Oh and have I mentioned the soundtrack is fantastic? Been playing it non-stop on the tubes!    … Expand
  31. Yasuchika
    Jul 7, 2014
    10
    One of the best games I've played in a while, wonderful world-building, deep turn-based combat system and the game doesn't hold your hand at all after the tutorial dungeon. Co-op is also a lot of fun, though a little bit flawed when it comes to the way dialogue is handled.
  32. Demikly
    Jul 11, 2014
    10
    Wow....just wow... OK, at first I didn't quite 'feel' the feeling everyone was getting from this (not to mention getting my butt kicked left right and centre!)...then it hit me, re-roll: research some builds and BOOM! it's all in the ingrediants!

    Loving the exploration (and rewards for doing so), the freedom, characters and world (I've always loved Divinity's humour and lore). A must    Wow....just wow... OK, at first I didn't quite 'feel' the feeling everyone was getting from this (not to mention getting my butt kicked left right and centre!)...then it hit me, re-roll: research some builds and BOOM! it's all in the ingrediants!

    Loving the exploration (and rewards for doing so), the freedom, characters and world (I've always loved Divinity's humour and lore).

    A must have for ANY RPG player, not just cRPG gamers... a great intro to REAL cRPG gaming for newbies.

    10/10 (would be 9.5, but to counter some of the BLATANT haters, rounded up to 10).    … Expand
  33. Chaeote
    Jul 3, 2014
    8
    All I will say is this: If you want to get the most out of this game, you need to approach it right.

    Don't approach it as a modern video game, cause it won't meet your expectations. It doesn't mark every little NPC on your map, or write out in minute detail every step you need to do to complete a quest. It gives you the info you need, says, "figure it out!" and then kicks you out the    All I will say is this: If you want to get the most out of this game, you need to approach it right.

    Don't approach it as a modern video game, cause it won't meet your expectations. It doesn't mark every little NPC on your map, or write out in minute detail every step you need to do to complete a quest.

    It gives you the info you need, says, "figure it out!" and then kicks you out the door.

    90% of the time, I'll be thinking "This is stupid..." then realize i missed something that was right in front of me, and it becomes "Oh...that actually makes sense now"

    The game, doesn't even play like a modern game, It plays like an old-school D&D game. and I'm not talking Neverwinter Nights, we're talking Baldur's Gate meets Temple of Elemental Evil.

    and that's probably the best way to play it. Don't go expecting crazy action like NWN or Dungeon Siege. Go in expecting to play a nice old-school d20 type game. Just with easier to understand stats.    … Expand
  34. elManicho
    May 18, 2015
    10
    After several patches and 400+ hours playing, I still very much enjoy this game. The combat is fun and challenging, the graphics and voice-acting superb, and the humor in the game is also a fresh gust of air.
    Love the loot and the crafting system is one of the best out there providing useful and sometimes funny items in Larian tradition. And most of the companions are endearing.
    The    After several patches and 400+ hours playing, I still very much enjoy this game. The combat is fun and challenging, the graphics and voice-acting superb, and the humor in the game is also a fresh gust of air.
    Love the loot and the crafting system is one of the best out there providing useful and sometimes funny items in Larian tradition. And most of the companions are endearing.
    The soundtrack in this game is freaking amazing. Whenever I boot up the game, I hesitate to load a save because of the menu-music. Divinity lived to the praise and to its illustrious predecessors, a blast to play for fans of tactical turn based combat particularly, and of course for RPG addicts like me who rejoice at the genre renaissance.    … Expand
  35. Skyl3lazer
    Jul 9, 2014
    10
    This is the first game I've ever bothered to write a review for on Metacritic. It's a game that's good enough, I keep expecting it to pull the rug out from under me and actually be a crappy game at some point. But it doesn't. It keeps getting better, and every time I think I've discovered every cool thing you could do in the engine and every cool thing in the campaign, there's somethingThis is the first game I've ever bothered to write a review for on Metacritic. It's a game that's good enough, I keep expecting it to pull the rug out from under me and actually be a crappy game at some point. But it doesn't. It keeps getting better, and every time I think I've discovered every cool thing you could do in the engine and every cool thing in the campaign, there's something else for me to find. There's just one small section (first encounter with Death Knights) that I thought was kinda crappy, but even then it wasn't enough for me to knock a point off. On top of the fantastic experience, it's got fantastic multiplayer, and an amazing modding toolkit, something lacking from recent non-bethesda RPGs.

    If you're a fan of RPGs of the BG/IWD/NWN style, you are wasting money if you buy any other game before you get this one.    … Expand
  36. DarkInside
    Jul 5, 2014
    10
    This is the best cRPG in the last years. This game is awesome.
    + Good Story, not the BioWare Neverending Story "Rescue the World"
    + Good Combat
    + Dialogue
    + Coop Mode with best friend
    + Upcoming Mods
    RPG Fans must buy this game!
  37. Esett
    Jul 8, 2014
    10
    Where to start with this deep and unbelievably satisfying cRPG?

    The graphics are gorgeous, the sound is great, the music is awesome but who give a f**k about that? The game-play is beyond Godlike. This is the RPG where you can actually role play. If something looks possible, try it, chances are it will work. you can do so many things just in the first few hours of the game that you    Where to start with this deep and unbelievably satisfying cRPG?

    The graphics are gorgeous, the sound is great, the music is awesome but who give a f**k about that? The game-play is beyond Godlike. This is the RPG where you can actually role play. If something looks possible, try it, chances are it will work. you can do so many things just in the first few hours of the game that you wonder constantly how deep does the rabbit hole go?
    I have not played an RPG this interesting . People say it is like Ultima VII. I wouldn't know, have never played any games in the Ultima series. It is the kind of game that gets me excited to explore, to see what is just around the corner. And, even in the starting zone, it manages to not disappoint. There is always something interesting to do, to see.

    Oh, you can talk to animals. And like i always suspected cats are well spoken and dogs are lovable retards. 10/10. Have never played anything like it, and i can't get it out of my head. 10/10.    … Expand
  38. Bighi
    Jul 5, 2014
    9
    This is all I wanted in a modern RPG. It's a revival of the great times, with all the good parts of games like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, without the bad parts.
  39. The_Reckonist
    Jul 5, 2014
    9
    It is so, so deep. Ive been loving every second of it. Spent 4 (four) hours in the game doing nothing but reading and creating characters.... then another 4 (four) walking through the FIRST town. Not even been fighting anyone. Dont expect to have your hand held over game objectives and I hope you like reading text as that is what you will be spending most of your time doing.

    Game of    It is so, so deep. Ive been loving every second of it. Spent 4 (four) hours in the game doing nothing but reading and creating characters.... then another 4 (four) walking through the FIRST town. Not even been fighting anyone. Dont expect to have your hand held over game objectives and I hope you like reading text as that is what you will be spending most of your time doing.

    Game of the Year so far.    … Expand
  40. lightzy
    Jul 16, 2014
    10
    While definitely not up to equaling games like Planescape: Torment, Vampires: Bloodlines or Fallout2, this is nevertheless the best RPG of the decade.
    If only the tone was a bit more serious and the story a bit tighter and less campy and mcguffiny, it could have been added as the fourth to those great three.
    Larian are amazing. HUGE long games which are 100% fun all the way through and    While definitely not up to equaling games like Planescape: Torment, Vampires: Bloodlines or Fallout2, this is nevertheless the best RPG of the decade.
    If only the tone was a bit more serious and the story a bit tighter and less campy and mcguffiny, it could have been added as the fourth to those great three.

    Larian are amazing. HUGE long games which are 100% fun all the way through and for $10 less than other big games, !!
    Go Larian, never sell out    … Expand
  41. HumanApproved
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    I'm truly in love with this game , such a great new elements that I haven't seen before some of them even funny, I wont spoil anything but this is a really refreshing experience turned base rpg, that you should definitely try, someone may find this game a little bit challenging but that the spirit, and I like it.

    finally a true PC game.
  42. Silver1138
    Jul 21, 2014
    10
    This is what RPGs should be like. Tactical, immersive, open, not pull-you-by-the-nose affairs or cinematic extravaganzas. BioWare used to know this better than anyone, but they lost their way. We have seen far too many RPGs where the full weight falls on characters and story, but where gameplay falls short. Original Sin, however, is much more about the game itself, than anything else. ItThis is what RPGs should be like. Tactical, immersive, open, not pull-you-by-the-nose affairs or cinematic extravaganzas. BioWare used to know this better than anyone, but they lost their way. We have seen far too many RPGs where the full weight falls on characters and story, but where gameplay falls short. Original Sin, however, is much more about the game itself, than anything else. It keeps you hooked not because you want to see what happens next, but because you want to brave the next challenge, explore the world and improve your character. In order to progress you will not just use your best skills in cooldown order and repeat, but you have to think about your tactics and adjust them to the situation. It is not perfect, but it is refreshing and interesting to the extreme.… Expand
  43. me-0815
    Jul 9, 2014
    10
    A very well made RPG, very much comparable to some of the classics of the genre. Unlike most current mainstream games, it requires patience and thinking in combat as well as the quests. Graphics are great, and the music is indeed fantastic. As is the voice acting as far as it exists, because most of the texts are read-only, which of course is not surprising given the amount of it and theA very well made RPG, very much comparable to some of the classics of the genre. Unlike most current mainstream games, it requires patience and thinking in combat as well as the quests. Graphics are great, and the music is indeed fantastic. As is the voice acting as far as it exists, because most of the texts are read-only, which of course is not surprising given the amount of it and the development budget. In comparison to the greatest RPGs of all time, most notably Baldur's Gate 2, is doesn't offer quite the same amount of epicness in the story nor of character development and interaction. Which does not mean that there isn't plenty of it too, in fact the discussions between the main characters about their actions are one of the highlights in this game as well.

