The best role-playing game of the current generation comes to Nintendo Switch and picks up yet another perfect score.
When Divinity: Original Sin II was revealed for the Switch during last weeks Nintendo Direct we worry that most people had probably still never heard of it, despite it being one of the most critically acclaimed role-playing games of all time. When it was first released on the PC in 2017 we awarded it a rare 10/10 score and did so again when the Definitive Edition came to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 last year. And now were going to do it again for Switch.
The Divinity franchise has been going since 2002 and yet, up until now, has flown under the radar of all but the most hardcore role-playing fans. Heavily influenced by the Baldurs Gate series (so its no wonder Belgian developer Larian Studios have been awarded the rights to make Baldurs Gate III), Original Sin II is at heart an old school computer role-playing game, but one that embraces all of the potential of the modern console era.
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It does so not just in terms of technology but the potential for emergent gameplay and freeform storytelling, as Original Sin II is one of the most open-ended and flexible role-players ever seen. There is, admittedly, a learning curve at the beginning but its not complex for the sake of it, but to ensure your actions have the maximum impact on the game world and its characters. And in that sense, and despite what it looks like, this may be one of the most realistic videos games ever made.
Much like The Elder Scrolls franchise, the worst thing about the Divinity games is the generic fantasy world they take place in. The plot centres around the persecution of a certain strand of magic users, whose abilities have the awkward side effect of randomly summoning demonic monsters. You and your party (or you can play a single character, its up to you) are among these Sourcerors, whose true nature creates all sorts of moral quandaries about how to resolve the main plot.
The story gets progressively more interesting, but much like The Witcher 3 its the smaller details where Original Sin IIs true magic occurs; especially as both games live in a world of moral ambiguity, with few characters that are either purely good or evil. There are no neat solutions to any problem, and if you think youve found one then thats only a sign of unforeseen circumstances to come.
So many times you end up killing people only to later find out they are considerably more sympathetic, or at least complex, than you first assumed. Often times this ends up denying you a potential new side quest, but you also feel the game affecting your world view, tempting you into being a better and more tolerant person. Or, alternatively, convincing you to just give up on it all and go full evil.
The writing and voice-acting for all this is surprisingly good, with an unexpectedly sardonic sense of humour, but while you can talk or sneak your way out of many fights thats far from the only option. The game introduces powers like teleportation, or talking to both ghosts and animals, that other developers would have based a whole game around. And yet here theyre just optional extras you could play the whole game without ever discovering.
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As youd expect of any hardcore role-player the character creation tools are pleasingly involved, with different sets of combat and social skills, Source magic, and multiple class types – from the obvious classics to those unique to Original Sin II. Although here, as with everything else, the game goes a step further and allows you to create your own classes and character types, which always manage to function perfectly no matter how bizarre they seem.
Many modern role-playing games focus on combat above all, but here youre given as many other options as possible, from stealth to smooth-talking, and are left free to specialise in whatever suits your play style best. Or, like any other aspect of the game, you can just skip all that if it doesnt interest you and use pre-set characters instead.
The game would be extraordinary if it stopped there, the size and complexity of the game world allowing for the narrative depth of a Telltale graphic adventure but within a giant open world arena. But thats really only the start, as Original Sin II layers on additional mechanics that could almost be their own game. In fact, thats exactly whats happening with the recently announced spin-off Divinity: Fallen Heroes, which is based on Original Sin IIs battle system.
At first the combat seems a fairly ordinary turn-based battle system but its actually more like XCOM, as it takes into account defensive terrain and elevation, as well as pools of water or oil that can be exploited by magic users with elemental powers.
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All of this is just as challenging as it sounds, but there is a difficulty setting that allows you to make it almost trivial, so you can just concentrate on the story instead. Although Baldurs Gate is the most obvious inspiration for the game, its clear that Larian are reaching back all the way to the original tabletop role-playing games it was based on. Original Sin II is essentially trying to play the role of dungeon master and ensuring that for every possible solution you can come up with it has a way of making it happen.
The downside of this though, is that while a human dungeon master will usually give players some leeway if theyre unlucky with their dice roles, a computer has no such inclination. But even there the game has a solution, by offering a game master mode where you can create your own scenarios and adventures for other players. And thats in addition to four-player online and local wireless co-op, although unfortunately the split-screen mode is the only major feature not to make the leap to the Switch.
Even the simple act of having a co-op mode has more to it than it initially appears, as the ultimate goal of your characters is to ascend to godhood, and yet only one of them can do so… The rivalry this creates with people youre supposed to be co-operating with is fantastic, especially as theres a separate, and surprisingly involved, PvP mode where you can let off steam without upsetting the story.
Considering its size and complexity one of the most impressive things about the original version of Original Sin II was how bereft it was of any serious flaws. Even the visuals are quite good, in an old school isometric kind of a way. But what few flaws there were, such as an unhelpful inventory and quest journal, were fixed in the original Definitive Edition.
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Apart from couch co-op everything from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions is present on the Switch, with only surprisingly minor comproRead More – Source
