Posted October 29, 2009
For some the Action Rpg is a guilty pleasure or just plain wrong, for others Diablo is the greatest rpg of all time. Regardless of where you stand there is a lot to be said for booting up a game for an hour or so and turning a gameworld of beasties and bandits into so much graphical mush before wandering off with a contented smile on your face.
Divine Divinity follows the template laid down by Blizzard almost to the letter. Choose an avatar and like Monty Burns slowly climbing that ladder of advancement, build your stats, pick spells/abilities and stick anything in your backpack that isn't nailed down or made of stone. It's a proven recipe for a successful game and Larian Studios kept a firm focus on exactly that although they did tinker enough with the formula so as to leave there sticky fingerprint on the genre.
The game begins with the player character awaking in a small village, home to an unstable mage and a convenient starter dungeon. Once the dungeon is conquered the game opens up and with a couple of side quests plus the main quest in hand and a pair of teleportation stones in your back pocket you are free to explore the world of Rivellon. The side quests are plentiful and are the usual assortment of fetch and kill, although some do stand out and you will stumble across various storylines if you take the time to read the text or listen to certain characters.
Where Divinity really shines however is how they implemented character progression. The handful of stat points you recieve every level are painless enough to dish out; want to wield a six foot battle axe? need to start building your strength then, just found a new spell but can't read? intelligence then. Weapons, armor and magical items generally have some minimum stat requirement and the chances are you will find a killer item long before you can actually use it, but at least it gives you a good idea of which particular stats you need to start raising.
The character skills however are a different matter, they are all so useful. Want to add some fire damage to your attack? a nice buff spell? see further? make your own potions..the list goes on and really gives the player a wide list of upgrade options. The game map too is an excellent tool for checking out quest locations, where you haven't explored and you can even add your own notes to it.
Divine Divinity is a nice, detailed world, the graphics have aged but still have their charm and the music is excellent, as good as some of the best soundtracks rpg's have to offer. If you have an appetite for action rpg's, you will enjoy this, the game lets you kill stuff, loot and level up in a big wide world that looks pleasent enough and sounds great. Just don't forget to pick up your teleportation stone...
Divine Divinity follows the template laid down by Blizzard almost to the letter. Choose an avatar and like Monty Burns slowly climbing that ladder of advancement, build your stats, pick spells/abilities and stick anything in your backpack that isn't nailed down or made of stone. It's a proven recipe for a successful game and Larian Studios kept a firm focus on exactly that although they did tinker enough with the formula so as to leave there sticky fingerprint on the genre.
The game begins with the player character awaking in a small village, home to an unstable mage and a convenient starter dungeon. Once the dungeon is conquered the game opens up and with a couple of side quests plus the main quest in hand and a pair of teleportation stones in your back pocket you are free to explore the world of Rivellon. The side quests are plentiful and are the usual assortment of fetch and kill, although some do stand out and you will stumble across various storylines if you take the time to read the text or listen to certain characters.
Where Divinity really shines however is how they implemented character progression. The handful of stat points you recieve every level are painless enough to dish out; want to wield a six foot battle axe? need to start building your strength then, just found a new spell but can't read? intelligence then. Weapons, armor and magical items generally have some minimum stat requirement and the chances are you will find a killer item long before you can actually use it, but at least it gives you a good idea of which particular stats you need to start raising.
The character skills however are a different matter, they are all so useful. Want to add some fire damage to your attack? a nice buff spell? see further? make your own potions..the list goes on and really gives the player a wide list of upgrade options. The game map too is an excellent tool for checking out quest locations, where you haven't explored and you can even add your own notes to it.
Divine Divinity is a nice, detailed world, the graphics have aged but still have their charm and the music is excellent, as good as some of the best soundtracks rpg's have to offer. If you have an appetite for action rpg's, you will enjoy this, the game lets you kill stuff, loot and level up in a big wide world that looks pleasent enough and sounds great. Just don't forget to pick up your teleportation stone...