    Any fan of those great RPG classics should like this one very much as well and given the almost complete lack of games like this in the last years, it should be very refreshing for anyone else as well.    … Expand
  44. zaaKun
    Jul 13, 2014
    9
    This is a game that a lot of RPG fans were waiting for. It takes a lot from older RPGs while adding some new things aswell.

    I have been playing this game since minute 0 with a friend and I have to say it's a blast. (Have around 60 hours now, around 30 are from the beta that I played very extensively) What I like the most about this game is that it actually requires you to read once    This is a game that a lot of RPG fans were waiting for. It takes a lot from older RPGs while adding some new things aswell.

    I have been playing this game since minute 0 with a friend and I have to say it's a blast. (Have around 60 hours now, around 30 are from the beta that I played very extensively)

    What I like the most about this game is that it actually requires you to read once again. RPGs nowadays all have instructions as to where you have to go, they your targets on the (mini)map and tell you exactly what to do. D:OS doesn't do that, you have to think and explore a lot to advance in the game.

    The combat makes a lot of fun. It's slow, but only because you need to plan ahead. What's gonna happen in X turns when I set that oil on fire? And that's another good thing, you can use your surroundings to your advantage. See that barrel of oil there? Try to hit it with fire. Barrel of water? Maybe by hitting it with electricity... (But this can also be used against you)

    The environment is beautiful. Can't really say anything else about that.

    The character creation feels somewhat lacking. It didn't really change since beta and that's a pity. Apart from hair and skin color, there aren't really any options to make your character unique.

    Would recommend this game to anyone who's even remotely a fan of RPGs. If you can, play it with a friend. Although it doesn't really add anything to the story or anything, it's really fun when they blow you up because they didn't except spell X to create such a big explosion, or when they repetitively stun by casting lightning bolts when you're standing in water or blood.    … Expand
  45. fahadansari
    Jul 9, 2014
    10
    After having played so many RPGs over the last few years (Skyrim, Dragon Age, Neverwinter, Path of Exile, etc), this ranks as one of the best amongst them. Looks beautiful. Plays excellent. Compelling story. Customisation of characters excellent. The in game music/soundtrack.. Just breathtaking. Yes, the game doesn't hold you hand from the outset, and the learning curve can be a littleAfter having played so many RPGs over the last few years (Skyrim, Dragon Age, Neverwinter, Path of Exile, etc), this ranks as one of the best amongst them. Looks beautiful. Plays excellent. Compelling story. Customisation of characters excellent. The in game music/soundtrack.. Just breathtaking. Yes, the game doesn't hold you hand from the outset, and the learning curve can be a little steep, but the feeling when you "discover" something for yourself (which the game gives you plenty of opportunity to do) is so worth it. The game dynamics are excellent - especially the "combinations" of spells and world objects. Combat is challenging but satisfying. This game makes you think, whereas other games are all about levelling up as quickly as possible and out powering the enemies. You can be a lower level but still win against enemies just by using terrain, objects and tactics. I could go on here, but if you are a fan of RPGs, this game is a MUST buy!

    Finally - please ignore the Cheat Central review - the reviewer clearly has not played the game in recent form - more likely reporting on the alpha from months back. The game has undergone vast (and excellent) changes since then.    … Expand
  46. cwilder06
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    I'm not going to retread too much ground already spoken but let me be clear when I say this is a must-play for any RPG fan, not just fans of the old school games. Aside from a somewhat uninspired main story the game is really a standout above it's peers. Not since Dragon Age 1 and The Witcher 2 has RPG gaming been this good.
  47. Aluuvian
    Jul 9, 2014
    10
    Western RPGs don't get much better than this. The amount of effort that has gone into this game is apparent.Every negative point I could think of (maybe one or two graphical disappointments) get totally out weight by so many positive aspects!
    I refuse to believe that anyone who loves the genre would be disappointed with this game.
    On an entertainment and time per dollar scale this game    Western RPGs don't get much better than this. The amount of effort that has gone into this game is apparent.Every negative point I could think of (maybe one or two graphical disappointments) get totally out weight by so many positive aspects!
    I refuse to believe that anyone who loves the genre would be disappointed with this game.
    On an entertainment and time per dollar scale this game tops EVERYTHING!    … Expand
  48. krissu86
    Jul 7, 2014
    9
    I've been waiting for years for RPG like this. Great graphics, music and sounds, but primarily gameplay (tear in the eye) - interference in the environment is a world championship, great dialogues a large number of quests and fight in turns (old school baby!). The game is huge and gives the player a huge potential, fiendishly addictive, it is difficult and challenging - I bought theI've been waiting for years for RPG like this. Great graphics, music and sounds, but primarily gameplay (tear in the eye) - interference in the environment is a world championship, great dialogues a large number of quests and fight in turns (old school baby!). The game is huge and gives the player a huge potential, fiendishly addictive, it is difficult and challenging - I bought the original on Steam and do not regret the money spent. The current version at the time of writing this statement is 1.0.53 - headache is a large mass of bugs, but these are constantly repaired. For those who valued a games like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Fallout or even Arcanum this game is a must have. I highly recommend.… Expand
  49. OMGtechy
    Jul 19, 2014
    10
    My new favorite game of all time. It feels so polished, so original and most importantly it's fun. I haven't experienced multiplayer yet, but the singleplayer alone is worth full marks.
  50. PresCthulhu
    Jul 6, 2014
    9
    Since I played with the Baldur's Gate saga, Planescape Torment and the Icewind Dale saga I have a very nice nostalgic familiar vibe with the game. Almost perfect. Especially great if you have someone to play it with.
    Pros: great story, tons of content, interesting characters, funny and entertaining side quests (no go there and kill 10 chicken), very nice combat, you can twink your    Since I played with the Baldur's Gate saga, Planescape Torment and the Icewind Dale saga I have a very nice nostalgic familiar vibe with the game. Almost perfect. Especially great if you have someone to play it with.
    Pros: great story, tons of content, interesting characters, funny and entertaining side quests (no go there and kill 10 chicken), very nice combat, you can twink your characters a lot, lots of dialogues, no system issues the drop in drop out works perfectly. the environment is very nicely reacting and the AI is actually pretty smart!
    Cons: the way the game handles the main characters is somewhat bad for the online stuff. I play this together with a friend of mine and the hosts gets to build both characters and only he keeps the saves. I find this rather odd in a very well made game that is based on coop.
    Middle ground: the graphic and the animations looks extremely nice, but I don't really dig the cartoony style. Also the music sometimes exceptionally cool, but sometimes gets extremely out of space (happy whacky-looney in middle of combat for example)

    All together I'm very happy to play with this one it is a really nice game! I would recommend it for everyone who really likes oldchool rpgs with LOTS of dialogues.    … Expand
  51. Nyxious
    Aug 2, 2014
    10
    Great game, I sunk about 80 hours in and enjoyed the whole thing (even if I felt a bit guilty for playing so much). I am hoping there will be a sequel or another game similarly designed with such a great combination of story and fun tactical play for these guys in the future.
  52. ktei2008
    Jul 11, 2014
    9
    Well, if you're old enough (this really depends, but I guess 25+, because to be honest, this type of game is very old-school) and you've always been a fan of RPG, then this is the game just designed for you. I had a LOT fun playing it. The most amazing thing is this game delivers what it promises in a high quality and the developers really pay attention to detail. Anyway, if you're fan ofWell, if you're old enough (this really depends, but I guess 25+, because to be honest, this type of game is very old-school) and you've always been a fan of RPG, then this is the game just designed for you. I had a LOT fun playing it. The most amazing thing is this game delivers what it promises in a high quality and the developers really pay attention to detail. Anyway, if you're fan of old-school RPG, definitely buy this one. It's honestly too cheap considering its such high quality.… Expand
  53. WarpGenesis
    Jul 23, 2014
    8
    So for the final release, I must say that it is a very good and polished game. It is fun, and it feels great.

