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Review

Nov 18, 2015

Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition Review

Lights Off
5 Incredible
Retails for: $59.99
We Recommend: $59.99
  • Developer: Larian Studios
  • Publisher: Focus Home Interactive / Maximum Games
  • Genre: Adventure, Indie, RPG, Strategy
  • Released: Oct 27, 2015
  • Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
  • Reviewed: Xbox One

When Divinity Original Sin released on PC, it had a huge following. It’s what folks would expect from a hugely successful Kickstarter that backed it. Coming from veterans of the RPG world, there was little reason not to be excited. Role-playing games of this nature are very welcome on the PC. Fast forward a year and some change later and we have the Enhanced Edition releasing, even on consoles. It’s a bold move and consoles usually don’t see these western RPG isometric style genre on consoles, but did the conversion from PC along with all the other additions come with a price?

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There is a story to be told in Divinity: Original Sin, but it’s not exactly the most important aspect. I know it might sound odd to say a story in a role playing game isn’t important. I take that back, the story here is indeed important and worth seeing. Yet I think in a title of this nature, one with countless options, character builds, and choices, the story is the least important part in reality.  What’s there is suitable and now that the game has been upgraded its fully voiced, a huge plus, one that ultimate can pull players in even more.

For those that never got around to playing the original, here we have a top down, role playing adventure that is heavily reliant on choice and player options.  Want to be a mage warrior? Go for it.  How about luring enemies into puddles of oil and then lighting them on fire? That’s an option too. Combat is traditionally turned based, using points that are distributed per move, and can make or break the battle depending on what tactics the player makes. While having a multitude of options for combat is always nice, the fact that there is a ton of player choice in how they explore and where they take the story is great too. One thing that can be taken away from the entire experience is that Divinity: Original Sin offers a ton of content and allows players to shape and mold their story in ways most RPGS dream of.

The biggest issues players on consoles might have is with the controls and learning all the intricacies of the games mechanics. That’s not to say the controls are bad, in fact the control feels almost second nature, once players learn it. Divinity has the tendency to throw a ton of information on it’s systems and controls right at the start and players will feel a bit overwhelmed if my thoughts are anything to go by. I’m a seasoned game playing fan of multiple genres to of course included RPGS but this one still had me feeling the slight bit of intimidation at the start. Players that stick with it though will be rewarded greatly. It’s of course not better then keyboard and mouse when it comes to this genre and the plethora of icons and abilities that can have shortcuts, but they make the best out of controller support.

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Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition is a roaring success. Offering console players a ton of reasons to jump into this RPG head first.  With fully featured split screen, go anywhere co-op, online co-op, tons of quests and locations to explore, great dialog, and great tactical combat offer a ton of value. That’s not even mentioning the redone AI, enhanced visuals, reworked loot systems, duel casting, and I could go on even more but I think the picture is clear. There may be minor inconsistencies or issues players have throughout their 60+ hour adventure, but this is one of the most robust and solid gaming packages offered in 2015. If any players out there haven’t experience this title on PC or are looking for an amazing console RPG, the answer is definite: Divinity Original Sin is one of the best titles to pick up period, let alone one of the better RPGs ever made.

An Xbox One copy was provided by the publisher for review purposes.