    Sadly, I must say that I dislike playing it as the atmosphere is fairly bland and really only has an overwhelming amount of random NPC chatter when in town and when out of town is quiet to a near annoying degree. It is even worse by the fact that conversations with NPCs (In    So for the final release, I must say that it is a very good and polished game. It is fun, and it feels great.

    Sadly, I must say that I dislike playing it as the atmosphere is fairly bland and really only has an overwhelming amount of random NPC chatter when in town and when out of town is quiet to a near annoying degree.

    It is even worse by the fact that conversations with NPCs (In menus) are not voiced and make the dialogue between your party and them extremely tedious at times and with a fairly non-existent sense of direction you can easily wander around for ages.

    One of my largest complaints would be the lack of UI scaling for larger monitors, it may be a specific problem for 4K but the issue stands, as the minimap is ridiculously small and is near worthless.

    However, none of this can honestly remove from how fun and seemless the combat is and how fun it is.
    (My review is mainly going more in-depth into the negatives as there are dozens of other reviews that cover the positives in a much more expansive light than I could possibility manage.)    … Expand
  54. Ivan665
    Jul 27, 2014
    7
    Except for combat, there is not much going on for Divinity: Original Sin. Environments are decent, crafting is decent, yes there are many, many recipes but nothing that stands out. Most dialogue is fun. Quest navigation is all right, the player is given enough clues to get going, and the journal logs all the dialogue from the first line in the game.Now for the bad part: No races. This isExcept for combat, there is not much going on for Divinity: Original Sin. Environments are decent, crafting is decent, yes there are many, many recipes but nothing that stands out. Most dialogue is fun. Quest navigation is all right, the player is given enough clues to get going, and the journal logs all the dialogue from the first line in the game.Now for the bad part: No races. This is the most striking thing for me, the dialogue is not voiced, the Bio would be the same, so I see no reason why the developers could not add a couple more player models. More bad: The Rogue class in this game is utterly useless piece of effing dead weight. In calssics like BG II: SoA for example such a character was a valuable addition. But here his dmg is way, way (I cant stress this enough) subpar to the Ranger, Rogues cant dual-wield (huh?!), Rangers with high Awareness (which is a decent stat for them) can just see traps and ground shoot them. Rogues are my second favorite RPG class after Wizards, so this is a big downside for me. Speaking of magic users, Wizards are completely imbalanced. Air magic dominates all school trees, the first support character will cover most other magic needs with Rain, Heal, Teleport (playing with 2 Teleports is too OP) and any other points put in a different magic tree of your main Wizard other than Air magic significantly decrease dmg output. Next: money. Gold is really scarce in the start, so the player cant afford anything other than a few healing pots. Spellbooks look like something from the Vatican Archives, items look like the new limited edition Channel collection. The way around that is to steal from houses which is so easy in this game, its stupid. Another stupid thing is that Secret Agents working for the government are forced to petty theft for chump change. The devs should have thought of some way to get gold in the start, after that gold is not an issue any more, and if the second main character has Barter high enough, the player can hoard on pretty much anything. Which is another imbalance - no gold in the start, gold is irrelevant afterwards. And lastly its not open-world, the game is almost entirely linear and its not very long, its rather short compared to classics and TES games. If you see bad scores, know they are given by children who are lied that they have played real RPGs and are usually fans of ME, WoW and consider Dragon Age to be hardcore (it was the only good one after KotoR but still a far cry). On the other hand the perfect scores are given by Kikcstarters to self justify and suppress buyers remorse. So take everything with a grain of salt. My best tip: skip this one and wait for Pillars of Eternity.
    7/10    … Expand
  55. BSim500
    Jan 27, 2015
    6
    Game starts well, but outside Cyseal everything rapidly gets bogged down. Pacing & movement speed are abysmally slow & after 70hrs I still wasn't even 2/3rds of the way through & simply lost interest. Instead of a major plot line kept flowing in a linear fashion with minor sidequests, it follows multiple interlinked paths of a major plotline which must be done in precisely the order theGame starts well, but outside Cyseal everything rapidly gets bogged down. Pacing & movement speed are abysmally slow & after 70hrs I still wasn't even 2/3rds of the way through & simply lost interest. Instead of a major plot line kept flowing in a linear fashion with minor sidequests, it follows multiple interlinked paths of a major plotline which must be done in precisely the order the devs wanted (which you have no idea in advance).

    Eg 1 : To enter a wizard's house guarded by a barrier, you need object A to active portal (which you don't know you need). You get it from person X (which you don't know they have unless you kill & loot their body breaking the plot) as person X merely says "you need to provide proof you're friendly with person Y" without telling you they will give object A in return for the unspecified item of proof you need, which you don't have anyway & don't know you need because you've played areas in the "wrong" order even though they were the "right" order in how you traveled across maps.

    Eg 2 : You have to talk to animal X (who only appears once) to get a quest but you accidentally initiate conversation with character who doesn't have Pet Pal talent, so you exit conversation and try to reinitiate with char who does have it, but animal X has now disappeared for good.

    This isn't an "old school" intellectual challenge, it's simply "fake open world" linearity & quest bugs dressed as something else. It's actually far better to have a Neverwinter Nights style progression where the main plot is split into linear chapters and kept flowing at a pace that maintains interest across 60hrs whilst simultaneously giving the player full freedom of travel & sidequests within each chapter than this confusing frustration-fest of endless main plot dead-ends & illusory "open-ness". The journal / quest NPC's are sorely lacking in any meaningful quest data so you end up first losing track & later on losing interest out of "slow boredom". I've been gaming for 25 years and a lot of what gets called "hardcore old-school" out of confused nostalgia actually isn't. In DOS, you can easily play 4-days of 3x hours a day sessions & feel like you haven't made any progress at all which wasn't the case with "PC golden era" RPG's.

    It's sad because the GFX, soundtrack are fine, the turn based combat works mostly well, the difficulty is refreshing, etc. But there are so many annoyances that spoil it. Some sidequests are area limited & fail without warning if you stray too far. The game is riddled with "progression bugs", ie, you'll regularly get a "mid-quest" comment about a plot you haven't even started yet that makes absolutely no sense (which is precisely why some "protection" for quest items / locations makes sense & isn't considered "dumbing down"). The puzzles are nonsensical and often involve either tedious pixel hunting for tiny 5-pixel size switches, sticking barrels over poison vents or "rock-paper-scissors".

    Other problems : ambient NPC dialogue is repeated every 20s, crashes 4-6 times per day, enemies dance about during your combat turn which combined with a small "hitbox" means you'll often inadvertently order your ranged character to waste their AP's running behind the enemy instead of attacking them. You can't even pause the game short of ALT-TABbing and using Process Explorer to force suspend the game (hitting ESC and bringing up the main menu keeps the game running). I've no idea why any dev would leave out a pause option as people get interrupted all the time. Camera only rotates 90 degrees, after a quest is completed related dialogue options still show up, poor inventory management (everything uses the same size reused icons with no visible text unless you manually mouseover your 150 similar looking inventory items...) Trading is equally tedious and can only be done one at a time (ie, if your fighter char sees a magic staff, you can't just click on your mage to compare equipped items), tedious rapid weapon degradation, etc. This stuff falls into the "fun vs realism" thing - it may be "hardcore" to some but it simply isn't fun - and isn't that the bottom line of playing games - to have fun?...

    Overall, I liked the early game but once you leave Cyseal and it starts to "branch out" across multiple forests, the whole thing gets bogged down in a convoluted mess of main quest dead ends, pixel hunting / RPS puzzles, "over-loot" and cumbersome trading & inventory management. It's like the devs looked at what's wrong with "dumbing down" in modern games, but then wildly over-compensated in all the wrong areas by creating a game with such an unhelpful main plot progression / journal system / nitpickity micro-management centric mechanics, it actually ends up more frustrating than challenging.

    Score : 6 (8 for inside Cyseal during the first 10hrs and 4 for the rest where the game virtually grinds to a halt for days on end under one main quest dead-end after another and tedious pixel hunting "puzzles").    … Expand
  56. sasha94
    Jul 23, 2014
    8
    A solid game with lots of depth and a touch of humor. It is good for a change not to be lead around by the hand, you have to actually use your noggin a bit in this game and you are rewarded for it.
    Lots of character options are available to develop your characters your way and the turn based combat is challenging and well designed. Crafting can be a bit daunting, with nothing to guide you    A solid game with lots of depth and a touch of humor. It is good for a change not to be lead around by the hand, you have to actually use your noggin a bit in this game and you are rewarded for it.
    Lots of character options are available to develop your characters your way and the turn based combat is challenging and well designed. Crafting can be a bit daunting, with nothing to guide you apart from recipe's you find as loot, but most crafting is intuitive (using a forge to smelt ore, a whetstone to improve weapons, ovens to cook in and potion bottles to mix brews) and you get a sense of achievement creating stuff.
    You are also given a lot of freedom roaming around the game world which can get you into some trouble is your not paying attention.
    Some bugs and save game corruptions did detract from my overall impression of the game and the NPC dialog can get annoying at times which is why this game rates an 8 and not a 9 with me.
    Overall a great RPG well worth the asking price.    … Expand
  57. Narziss
    Jul 26, 2014
    6
    The good: all the skills to strategize about and the awesome tactical combat
    The bad: the tedious story and other annoying role playing elements (like secret quests from talking to animals)
    If you are the sort of player who prefers to strategize all day long and wants a combat heavy game, get impatient with roleplaying (reading lots of text), and would rather just get right into the    The good: all the skills to strategize about and the awesome tactical combat
    The bad: the tedious story and other annoying role playing elements (like secret quests from talking to animals)

    If you are the sort of player who prefers to strategize all day long and wants a combat heavy game, get impatient with roleplaying (reading lots of text), and would rather just get right into the fight, then this game is *very* sadly not for you. I say "very sadly" because the combat is amazing, I just personally don't have the patience for this kind of story (I prefer combat only but don't mind story if it's a good story, which for me this isn't imho).    … Expand
  58. GigaHz
    Mar 4, 2015
    3
    An in-depth RPG with an excellent engine, marred by terrible design choices.

    I really wanted to get into the game and I was incredibly patient from the very beginning. I enjoyed the old-school RPG aesthetic and D:OS had the potential to be very deep and incredibly rewarding. But after about 50 hours in, trying to decipher the game's absurd approach to questing without relying on    An in-depth RPG with an excellent engine, marred by terrible design choices.

    I really wanted to get into the game and I was incredibly patient from the very beginning. I enjoyed the old-school RPG aesthetic and D:OS had the potential to be very deep and incredibly rewarding. But after about 50 hours in, trying to decipher the game's absurd approach to questing without relying on external guides, I decided that it was no longer worth my time.

    I'm not asking to be lead around by a pointer arrow, what I am asking for is more meat and less 'busy-work'. The game is exactly that: busy work. Fights take a long time, quests take a long time. This would normally be a good thing if you're looking to get value out of your dollar, but things take a long time for the wrong reasons.

    At first I was for the idea of 'open-ended' quest lines. The problem is that some are rife with so many red-herrings, unless you know they ARE red herrings, you could try in vain to follow a clue, sweeping areas clean, looking for items, chatting with useless NPCs, and so on, only to find out that you haven't moved an inch in the quest line. No, there is only ONE solution, and it's OUR solution. Everything that you wasted your time doing means nothing.

    But even if you forgive Original Sin's approach to questing, there's still a whole lot of ugly to sift through. For one, the story is not very engaging and does a poor job of drawing the player into the game's universe. This could be due to poor translation or needing to play the other games in the series but the dialogue seemed very hollow and uninspired. This is compounded by NPCs in your party who feel the need to randomly talk to you when a chat bubble pops over their head. They never have anything relevant to say and it does little to flesh out their character.

    This awkwardness also extends to your 'partner'. While it's a cool idea for co-op, there is little incentive for a solo player to roleplay more than one character. Your options are to either agree or disagree with your partners point of view. Regardless of what you choose to do, this has next-to-no tangible influence on the plot whatsoever. It was weird to experience and felt like more busy work.

    The rock-paper-scissors mechanic, while interesting for making choices, is also inherently flawed. The algorithm is rather predictable and players will likely just reload a quicksave if they desire a certain outcome anyway.

    It's a damn shame because the game engine is truly remarkable. While there are some nags to be sure, such as performance optimization and an awkward camera, the fact that it can theoretically allow for turn-based and real-time actions to occur within a single session is pretty interesting. This is also pretty interesting if you decide to play co-op online. I'm sure that a dedicated modding community could adopt the engine for their own and create a decent game for it.

    Until then, unless you don't mind reading guides online and throwing away hours of your time on a finely crafted shell of an RPG experience, do yourself a favor and sink your time into Fallout 1+2, Baulder's Gate 1+2 and Icewind Dale. The graphics may not be as pretty but the experience is rich and quests are possible to finish if you follow the game's internal logic.    … Expand
  59. Velius
    Jul 25, 2014
    8
    Kind of an awesome game ! Not empty of default though. If you are a fan of old schools Baldur's gate style, you should rush this game. If not, but sort of interested, maybe wait for a lower price and give it a try. It's a slow pace game, but if you are ok with this, then you might find happiness.

    PROS: - Combat system is really awesome, Environmental and elementals interactions make    Kind of an awesome game ! Not empty of default though. If you are a fan of old schools Baldur's gate style, you should rush this game. If not, but sort of interested, maybe wait for a lower price and give it a try. It's a slow pace game, but if you are ok with this, then you might find happiness.

    PROS:
    - Combat system is really awesome, Environmental and elementals interactions make the bread and butter, and it's a really good butter :)
    -Music is cool, while a bit irregular in quality (some are truely epic while others remain unoticed.
    -Graphics are ok, not particulary shining, but clear and somewhat nice.
    -Lot of ways to "break the game" like teleporting things, using Telekinesis nicely, and other various stuff.
    -I really enjoyed the crafting system, but i'd suggest to use some community guides to really use it in an effective way, because, well it is...

    CONS:-
    ... kinda dark considering that recipes are randomly dispatched and if you dont find some key recipes, you'll miss a lot of things to plainly benefit from your skillpoints used in Crafting and Blacksmithing (note that blacksmithing is way way less usefull than crafting). Other bad point: there is a TON of components leading to...
    -an awfull inventory management. Really, this is the worst aspect of the game: tedious, takes a lot of time, and confusing. (where the hell is my quest item, i know it is on this character, but i cant find it). Sometimes you managed to clean up the mess in your inventory and bags, but 45 min later, it's in the same state than before.
    -translation: i dont know for every language, but in mine, it's just like of Google trad did all the job. And it is a crap job, really. word-to-word translation resulting in pure non-sense, the worst being for the humour: in english some conversations are really fun, but simply translated but NOT adapted, this result in ... nothing.

    Ok, this is the end of my 1st review ever, i hope my english is correct enough, i tried to give an accurate rating (i noticed that most user's review are 10 or 0, wich is a bit ridiculous), and i also hope reader will find it usefull. Have a nice time with this game.    … Expand
  60. Uyzy
    Aug 19, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the sea of reviews that usually give any game 0, 1, 9 or 10 it's always nice to read a review with the score of 4-8 in my opinion. I don't believe any game, book or a film can be called a 0 or a 10 without properly defining it's strong points and weaknesses. That being said, let's proceed to the review.

    D:OS is a typical kickstarter project. By that I don't mean to insult it, but it seems a lot of kickstarter games are old school comebacks. While the game proudly states it's genre as full fledged RPG, I'd say it's a mix between adventure game and tactical rpg. When I think of an RPG, I think of a lot of important choices, character depth and complexity. Adding stats, some companion dialog and a billion of items doesn't make an RPG (hence i cringe when someone calls Diablo an RPG). Despite the size of the world and its seemingly vast amount of choices, in reality this game delivers a simple (albeit finely done) story about saving the world. The story itself seems to wink at the players with its references. Sometimes they are hidden in a line of dialog, other times they are ripping off (and I don't mean this negatively) old RPGS. The finest example of the latter is teleporting to The End of Time (for those, who don't know - google end of time chrono trigger).

    So we got a basic, but coherent plot of saving the world. Now what about the world itself ? I'm pleased to say, that the graphics combine the old&new very well. A drop down perspective pleases the eye, the details are decent and while the design it self is rather generic, I think that technically-wise the game looks good.

    When it comes to the game mechanics, it contains everything we've seen plus a little bit extra. Tactical games like this always present similar challenges and have their pros and cons. It's no different this time. While we have a lot of things to work with (spells, classes, elemental effects etc.) there are simply so many calculated ways, builds and ideas of how to play it some players will get lost, while some will abuse the system. As an example, after 15 hours of game play I noticed, that the battles that were difficult were those that played out on the first map. Then after about 3-4 hours I understood the system quite well, and for another 11 hours I'd pretty much use the same tactics all the time. There also seems to be a lot of interesting to use mechanics, that peter out towards end-game. One of the example is specialist arrows. While the effects are great at the beginning, toward the second part of the game my archer would always dich out more damage just using his skills and normal attacks. Not to mention piercing defenses of high level enemies is almost impossible. While it may seem like I nitpick, I certainly enjoyed the combat most of the time and it gives the player a lot of possibilities.

    To sum things up, Divinity: OS is a solid title, that scores double points for the simple fact, that there just aren't too many amazingly good rpgs lately. If you're a fan of old school rpgs and tactical games be sure to check it out. However, if turn based combat, calculating your chances and a loooot of quick saving isn't your thing, I'd pass it.

    Ps I didn't touch on the subject of "moral" choices, as despite being an interesting mechanic, it doesn't truly do much for the game imho.    … Expand
  61. FooLman
    Aug 4, 2014
    9
    At this time this is the RPG with all capitals. I mean it would be all capitals if RPG wasn't spelled so anyway. It has bugs, game breaking sometimes, but still. This is what you remember Baldur's Gate was back then. (Well it wasn't, this is. :) )
    It is deep, it is challenging, it is fun. (And sometimes frustrating until you find how to conquer the challenge at hand.)
  62. Puki
    Aug 20, 2014
    8
    i started to play it, and it looks nice, we start controlling two characters, and i was wooow so far so good, but when i realize it's turn-based game i got disappointed, not with the game, but just because i can't play that, i get so so so bored playing that way, but i'm almost sure if the games wasn't turn-based i would love it.
  63. games4breakfast
    Oct 28, 2014
    9
    One of the best strategy rpg since Baldur's gate!

    Challenging turn-based combat, checked!
    Complex character systems, checked!
    Cool DA with old-school 2D isometric, checked!
    Great immersive soundtrack, checked!
    ....

    Larian studios can be proud!
  64. conradtj
    Dec 4, 2014
    7
    The story starts off strong only to gradually taper towards the end. Truly, the entire game, from the atmosphere to the quality of the combat, unwinds like a split thread as you progress. Divinity's content was designed to be played in a specific order, but it doesn't compel the player to play it in any particular order. This would be fine if not for the fact that if you play sections ofThe story starts off strong only to gradually taper towards the end. Truly, the entire game, from the atmosphere to the quality of the combat, unwinds like a split thread as you progress. Divinity's content was designed to be played in a specific order, but it doesn't compel the player to play it in any particular order. This would be fine if not for the fact that if you play sections of the game out of their intended order, you'll be either over or under leveled for a section of the story - both of which spoil the fun of combat.

    The combat and character progression are genuinely fun. The story is alright. It's a generic doomsday tale with generic twists and generally generic attempts to make itself original. The quality of the game is utterly belied by conflicts in design - the game was designed to played in a certain way but does not have any inbuilt mechanism of directing you.    … Expand
  65. Voyou
    Nov 29, 2015
    3
    Looking for a real RPG (as opposed to a Hack n' Slash or a platformer with skills tree), I start DOS, and immediately notice I'm in amateur territory: barely readable fonts, and no way to increase them. If you asked me 30 years ago, I would have guessed that the bigger our monitors would become, the better we could read. How it came to the exact opposite is obviously due to a conspiracy ofLooking for a real RPG (as opposed to a Hack n' Slash or a platformer with skills tree), I start DOS, and immediately notice I'm in amateur territory: barely readable fonts, and no way to increase them. If you asked me 30 years ago, I would have guessed that the bigger our monitors would become, the better we could read. How it came to the exact opposite is obviously due to a conspiracy of ophthalmologists bribing game developers. Anyway, barely, but still readable, so I keep going. Instead of resting my eyes 15 minutes per hour, I'll just have to swap and actually play 15 minutes per hour.

    Character creation time. A very exciting step in an RPG for sure, and usually a long one. Here, we start with a surprising surprise: we create 2 characters. Hmm... I'm a bit confused. I like talking at the singular 1st person about myself, and my avatar. That's what happens when a player feels invested in a game, and that's a plus for said game. So, will I have to use the plural, like the famous British tapeworm, Queen Victoria ? We want to be amused, and we are all for experiments, even doomed ones, so we keep going.

    Characters creation was actually very quick, and very underwhelming. A few skills, some of them opening a talent pseudo-menu (pseudo because it offers actually no choices,) and we are done. Also, there are only 2 races: male and female. Err... I meant... only 2 species: bodybuilder and barbie doll. Anyway, you get our meaning. I mean, my meaning.

    I both hop on a beach (confusing, isn't it ?) It's a pretty 3d world, not gorgeous like these 2d painted games, but it will do nicely. Someone is talking near the west edge, but stays invisible. These long range constant chatters will prove very annoying in the future, specially in town. They'll make you want to go away instead of doing what you plan on doing.

    And then, the pixel hunting starts. Pixel hunting is the meat of this game. In the following hours, I will have hovered over, then opened, hundreds of crates and vases. Most of them empty, yet my dreadfully cumbersome inventory screen will look like a huge pile of junk. And that will be enough for me to quit and have no desire to come back. I feel like I've been playing a hack n' slash without the hack. And, mostly, pixel hunting. In 2015.

    Sure, a few nice things happened in the mean time: playing mostly a thief, I discovered an amusing take on the sneaking trope, and a challenging and interesting pickpocket mechanism. I got involved in a couple of fights, and backstabbing proved satisfying at this early stage. Using magic scrolls also proved very helpful, unlike in any other game (I usually can't be bothered, but here it felt natural.) And that's about it.

    It's an RPG, so there are dialogues and interactions and story lines and stuff, but one word is enough to summarise them: childish.

    After the disappointing PoE, I let myself be influenced by the reviews here. Now I will avoid kickstarted games like the plague, since backers suffer from a very peculiar mental block that renders them unreliable.    … Expand
  66. kwerle
    Sep 17, 2014
    7
    Graphic performance disappointing on my system that runs D3 just fine.
    I found the game tedious after a while (18th). Quests failed to clear when goals became obsolete or impossible. Dealing with inventory is a drag. Crafting is a little random and not logged - making it a pain to do it again. Combat feels poorly balanced.
  67. djball
    Nov 19, 2014
    7
    Great old school RPG, with a lot of old school fail.

    In particular "what do I do next"? This game is loaded with massive time sinks, the map shows no information which is ok, but your journal is also practically useless... clues are very subtle you have to read carefully. Most often you will set out in the wrong direction breaking many of the quests. Player punishment was the    Great old school RPG, with a lot of old school fail.

    In particular "what do I do next"? This game is loaded with massive time sinks, the map shows no information which is ok, but your journal is also practically useless... clues are very subtle you have to read carefully. Most often you will set out in the wrong direction breaking many of the quests.

    Player punishment was the developers soul directive in this title and they pass with flying colors. In other words Google is your friend, unless you have 8 hours to find an important item this totally kills a game. And save save save save save save save save or you're f'd, it becomes rather tiresome.

    Aside from all the serious negatives, it's still fun, well written, and a good score(music). The second play through is proving to be much better because I know where to go.    … Expand
  68. Zoid
    Nov 12, 2015
    8
    Good old-fashioned isometric RPG. So it should look like a true RPG - the sea and freedom of choice, you can make your character anyone. A game with a friend to add a lot of fun.
  69. EnclaveMK2
    Dec 16, 2018
    4
    Вся игра это какое то одно большое превозмогание. Боевка просто отвратительная, меня постоянно не покидало чувство, что я играю отрядом инвалидов, которые имеют много умений, но они нихуя не юзабельны. Система сохранений - сохраняет когда ей вздумается. Баланс классов просто отсутствует - вор и лучник бесполезны чуть больше чем полностью. Ахуеть, вместо того, что бы получать радость отВся игра это какое то одно большое превозмогание. Боевка просто отвратительная, меня постоянно не покидало чувство, что я играю отрядом инвалидов, которые имеют много умений, но они нихуя не юзабельны. Система сохранений - сохраняет когда ей вздумается. Баланс классов просто отсутствует - вор и лучник бесполезны чуть больше чем полностью. Ахуеть, вместо того, что бы получать радость от игры у меня постоянно было чувство страдания. Походу целью разработчиков была проверка игроков на прочность. Система таргетинга откровенно хуевая - время от времени то и дело, что получаются миссклики. Вместо того что бы ударить - персонаж начинает пиздовать кудато, что невыносимо выводит из себя. Враги постоянно имеют преимущество над персонажами. Взять для примера вражеских лучников - они стреляют чаще и точнее чем персонаж лучник. Я хз за что игре выставили такие большие оценки.

    Юмор присудствует это правда, сюжет вроде как не плохой, графика сойдет.

    Но геймплей это пиздец. Контактниками играть невозможно, постоянно поджоги, подскальзывания, отравление, хоть бери да просто круги нарезай вокруг врагов, ожидая того как маг и лучник через 9000 ходов одолеют врагов. После того как я проиграл один из боев и попытался загрузится, оказалось, что последнее автосохранение было хер знает когда и совсем в другой локации. Я просто не выдержал, нажал alt+F4 и удалил игру к хуям от греха подальше.    … Expand
  70. fleischer
    Aug 13, 2014
    3
    Bought this on the assumption that it was going to be a modern take on Baldur's Gate, but it really isn't.

    This game doesn't come even close to having the fidelity of the D&D games of the late 90s/early 2000s. Character creation consists of choosing between many different class names - all of which are irrelevant, since everything is about skills. There is no differentiating between    Bought this on the assumption that it was going to be a modern take on Baldur's Gate, but it really isn't.

    This game doesn't come even close to having the fidelity of the D&D games of the late 90s/early 2000s. Character creation consists of choosing between many different class names - all of which are irrelevant, since everything is about skills. There is no differentiating between skills and spells either - the fighter is essentially a spellcaster like everyone else. In short, character creation is boring and your characters all look the same. Only two characters can be recruited, which means absolute linearity with a 4 member party system.

    The worst part of it however, is all the bugs and things that simply do not work, or work in a way that is very difficult to grasp from the information you are given. An example of combat: I want my wizard to teleport an oil barrel to set a group of enemies on fire and sneak my rogue in and kill the enemy boss. First try: I use my walk in shadows skill on the rogue, and walk him in while the rest of the group stands behind. Nope, doesn't work - walk in shadows gets cancelled and the main group refuses to join the battle. Second try: I teleport the barrel and boom, big explosion, lots of fire, but the enemy does not take any fire damage? Why? Because they are wet? Because they are skeletons? Because the developer wanted to give them a fire protection for some reason? God knows. Oh well, I activate my 'walk in shadows' on the rogue, this time with success, and prepare to sneak him in. But, hmm, there is fire there, so I should use my "immunity to burning" scroll with a 100% chance of setting the 'immunity to burning' buff! Good idea! 4 action points spent, and in we go! But...no, first thing that happens is that my rogue loses half his hitpoints to, guess what, fire damage. What gives? Maybe I need immunity to _fire_, not _burning_? Okay, very well, third try: This time I choose to spend some extra action points and sneak my rogue _around_ the burning oil. However, still he ends up in a tight situation with one enemy left to fight. What to do? Use the healing potion? Hm, no I have a stun skill with a 105% (!) chance to work, no need to waste potions. So, whizz-bang, large effect, but is the target stunned? Nope, "The keeper of bla bla saved against stun". So what the hell does 105% chance of success actually mean?

    Suffice to say that after 5 tries on the same battle, you get very tired of the nonsensical game mechanics of 'Divinity' and just turn it off.    … Expand
  71. HarryCYUL
    Jul 8, 2014
    10
    Sex with the most beautiful woman on the planet or playing this game? Divinity OS Biotches FTW :) Game is awesome! Graphics, sound, gameplay are all amazing.
  72. Lambo442
    Jul 10, 2014
    10
    This really is a stunning and in depth RPG. The comparisons to Balders gate 2 are well deserved but it really is it's own entity. The environments are gorgeous, the voice acting is top quality and the quests are engaging and flow together in a very logical fashion, even though the game is non linear. The turn based combat system is also very welcome as it stops combat being too frantic andThis really is a stunning and in depth RPG. The comparisons to Balders gate 2 are well deserved but it really is it's own entity. The environments are gorgeous, the voice acting is top quality and the quests are engaging and flow together in a very logical fashion, even though the game is non linear. The turn based combat system is also very welcome as it stops combat being too frantic and adds a real tactical element to gameplay. If you love RPGs then you'll be in your element here. I've been an RPG fan for years and for me this is right up there with the best.… Expand
  73. kingmuh
    Jul 11, 2014
    10
    liked to Play baldurs gate I, II, icewind dale and co? than this is the right thingy for you! Maximum Details... dialogs, quests, party, gets really close to the old giants!
    the next game that could be Close is pillars of eternity...
  74. Quickmix
    Jul 10, 2014
    10
    This Game is EPIC!
    Classic Gameplay with modern Grafix and Sounds.
    Great Storyline and a gorgeous Interface.

    It gives you a good Oldschool feeling from the golden days of RPG's with a touch of the Future.

    Thumps Up!
  75. Scarzi
    Jul 14, 2014
    10
    This will be a top contender for GOTY. This is one of the few single player games I will do multiple playthroughs on. It has story and gameplay which is very rare in games these day. It has all the elements of a RPG. Every single thing has a purpose in the game, its not just there to fill.
  76. grndzro
    Jul 14, 2014
    10
    This game takes awesome to a new level ^^
    I have been itching to play an old school TBRPG and Divinity OS does it better than any game I can remember.

    I cant wait to see what Larian comes out with next.
  77. Gnork
    Jul 17, 2014
    10
    This is the game I have been waiting for since 2002..

    If you are 30+, a fan of Ultima VII, Icewind Dale or Baldurs Gate, I am sure this game will be right in your ballpark.

    Now I am looking forward to more content, both DLC and User Generated.
  78. J4m1e24o8
    Jul 6, 2014
    9
    THIS REVIEW IS FOR MODERN RPG GAMERS.
    For example people that liked games such as Skyrim, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, or Fallout this review is for you.
    GRAPHICS- Probably the fist thing you notice when starting up a new game, and in this games case the visuals are a nice mix between Diablo 3 and perhaps something like Kingdom of Amalur. The textures are nice and the character models are    THIS REVIEW IS FOR MODERN RPG GAMERS.
    For example people that liked games such as Skyrim, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, or Fallout this review is for you.
    GRAPHICS- Probably the fist thing you notice when starting up a new game, and in this games case the visuals are a nice mix between Diablo 3 and perhaps something like Kingdom of Amalur. The textures are nice and the character models are sharp enough, but the environment / visual effects are very good.

    STORY- Your standard fare of fantasy "chosen one" plot lines, with some very interesting side quests and companions and reminded me of dragon age origins. The companion interactions are similar to Mass Effect and alot of your decisions have effects on the story and characters around you.

    GAMEPLAY- Turn based, like Xcom. So there is inherently a good amount of tactics involved, many spells to chose from and buffs/debuffs come into play big time. You can move items around in the environment and the elements work with each other (water and electricity for example) and this really creates the feeling that you are looking into a little box with your character and the world in it as opposed to just playing a video game.

    CONCLUSION- This is a very indepth game that has strong rewards and consequences, which many modern games lack (Skyrim). Also, this game is certainly for anyone who enjoys a good story and good characters (dragon age, witcher 2) as well as people who like games that dont hold your hand( Dark Souls). Finally, if for some reason you expect this to be an action game you are wrong, this a a compelling game with good humor, characters, story, gameplay, visuals and an all around solid title. 9.5/10    … Expand
  79. eulogy
    Jul 5, 2014
    10
    This game is amazing. If you like older RPG's like Baulder's Gate, you won't want to miss this game. Even if you didn't play Baulder's Gate, you're in for a fun turn-based DnD-like game with puzzles and awesome combat.
  80. mrpomo
    Jul 6, 2014
    5
    This game gets a lot of nostalgia up votes, but it lacks polish. This may be a kickstarter game, but Larian has been around for a long time since Divine Divinity (which I felt was better polished for its time. I like that its a throwback to the classics, but it just doesn't measure up to them.

    Pros have been mentioned ad nauseum. It does have deep tactictal combat that uses the    This game gets a lot of nostalgia up votes, but it lacks polish. This may be a kickstarter game, but Larian has been around for a long time since Divine Divinity (which I felt was better polished for its time. I like that its a throwback to the classics, but it just doesn't measure up to them.

    Pros have been mentioned ad nauseum. It does have deep tactictal combat that uses the environment and has challenging AI. Many battles requires creative use of the map for success.

    But the cons can be frustrating. The camera does not rotate more than ~20 degrees which renders it useless. Finicky mouse detection makes clicking enemies, picking up items, and other activities a chore. Agonizingly slow, slow character walk speed. The UI lacks obvious shortcuts so everything requires too many clicks. Dialogue of quantity rather than quality. Lack of waypoint quest markers practically guarantees you'll be stumbling into overleveled enemies. If your party is too far away from your scout when the battle begins, you cannot rally them to battle. Fixed enemy levels means you will be exploring the world in a fairly linear fashion. Many obvious gameplay elements like these just ruin the experience.

    Combat can definitely be satisfying in this game. But the forgettable dialogue and characters, clunky UI, and general design flaws makes playing the game an unnecessary chore.    … Expand
  81. Type4101
    Jul 25, 2014
    9
    A full, epic game for one price. No micro-transactions! No "episode 1 of 6" junk. Just a real game for a fair price. A breath of fresh air. The best RPG in ages, with depth and options galore. The only problem with the game is that the companions available are mostly no-personality hirelings, and only two have real personalities. A few more meaningful companions would push the gameA full, epic game for one price. No micro-transactions! No "episode 1 of 6" junk. Just a real game for a fair price. A breath of fresh air. The best RPG in ages, with depth and options galore. The only problem with the game is that the companions available are mostly no-personality hirelings, and only two have real personalities. A few more meaningful companions would push the game to new heights. Still, this game is not to be missed.… Expand
  82. JokerVictor
    Jul 8, 2014
    9
    The game, its content, the combat system, the character creation and customization system, the wild and wacky science kit that is the crafting system, and the wonderful musical score that keeps everything emotionally engaging are quite simply, all perfect.

    I haven't been this engaged by or engrossed in a game in a very very long time. Truly a fantastic release, and hopefully the first    The game, its content, the combat system, the character creation and customization system, the wild and wacky science kit that is the crafting system, and the wonderful musical score that keeps everything emotionally engaging are quite simply, all perfect.

    I haven't been this engaged by or engrossed in a game in a very very long time. Truly a fantastic release, and hopefully the first of many. The only thing that drops my score from a perfect 10 are technical issues. Save often, it's not the most stable game currently, and if you're playing co-op you can expect desync and disconnection issues fairly often. These issues are a minor annoyance though, and do nothing to diminish the awesome time that this game provides.    … Expand
  83. darsat
    Jul 8, 2014
    9
    I jumped on the game right after the steam sale, I am pleased. On a 2 week vacation and this has been great, reminds me of BG. The only reason I give it a 9 is there are some quests that, if done out of order, screw things up a bit. The developer has recognized this today and will be issuing a patch.
  84. Negolash
    Jul 6, 2014
    10
    Glorious RPG experience, big and full of content game with great story and really hard battles. Every fan of classic RPG should, no, MUST play Divinity Original Sin.
  85. BlueEyeDoc
    Aug 3, 2014
    10
    A big suprise - as this game is as phantastic as it looked like on kickstarter, and now its really realeased! A huge world to explore with so many details, quests, hidden secrets and unlimited combinations on the tactical combat by the amazing magic system... flaming the oil, freezing or lightning the water, combine all, and you need all of this :-) AND the best point: its the first gameA big suprise - as this game is as phantastic as it looked like on kickstarter, and now its really realeased! A huge world to explore with so many details, quests, hidden secrets and unlimited combinations on the tactical combat by the amazing magic system... flaming the oil, freezing or lightning the water, combine all, and you need all of this :-) AND the best point: its the first game since years which really is made for a NON-MMORG coop play in the roleplay-gaming. Its really funny to play it with a friend! This is (beneath Wasteland 2) what i was looking for years! Its a 11/10 Game and for me the Game of the Year 2014!… Expand
  86. Victorpresti
    Jul 5, 2014
    9
    I really love this game.

    I'm a big fan of RPGs, both electronic and table RPG like D&D. This game is very, very close to a modern table RPG. You're free to do whatever you want in Divinity's world, the combat feels great, the story is pretty decent, the key characters are well written and even the random NPCs aren't simply copy pasted, even if they're similar, they do have their own    I really love this game.

    I'm a big fan of RPGs, both electronic and table RPG like D&D. This game is very, very close to a modern table RPG. You're free to do whatever you want in Divinity's world, the combat feels great, the story is pretty decent, the key characters are well written and even the random NPCs aren't simply copy pasted, even if they're similar, they do have their own small differences in the way they walk and react.

    Now for the issues, the game can feel quite clumsy and slow at the beginning. I started two games on Beta and now that the game is out it's my third time restarting the game with my lover. I got used and the game feels really smooth, the combat is way more fluid and the possibilities widen as you master the game's rules and mechanics.    … Expand
  87. 0rdinary
    Nov 28, 2014
    2
    If you liked D&D games (ie Neverwinter Nights 2) you might feel a bit let down.

    Too much to do at the start. No real sense of direction. Game play feels sluggish. Inventory management is cumbersome. Party member interaction feels forced and you don't care for the characters. The amount of text in every conversation ended up boring me so I started skipping a lot of it. I really wanted    If you liked D&D games (ie Neverwinter Nights 2) you might feel a bit let down.

    Too much to do at the start. No real sense of direction. Game play feels sluggish. Inventory management is cumbersome. Party member interaction feels forced and you don't care for the characters. The amount of text in every conversation ended up boring me so I started skipping a lot of it.

    I really wanted to like this but it's just not for me.    … Expand
  88. Daz4x
    Aug 2, 2014
    9
    Divinity Original Sin is a great game with several issues which could easily be fixed with future patches.

    The Good: Combat: The combat is some of the best rpg combat I have played in a very long time if not ever. Element interaction for combat makes every fight interesting. Music: The music is very well done. Unfortunately some of the music does not create immersion/    Divinity Original Sin is a great game with several issues which could easily be fixed with future patches.

    The Good:

    Combat:
    The combat is some of the best rpg combat I have played in a very long time if not ever. Element interaction for combat makes every fight interesting.

    Music: The music is very well done. Unfortunately some of the music does not create immersion/ repetitive.

    Story: The story is not the most original story ever created but it still intriguing enough to keep you playing through the game.

    The Bad:

    Lack of Characters:
    There are only two characters that you are able to get for your party are bland, and the mercenaries you are able to get from your homestead are just the same except no boring/ uncreative back stories.

    The game is easily the best RPG I have seen for years, since the age of Baldur's Gate. I have been incredibly satisfied with the game overall. With future fixes and Mods this game could be one of the best RPGs ever.    … Expand
  89. rawtyrant
    Jul 16, 2014
    9
    Divinity: Original Sin is the next generation for turn-based RPG's. This game does it right, combining stellar game play, fun combat, and interesting story to make the best of its genre in years! It's not easy, so don't expect to blow through it without trying, it makes you work for each level and each quest and that makes the experience so much more enjoyable and rewarding. Larian StudiosDivinity: Original Sin is the next generation for turn-based RPG's. This game does it right, combining stellar game play, fun combat, and interesting story to make the best of its genre in years! It's not easy, so don't expect to blow through it without trying, it makes you work for each level and each quest and that makes the experience so much more enjoyable and rewarding. Larian Studios did a great job and I can NOT wait for future updates and DLC releases!
    D:OS is a buy at full price and suggest to friends kind of game. 9/10    … Expand
  90. Niivers
    Jul 17, 2014
    8
    I personally feel that in terms of Single-player play, this game is lacking. Controlling 2-4 characters alone isn't necessarily hard - it's just tedious. If you're trying to navigate through traps, your companions could walk on one while auto following. The only real solution would be to individually navigate them throughout the entire part, one by one. Aside from that, the gameplay isI personally feel that in terms of Single-player play, this game is lacking. Controlling 2-4 characters alone isn't necessarily hard - it's just tedious. If you're trying to navigate through traps, your companions could walk on one while auto following. The only real solution would be to individually navigate them throughout the entire part, one by one. Aside from that, the gameplay is still very enthralling.

    On the flip side, I feel that where this game truly shines is in it's cooperative play. My boyfriend and I picked this game up on the Steam Sale and we haven't been disappointed (except for maybe when I feel like killing random NPCs and he gets pissed at me).

    As a huge fan of JRPGs like Ultima and Neverwinter, I do say the gameplay is good, the story is good, the gameplay is good, but it could have used a few minor touches to all of the above.    … Expand
  91. carbon_14
    Jul 22, 2014
    9
    I haven't had this much fun in a long time. A great RPG with great depth, lots of surprises and a bit of humor. The interaction of the environment, elemental effects and objects make the turn based combat fun and challenging not a monotonous button mashing click-fest. The character customization options are first rate with many skills and perks to enable you to play how you like, no classI haven't had this much fun in a long time. A great RPG with great depth, lots of surprises and a bit of humor. The interaction of the environment, elemental effects and objects make the turn based combat fun and challenging not a monotonous button mashing click-fest. The character customization options are first rate with many skills and perks to enable you to play how you like, no class driven pigeon holed characters here. There are a few bugs and some of the repetitive dialog can grate if you stand in one spot for long, but these are minor complaints for what is an exceptional RPG.
    Unfortunately I was unable to try out the co-op or multi-player options, so I can't comment on them at this time.    … Expand
  92. faraztalat
    Dec 13, 2014
    2
    Slow, arduous, complicated, visually unattractive, hideously user-unfriendly game with micro-text that induces headaches. What little energy there is in the game, is successfully sapped by an unoriginal turn-based battle system.

    The learning curve is exasperatingly steep, and all the places that actually might have benefited from the interruptive tutorial messages, are suspiciously    Slow, arduous, complicated, visually unattractive, hideously user-unfriendly game with micro-text that induces headaches. What little energy there is in the game, is successfully sapped by an unoriginal turn-based battle system.

    The learning curve is exasperatingly steep, and all the places that actually might have benefited from the interruptive tutorial messages, are suspiciously lacking them. Simple tasks that should take a single click, like picking up and reading a journal, have been made unnecessarily cumbersome.

    The storyline's laughable and cliched. The game looks like it should be played on a minimized screen yet, bafflingly, occupies about 10 GB of space. Twenty minutes into the game, and I'm hurting for a refund, silently cursing the positive reviews that encouraged me to spend $39.99 on this.    … Expand
  93. Hylus
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    I've played about 4 hours of the game and it's quite fun. I love the intractability with the environment that is possible and the shear number of ways you can win any particular fight as a result. All around, this is one of the best rpgs I've played in a while
  94. akarnokd
    Jul 13, 2014
    8
    I'm not really fond of games with turn based battles, but as a KS backer, I jumped into D:OS to get value for my money. The game looks fantastic (and let's set the refresh rate as well; even with my high-end machine, I like it to be low on fan noise when it is unnecessary). I'm more like a casual gamer and never played the Baldur's Gate series, and the game difficulty was a bit odd for me;I'm not really fond of games with turn based battles, but as a KS backer, I jumped into D:OS to get value for my money. The game looks fantastic (and let's set the refresh rate as well; even with my high-end machine, I like it to be low on fan noise when it is unnecessary). I'm more like a casual gamer and never played the Baldur's Gate series, and the game difficulty was a bit odd for me; XP is scarce and enemies are 1-2 level above my characters. In order to gain XP, I need to kill them, but even +1 level makes the fight very difficult. To be better, one needs more XP and non-battle quests are limited in an area so one has to rely on luck, buffs, pre-cast effects to get by; almost a catch 22 situation. There were a few battle annoyances, such as sometimes instead of attacking, the click got interpeted as a move command because the enemy's pixels were in some animation phase. Weapon durability is also a bit low for my taste. The third annoyance was the slippery ice, my main character managed to knock himself out over and over for like 5 minutes until I got tired and teleported away. Fortunately, quicksaves can be used, but autosaves are scarce and uneven; I lost nearly an hour worth of exploration once because I forgot to save manually. The voiceover is limited, but I felt a little bad skipping through most dialogue: somehow, reading 6-7 screens of text becomes boring after a while and one starts to look for keywords only. The story is generally interesting, but the journal is way less helpful than in other games. Usually it registers things that happened and provides little to no clue where to go next and what to do. No wonder the forums are full of the questions about them. The game and script run stable for most of the time, except some puzzles at the end which glitched out, but I was able to skip ahead.… Expand
  95. Enshia
    Jul 31, 2014
    9
    Well I'd give it a 9-9.5/10 but metacritic doesn't let you do that. So what to say? Game time played from start to finish gave me 87 hours, and I missed at least 6 quests that I could have completed.

    How does the game feel? Pretty good, it has excellent combat and spell combinations. You can use the environment to control your enemies movements. You can pick them off by funneling    Well I'd give it a 9-9.5/10 but metacritic doesn't let you do that. So what to say? Game time played from start to finish gave me 87 hours, and I missed at least 6 quests that I could have completed.

    How does the game feel? Pretty good, it has excellent combat and spell combinations. You can use the environment to control your enemies movements. You can pick them off by funneling them down a tunnel with the environment. Bait them into traps of your own making as well. It has plenty of dialog, not as much as say Planescape Torment, but still enough for a good novel. The overall story is excellent, though at times jarring. You can easily get lost if you decide to go off and do side quests, and then come back to the main story. There's plenty of places to explore, and the game lacks some of the more annoying aspect of modern gaming. "Social justice," "conveying a message of intent," "pressing the moral ideas of someone else." It lacks all of that, and gives you a simple, and good story.

    You have mod support. Probably the greatest thing with modern gaming allowing you to expand the original game, beyond the scope of the original. Make it more difficult, make it easier it's all there for you.

    So what's wrong? Well, I found load times even off a SSD to be sluggish at times. Patches have fixed this. "Friendly fire" against companions, and then them breaking dialog in very rare cases, though this has 99% of the time been fixed since patch 1.08. Issues with the main character in slot 1, defaulting to slot 2, was an issue for a bit, but seems to have been fixed as well.

    Overall, it's worth the money, I just wished I'd backed it like Pillars of Eternity, and Planescape: Tides of Numenera.    … Expand
  96. Llaerrick
    Aug 17, 2014
    9
    this is a very good game with a lot of layers and ways to play it. i hesitated initially on buying it but now do not regret it at all after more than 100 hours into the game. fans of old-school turn-based rpg's (think early Might and Magic series or the later classics like BG and NWN) will love it.

    the combat is fun and engaging without being unduly complicated. building and gearing    this is a very good game with a lot of layers and ways to play it. i hesitated initially on buying it but now do not regret it at all after more than 100 hours into the game. fans of old-school turn-based rpg's (think early Might and Magic series or the later classics like BG and NWN) will love it.

    the combat is fun and engaging without being unduly complicated. building and gearing your characters will define how successful your campaign will be. bad character building choices are punished and unlike the Paragon/Renegade concept in Mass Effect giving an illusion of choice (and cosmetic aesthetics only), choices in this game have practical consequences (giving different boosts and bonuses).

    the crafting in this game is intuitive and surprisingly fun (with some really good community mods out there).

    there are some bugs of course but nothing game breaking as yet (the mod community has also done a good job fixing some of those). the only real gripe i have about the game is that archer classes are pretty under-powered in the game (especially at lower levels) but that is something which hopefully will be addressed in subsequent patches.

    tl;dr - buy it.    … Expand
  97. Demonbox
    Jul 19, 2014
    10
    Simply the best game that I played in the past years, so far of the ones I've tried is also the best Kickstarter project that went "live".

    It's an "old-school" RPG, so maybe fitting to an old-school player like I am, but damn the joy I'm experiencing while playing this game! No is not as good as Baldur's Gate/Planescape Torment, but as a single player game is better than NWN 1/2. It    Simply the best game that I played in the past years, so far of the ones I've tried is also the best Kickstarter project that went "live".

    It's an "old-school" RPG, so maybe fitting to an old-school player like I am, but damn the joy I'm experiencing while playing this game!
    No is not as good as Baldur's Gate/Planescape Torment, but as a single player game is better than NWN 1/2.
    It doesn't give you the "complete freedom" that some Bethesda games give you (Elder scroll saga), but you have a party and turn-based combat (a great one), which have always been a love of mine.

    Is it worth a 10? For me yes 'cause I was starting to wonder if I would have been able to feel the joy of playing a CRPG again.    … Expand
  98. stn665
    Jul 10, 2014
    10
    Divinity Original Sin-a prequel to the cult game Divine Divinity created back in 2002 by the studio Larian, got a co-op mode with step by step fighting, editor and full set of innovations that will not let pass by true fans of the genre RPG.
    I want to add that the game has awesome music written by Kirill Pokrovsky (rock - musician, best known as the keyboardist of "Aria" and "Master").    Divinity Original Sin-a prequel to the cult game Divine Divinity created back in 2002 by the studio Larian, got a co-op mode with step by step fighting, editor and full set of innovations that will not let pass by true fans of the genre RPG.
    I want to add that the game has awesome music written by Kirill Pokrovsky (rock - musician, best known as the keyboardist of "Aria" and "Master").
    It remains only to wait for the game and enjoy the atmosphere of this "oldskull."
    One of the contenders for the title RPG - year.    … Expand
  99. Beldarak
    Jul 16, 2014
    10
    This RPG belongs in the pantheon with NeverWinter Nights, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, etc...

    It's a lot of fun, it offers coop which is very rare in this genre, the tactical combats are really great (especially in coop), the game is challenging, etc etc...

    It came with some flaws here and there but overall, it's a fantastic experience.
  100. Gloin
    Aug 1, 2014
    10
    It has been so long i haven't had such fun on a game ! A great comeback to basics of rpg ! If you loved the firsts fallout (the real ones not the fps/rpg :p) or baldurs gate go for it !

    Some pro and cons to sum it up. pro : - real old school rpg -integrally customizable character (traits, spell etc) -story -game length -fight / gameplay -interactive environment Con: -maybe    It has been so long i haven't had such fun on a game ! A great comeback to basics of rpg ! If you loved the firsts fallout (the real ones not the fps/rpg :p) or baldurs gate go for it !

    Some pro and cons to sum it up.

    pro :
    - real old school rpg
    -integrally customizable character (traits, spell etc)
    -story
    -game length
    -fight / gameplay
    -interactive environment

    Con:
    -maybe a bit excessive on dialogue length but nothing awful ^^.
    -portal name not indicated on maps...
    -some key item on secondary quest can be sold xD.    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PC Game of 2014
12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 59
  3. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. Worth Playing
    Dec 31, 2014
    91
    It's a conscious decision on Larian's part to resurrect tried-and-true threads that run deep into the bones of the CRPG genre. It's a culmination of those efforts and an unapologetic celebration of battle-tested concepts backed by solid co-op. Most of all, it comes together as a grand adventure that hearkens back to sleepless nights buoyed by the roll of a die and a pad of grid paper shared between fellow dungeon crawlers.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 22, 2014
    80
    Relatively small Larian Studios finally managed to deliver a really significant game. Original Sin is brimming with ideas on how to bring back old school RPG vibe and make it fit modern times. [Sept 2014, p.50]
  3. GameCritics
    Sep 12, 2014
    75
    As much as I loved the bulk of the game, by the end I was burning out, and burning out fast. Despite that, I'm glad that some studios are still willing to show an almost insane level of ambition in realizing the games they want to make without compromise, even if it does lead to a few dire moments here and there.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »