Divinity: Original Sin II - Review. Divinity: Original Sin II - Review Gameplay, graphics and controls

If you suddenly did not play the first part, then you should know that Divinity: Original Sin is an RPG set in a universe very similar to the worlds of Terry Pratchett. Everything is serious here, but at the same time everyone is a bit idiotic, so a kind of tragicomedy is constantly unfolding in front of you.

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, you take on the role of a mage of the Source - a champion chosen by the gods, endowed with considerable powers. The world has changed. Evil broke out in the form of wild monsters, apparently with a single mind. The game starts quite casually: you, the imprisoned magician, are sent to a special prison island, where complete lawlessness reigns and everyone is left to their own devices. During the journey, a giant monster will attack the ship, and you, along with other prisoners, will be thrown ashore. Then do whatever you want. The main thing is to get off the island.

To do this, you have to assemble a team of natural prisoners, since others are not kept on the island. Here you have the Red Prince - the disgraced lord of the lizards, who wants to be killed by everyone and sundry. The beast is a dwarf involved in some kind of criminal affairs on the continent. And even a girl named Lose, who is used by several demons and spirits as a hotel at once. The most remarkable among this team is the representative of the undead Fein. This is a very erudite and sarcastic skeleton, playfully tearing off the faces of the living to use them as masks. It will even be possible to sleep with Fane regardless of your gender - this is the strangest relationship in video games in general. Sleep with a skeleton, yeah

Each race has its own unique skills. Lizards, for example, can breathe fire. Undead heal with poison, but take damage from normal healing. You can not get your bearings at first and accidentally kill Fane with some kind of poultice. Some quests are associated with the same skills. One of the important story missions and it will be much easier to get through with a dead man in the team. You can be anyone: a lizard, a dwarf, an elf, a human, or a wight of any of these races. But it's better to take one of the several available presets. This will give you a deeper feel for the character. Moreover, it will cost you practically nothing - you can develop the hero as you like.

The game has a cool innovation. In the very first conversation with a potential party member, you can choose his future specialization. No more carrying around another warrior just because you don't have a choice.

The backbone of the Divinity role-playing system has largely remained the same. For each level, you will receive two attribute points and one specialization point. But to the old "pyromancy" and "geomancy" was added the so-called "transformation", which will allow you, for example, to grow wings to fly with them. Or horns, giving the possibility of ramming. There are also quite exotic options like a steel heart, pumping steel through the veins of the hero, giving armor every turn. Also, every few levels there will be an opportunity to get a perk that gives considerable advantages, but also adds some disadvantages. Want to hit harder with fire? Gain vulnerability to water. The most useful of the perks is the ability to talk to animals. There are a lot of animals in Divinity, and almost all of them have something to tell you. Often this allows you to see the situation from an unexpected angle. Moreover, some animals even issue tasks.

In general, in Divinity: Original Sin 2 you can chat with almost everyone you meet. And these are quite full-fledged dialogues, many of which end with a proposal to investigate a case. As a result, the local world, although not too big, is extremely eventful. There is something important lurking around every corner. An ordinary rooster can turn out to be a real phoenix, and when you meet a madman with slurred speech, you can stumble upon a very tragic story of love and betrayal.

Perhaps the best thing about Divinity: Original Sin 2 is that it never ceases to amaze until the very end. When, it would seem, all the world already explored, in a nondescript cave you can find a whole underground kingdom with giant, floating hulls of ships in the spirit of the Pirates of the Caribbean.

After two dozen hours spent on the prison island, you wipe the sweat off your forehead and press the “sail away” button. It seems that you are already a seasoned magician or warrior who can handle any business. You might even get the impression that the final is just a stone's throw away, and now you can go kill the gods with your bare hands. At this moment, you are shown a new continent, and you understand that all adventures are just beginning, and the island is just a warm-up.

If you go somewhere "not there", you will be driven into the ground or rubbed into powder as before, even if you play on the easiest difficulty level. For most of the late game, you feel small in front of witches, demons, and darkspawn. They spit acid at you, set fire to the ground under your feet, and pour lava on your head. You will need to find effective ways to counter them. You, like your opponents, can combine different elements. For example, you can put a curse on the flame and burn enemies with dead fire. Or vice versa, you can bless him, and you will restore health by running through the bluish flames. At the end of the fight, the entire field can turn into a hell of a mixture of poison, dirt and ice. And the further into the forest, the more wolves. If some skeletons are waiting for you on the prison island in the thickets, then on the continent you can accidentally fall under the hot hand of a troll that kills a team of fairly high-level characters with one blow. However, most of these problems imply alternative solutions. For example, with a powerful opponent, you can negotiate or weaken it before the battle.

But it's better, of course, to save every five minutes. There are often situations when you can trustfully get into a boat, and sail to the target already dead. Well, what - no one promised you to be honest? And this is very good.

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Reviewed version of the game: PC

Pros:

• Deep game world.
• Crafted characters.
• Humor.
• Huge variability in battles.
• The atmosphere of a real adventure.

Minuses:

• Small bugs.

Divinity: Original Sin II didn't just prove talent once again Larian Studios, having collected excellent press and great amount new fans, but also became the most important game on the PC In the past year. Now the classic RPG is available on PS4 and Xbox One.

Acquaintance with the project begins with the creation of the main character - and already at this stage, the first innovation awaits the players. The developers have expanded the character customization and now you can choose a race. Available human, elf, lizard and dwarf. Moreover, each of them can be undead.

Race affects the attitude towards the character, gives additional skills and opens special lines in dialogs. It is easier for representatives of the same race to find a common language, and various tales and myths associated with the origin of the hero can serve as an additional intimidating factor for NPCs. For example, playing as an elf, representatives of other races will consider him a cannibal: in this way, you can intimidate interlocutors in dialogues. On the other hand, elves sometimes have to convince panicked citizens that these myths are greatly exaggerated, and you should not be afraid.

Besides, Larian made it possible to play as a ready-made hero with a written backstory, but in this case it is impossible to select some additional attributes. It is important to note that these characters are also encountered during the passage of the game and can become allies of the protagonist.

The story tells about the events that happened to the world 1000 years after the first part of the game. The fiend of the Void is going to destroy the world, and the gods can't stop it. Emperor Alexander, together with the Holy Order, whose members have turned into cruel inquisitors, catch all those who even look like a magician. The unfortunate are sent to a special prison on the island of Joy. Actually, main character is one of those repressed.

The first quest involves escaping from the fortress-prison. This is a global mission for the entire chapter, and as you complete it, other related assignments will appear. is designed in such a way that by performing one or another action, you open some possibilities, but close others. The game gives a wide range of options to achieve the goal. In the approach to solving various problems, it is very similar to the cult Fallout 2 and other proper RPGs. Nearly every mission can be completed with both brute force and more subtle methods, resorting to stealth or persuasion mechanics.

The global storyline develops through various quests - both main and secondary. Stories in Original Sin II very interesting, and some tasks may eventually turn out to be interconnected, and some small assignments often turn into big adventures with large-scale battles.

In addition to epicness and humor, the plot contains touching scenes and sincere conversations. The world of the game captivates with its study. It is interesting to follow not only global events, but also the stories of completely ordinary people and even animals. Quests from party members at first seem to be stereotyped and simple, but in fact they turn out to be fascinating short stories that are successfully intertwined with other tasks and, as you progress, reveal the characters and their motives. After a few of these missions, you begin to worry about the character and try to complete these tasks as quickly as possible.

The dialogue system is one of the key in the game. Often in the course of a conversation, you can try to convince the interlocutor that you are right. The hero’s list of skills includes a corresponding skill, and the better it is pumped, the easier it is to resolve issues peacefully. However, a lot of other character parameters can also affect the conversation, including reputation, race and gender, as well as a number of other characteristics, such as pumping strength or memory. Depending on the decisions made, the character can receive additional tags, which, like perks from the same Fallout. For example, if you constantly stand up for others, then sooner or later the character will receive the “Hero” tag, and those around him will react accordingly, opening up new lines in the dialogues.

The protagonist will discuss some issues with his companions. However, the mini-game, in which it was possible to convince an ally of something, was removed. AT Original Sin II party members will adhere to exactly those views that are written in their profile. Despite the fact that the character of the characters remains the same throughout the game, their attitude towards the protagonist changes as the personal quests are completed.

We welcome all those who like to pass the evenings (or even the whole day) in front of the monitor. And today I would like to tell you about a game that brings classic RPGs to a high quality. new level. Divinity Original Sin 2 can be called the perfect sequel: it develops absolutely all the ideas of the first part, becoming better in everything. So fight for the chance to become a Divine!

The first Divinity has become a very good example of the genre: a lot of plot, variable pumping, classes, a developed dialogue system. The game was warmly received by both fans of the genre and gamers far from classic RPGs.

It would seem that you can offer better? I did, and quite a lot. First of all, let's remind you that Divinity is great at being able to control amazing creatures and do almost anything that comes to mind (within a powerful and smart game engine).

In terms of storytelling, the first part is just a demo version of the world: we will guide you through the key points, along the way telling something about the fate of the world.

The 2017 sequel takes the plot more seriously. Dividing the game into acts (chapters), Larian Studios created for themselves the opportunity to pause in the narrative and not tire the player by repeating cleared locations. Each act completes not only a certain part of the plot, but also the exploration of a part of the world. This gives importance to the study of the world, because at the end of the act it will no longer be possible to return to this location to complete additional quests that you didn't pay attention to before.

The plot in the game exists for show. The action takes place a thousand years after the first part, and we play not for the seeker of the Source, but for the powerful magician of the Source. And knowing about our danger, the masters of the Divine Order gather sorcerers like us in Fort Joy in order to "heal from the disease." Once there, we make it a priority to get out and reclaim the powers of the Source. And then - neither more nor less - to become God ...

The jokes are still relevant and funny, besides, they got a couple of new delivery methods. Since absolutely all the characters are voiced (in the same first Divinity, for example, rats spoke, but many people were silent), it became easier and faster to perceive their speech and emotions. In addition, the chic, ironic voice that was assigned to the mute Wolfraff in DOS1 is now the narrator. And listening to him, even understanding not every word, is a great pleasure. Kudos to the voice actor.

Talk about everything related to gameplay, can be very long. And there is no reason not to do so.

We begin our heroic journey, we are not with two creatures, but with one. The game features 14 classes, it is possible to take a “ready-made” character with a backstory, or create your own from scratch. Some classes are used as transitional, and in early game they are useless: indeed, why do we need an archer-healer if he cannot fully heal or shoot. While a pure warrior can both bind melee and control enemies worse than most magicians.

creatures is the right word to describe adventurers in Divinity 2. Not only are they not necessarily people (there are also elves, gnomes and lizards), they are also not necessarily alive. For each race there is an opportunity to play for the skeleton.

It so happened that the living do not like the dead, so it is necessary to constantly hide the skull and bones behind cloaks, hoods, gloves and illusion magic. But master keys are not needed: the undead calmly breaks the locks with their bone fingers.

According to all RPG canons, the squad consists of the most usual number of adventurers: four. As decades of practice have shown, four creatures are enough to implement absolutely any type of behavior in a group: melee fighter, archer, control magician, summoning magician, priest-healer, assassin, thief, diplomat - there is a place for everyone, fortunately, you can successfully swing multiple parameters at the same time.

If you want to digress from the plot and just fight, then there is PvP (like multiplayer in XCOM): 2 teams of 4 players and rather difficult arenas in terms of terrain. The goal is standard: kill enemies. Experience is not given, cases are not opened, and multiplayer is screwed solely as a tribute to the trend to screw a multiplayer mode to all games in a row.

And there are countless ways to start a fight and develop it to its logical conclusion in the game. Canonical examples: create a poisonous surface, teleport an enemy to it and set it on fire with a lizard's fiery breath (exploding poisonous vapors along the way); cause rain and strike a puddle with lightning so that standing in the water gets a stun; cast a healing spell at enemy undead and deal damage to it; throw poison at an allied undead - and cure it! The ways of interacting with the outside world are simple and intuitive. The developers have tried to ensure that the effect of spells is exactly the way you expect it to be. For example, the description of a spell says that it creates a puddle of oil. Hmm, it will probably catch fire easily. And indeed, the oil, in addition to its retarding properties, burns beautifully and for a long time. The ice is slippery, the water is wet. Ice melts, water evaporates. Of course, these are obvious things for us, but to figure out how to apply this delicately in a world with magic, before Larian’s couldn’t really. Yes, there have been a lot of games that used the interaction of environments, but the Divinity series, and in particular, took it to a new level.

With the advent of Dark Souls challenging games began to measure precisely on this series. With the advent of The Witcher 3, plot RPGs began to measure it. We can confidently say that it sets a new bar for the classic cRPG with turn-based combat. There is no doubt that future role-playing games will be measured by it. A new milestone in the history of the genre, a standard - call it whatever you like. Great game.

On September 24, 2017, an important event took place: on that day, the fourth place in the rating of the Steam online store in terms of the number of players, after PUBG, Dota 2 and CS: GO, was not even a survival simulator and not just another online AAA shooter, but Pretty hardcore addicting turn-based role-playing game - . Moreover, a niche, in fact, project that was released exclusively for PC (Windows), in just a few days it sold over 600,000 thousand copies and attracted over 90,000 thousand people playing at the same time. Surprised? For sure, but those players who got acquainted with the first part are not at all surprised by such successes of the second part.

Way to success

Divinity: Original Sin 2 review

The history of the Original Sin series begins with the Larian studio - almost the only one game studio in Belgium. Larian Studios has been making RPGs set in the Divinity universe for fifteen years now, but if you take into account the fact that the first one in 2002 was based on a concept that never came out games Lady, the Mage and the Knight of 1997, then the work experience of the studio staff is as much as twenty years.

However, the best decision in the history of this small studio was the moment when it was decided to stop experimenting with role-playing strategies and not return to the action RPG. As a result, having raised $994 thousand on Kikstarter in March 2013, full-fledged work began on a turn-based role-playing Divinity game: Original Sin 2.

The Belgians soon built up an army of devoted fans, whose devotion grew a lot more after they received the chic addition to standard version Divinity: Original Sin 2014 is completely free, along with the deluxe edition and new content in October 2015. It is worth noting that at the same time, an extended version of the first part was released on PlayStation consoles 4 and Xbox One.

Since then, it was quite clear that they were already looking forward to it, so when the second part appeared on Kickstarter in August 2015, it raised the requested $ 2 million without much difficulty. Literally a year later, on September 15, as part of the Steam Early Access, the first act of the second part is released, which clearly demonstrates many of the features of the second part. More through Year Divinity: Original Sin 2 gets to release, after which the long-awaited full version games. And the second part, surprisingly, turned out to be much better than the players could imagine.

Without the usual stamps

"Welcome to Arks! We hope you enjoy it here."

“And Divinity: Original Sin II looks very juicy!”.

Pleased with special detail. It somewhat breaks the pace of the story, but these are just minor quibbles. The game has a huge number of different little things that you don’t want to miss, but the plot, on the contrary, quite often rushes, for the sake of a spectacular denouement of the story. So if the transition from Fort Joy to Driftwood is almost painless, then the departure to the Nameless Island, and then to Arx, no longer seems so carefree.

In many other situations presented, Divinity: Original Sin 2 offers metagaming. AT board games this means that the player can solve problems by relying on their own knowledge, which was obtained outside the game, and not using the thoughts or knowledge of the character himself. So, with due diligence, most of the tasks in the game can literally be “broken” by simply bypassing the intended path by the developers with the help of some trick: using teleportation or disguise. And such permissiveness also has its own charm, given also the fact that the developers themselves urge to look for secret loopholes during the passage.

tactical battles

“Memory slots for spells are strictly limited. So before slaughtering them, you have to think about what is better to use in battles.

Turn-based battles have not changed much since the first part. The battles are still difficult, require good preparation and competent decisions. However, let the role-playing engine of the game still work according to the same principles, but from now on it has become a little more, so to speak, neat.

If you go into details, now pumping the same characteristics and skills gives noticeable and tangible bonuses, and not just abstract points in a huge random number generator. For example, by pumping strength, you will hit harder, holding heavy weapons in your hands. Having pumped dexterity - you will better shoot and wield daggers. Schools with skills also received new tangible bonuses, so there is an incentive to develop them not only to learn certain spells. Warfare - Increases all physical damage. Necromancy - gives permanent vampirism. It goes without saying that these are far from all available schools of development.

“If the shooter takes a position above the enemy, then he receives nice bonus to damage, but if the shooter takes a position below the enemy, then he will receive a damage penalty.

However, the skills of schools do not end there - they can be developed further. Necromancy will allow you to enjoy all the charms of dark magic: bloody rains, summoning the dead and other creatures. Polymorph makes it possible to rebuild enemies and comrades for the sake of combat advantage. If you wish, you can even pump a skill with which you can turn the enemy into a chicken.

There are several times more status and elemental effects. However, as well as the skills with which they can be summoned. In addition, as if this were not enough, almost everything can be cursed or blessed, which radically changes the properties of a particular object / object.

“The skills tab is designed quite conveniently, so you can’t get lost in it.”

In addition to all the innovations and updates, the developers have added physical and magical armor. Yes, the mechanics were present in the series before, but in Divinity: Original Sin 2, armor is, one might say, an additional health bar. And each item will, one way or another, affect it. It, as in the case of health, decreases if the character takes any damage from the corresponding type, regardless of what the specifics will be. So until the armor is completely destroyed, this type of damage will not damage the enemy.

The need to personally create potions and equipment, enchant weapons with new runes, use the environment and various elemental effects, for example, setting fire to oil or spilling water, and then freezing it, is an important part of any battle.

“Pretty soon your inventory will be full of all sorts of things, but on the other hand, what role-playing game can do without a bunch of things, potion jars and weapons in the inventory?”.

The sequel has a lot more interesting combinations of elements and things. You can not only cast curses or blessings on the surface, but also weave a web, enveloping enemies, or use the most powerful magic of the Source. It is worth noting here that you can replenish energy reserves either by devouring corpses, or by sucking it out of your enemies. From now on, it is beneficial for archers to occupy heights, receiving a bonus to attack.

So in general, the battles have become much more complex, diverse and interesting. Any victory after the battle brings a feeling of deep satisfaction, when, nevertheless, it turns out to defeat an opponent who previously surpassed both in strength and in the number of enemies.

New modes

"In the game master mode, you can create a campaign, and then invite other friends to go through it under your strict guidance."

Finally, there's the curious Gamemaster Mode, which allows anyone to design their own adventures in the familiar tabletop RPG format.

“This is how the battles in the arena look like, where each game shows how smart and cunning he is.”

There is also an Arena mode in the game, which in turn makes it possible to quickly resolve differences between players in battle. The conditions in the arena are initially equal for everyone, so the outcome depends strictly on your cunning and approach to the battle. A new esports discipline will not grow out of this, but the mode in the game is just right.

Eventually

This is a unique and rare modern RPG that faithfully conveys the feeling of one's own growth and development, forcing one to look for more and more new options for passing, ways to "pump", new better equipment and spells. You don’t even want to look for cons in such a game, because this long-awaited sequel from Larian Studios is one of the most truly impressive attempts to create an excellent role play for the last ten years for sure!

The game is a thoughtful, sometimes funny and funny, prosaic, incredibly deep and interesting adventure. You can go through Original Sin II for weeks, but at the same time, in the depths of your soul, you wish that it did not end.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is definitely worth playing for all those players who love not only tactical RPGs, but also interesting, enticing stories. This is an adventure that will never get bored, will not be blown away in the middle or at the end of the game, will not lose its "fuse" and will definitely not disappoint in the end. A sea of ​​possibilities, real hardcore - it can stun any beginner. However, one has only to get involved and break away from the passage will be very difficult.

Some rats won't listen to common sense. For example, I recently met one at the stairs, and she asked me about the danger posed by similar zombie creatures crucified nearby. I said they are very dangerous. But for some reason the rodent decided that I wanted to deceive him, so he ran past them and turned into a small smoking carcass. Oh you! I told you! I always thought that being able to talk to animals would open the doors to the halls of wisdom, but if Original Sin 2 teaches us anything, it's that animals can be just as stupid as humans.

That's why I love the new adventure of Larian Studios. This is one of the cutest RPGs ever. recent years. Especially if you love the old isometric Baldur's Gate that defined the genre in the 90s. But imitation of the classics is not an end in itself for Original Sin 2, nor is Obsidian's similar (and also great) Pillars of Eternity. Divinity is a fine work , which excels in every aspect: in the freedom to make decisions, in pleasant battles, or in small situations like that conversation with a rat, which makes this world both fantastic and believable.

Do not think, however, that the whole game is devoted to conversations with rodents. This is a real Grand Adventure in a high fantasy world that leans more not to Tolkien, but to the gray tones of popular universes like dragon age and Game of Thrones. Original Sin 2 speaks on the themes of discrimination and marginalization, which are revealed through the situation around the so-called Source sorcerers, who are equipped with special collars to protect others from their unique skills. Newbies don't have to worry about not being up to date with the 2014 Original Sin, as the stories are centuries apart.

The story itself very successfully combines serious themes and funny moments, which was lacking in the last game. The script is well written, and all of the narrator's descriptions and character lines are fully voiced. Just as High Quality side quests have also turned out, which differ not only in the level of texts, but also in the way they are served. Original Sin 2 encourages experimentation and the search for interesting things in the most unexpected places, which are not indicated by any marker on the map. For example, a ghostly knight pinned to a wall with a spear can be stumbled upon while playing hide-and-seek with young children.

It's worth noting that Original Sin 2 is graphically in no way inferior to any other isometric game. Every frame testifies to the fact that the developers have paid great attention to detail and their thoughtful placement, whether it's lush vegetation on the beach or animation of an ice dragon grateful for the removal of its chains. Divinity is generally very elegant, for example in the way the setting or the NPCs tell a story. A conversation with a passer-by can lead to sad monologues that have nothing to do with the main plot, but still captivate. Animals often talk about what is happening from their point of view, if, of course, you have the appropriate skill that allows you to talk to them. The need to look under every stone or piece of paper in search of an interesting story is one of best features Original Sin 2.

Original Sin 2 stands out from other RPGs in that its well-written stories exist in a living world with an impressive level of freedom and flexibility. Here you can not only chat and fight. If you want to bypass a puzzle or an intractable character, then you can use a teleportation spell. You play as a character who has the power to change the world, but it doesn't feel like the world was created just to please your whims. Sometimes, for example, important for a large side quest the character can die in a normal fight if you are too slow. How would things have changed if he had lived? You won't know until the next playthrough. Or loading a save.

Only a few modern games are not afraid to hide content from us in this way just because we made certain decisions, which makes them more significant. Most importantly, ingenious decisions and dangerous actions will never block your path to the final of the main storyline, which does credit to Larian, who provided many options for the development of different situations. Making the world look real is not easy.

Such freedom of choice can lead to certain difficulties during cooperative passage games in the company with three friends, because they (as in real life) can run away on business, which may affect your plans. Important characters may die while you sell junk in the city. Different people may find different parts of the cursed armor set that are only good to wear together. If you can even agree on who gets this treasure. And sometimes comrades may refuse to risk their heads in a fight, because of which the already difficult battles on normal difficulty will become even more difficult.

Among other excellent features of Original Sin 2, I would like to note the “game master” mode, which allows you to create your own adventures and play with friends in an almost desktop RPG, but for PC, which in the future allows you to return to this Divinity even after multiple passages of the main plot. However, it seems to me that the unpredictability of the co-op playthrough of the original campaign is quite consistent with the impressions of tabletop RPGs: co-op is very good, although (like many other games that require well-coordinated teamwork) it is desirable to play it with trusted people, not strangers from the Internet.

The limitlessness of choice in Original Sin 2 makes itself felt already at the character creation screen. You can play as humans, elves, gnomes, upright lizards and the undead, who can become mages, warriors, summoners or sorcerers who turn enemies into chickens and turn their own hands into tentacles. Sounds weird? In Original Sin 2, you don't have to stick to your chosen class, so you're free to develop the skills you really need. There are no easy decisions here: the characteristics of the races and the innate skills of the heroes make each character unique, so it is desirable to make the party as diverse as possible. Elf NPCs are more likely to talk to a person who is accompanied by another elf, and the undead can impress a character who wouldn't be nice to you.

You can create any character you want, but I think that in Original Sin 2 it is better to play one of the 6 heroes for which the writers of Larian wrote separate backstories. Because they come with unique dialogue options (don't forget that every NPC's line is voiced here!). Take Sebilla: a dangerous elf seeks revenge on the lizard who kept her in bondage, forcing her to do terrible things. She carves the names of the victims on her hands and (like other elves in this world) can eat the corpse of the dead to learn something about his life. Lowse, possessed by various demons, can throw out some number at the most inopportune moment. But my favorite was Fein, who is distinguished by his age of several centuries and a strange manner of speech. He walks without problems in gas clouds that kill other characters, and poisonous puddles heal him. He can open locks with his own finger, but if he appears on the street without a magical mask or helmet, then important NPCs will attack him in horror or run away aimlessly.

Those five heroes who are not lucky enough to become your favorites can join your squad. But their goals and ambitions don't always match, so there may be some fun (or scary) conflict situations. Take, for example, Sebilla. The Red Prince, a lizard who is looking for special "dreamers" who can tell him how to become a monarch, finds one such type on the beach. Sebilla, however, has her own plans for this character. I let her talk to him and the dialogue ended with the dreamer being killed, which angered the Red Prince. As it turned out, I could have avoided this if I had kept her away. Such situations can be dangerous, so I advise you to save more often. On the other hand, they make you think about who to choose as your partners.

Original Sin 2 has a good story and quests, but the tactical combat that is rich in possibilities is also great in it. The fights here are turn-based, so you have to think about how to spend invaluable action points. Especially important is the fact that the environment is interactive in a way that the titans of the genre like BioWare and CD Projekt RED never dreamed of. In this game, you can throw a boulder at a robber with the power of your mind, and then set fire to a puddle of oil under his feet with fire arrows. And then teleport his comrades to the resulting fire. In this game, you can literally heal the undead to death and freeze giants that will climb into a puddle on their way to you. It is convenient to play even on the controller, and spectacular combinations make the taste of victory much sweeter than if you had made your way forward only thanks to the power of weapons. And this fun doesn't end with final battle. Original Sin 2 offers you to fight other players in the PvP arena.

I came across some bugs, but nothing serious among them. Mostly it was NPCs that didn't want to talk to me, or puzzles that didn't work without a reboot. Often I did not understand what was in front of me: a programming error or a situation that required an inventive approach. And that's probably a compliment. In any case, Larian has been releasing important patches since the release of the game at a speed that many developers would envy.

Verdict

Divinity: Original Sin 2 was developed with old RPGs like Baldur's Gate 2 in mind, but the nods to the classics were just the basis for the multifaceted game that Larian created. Few other RPGs give you so much freedom, pairing it with deep combat and a powerful story in a world that feels alive because of how it reacts to your actions or inactions. This is the rare RPG that I want to play again and again, because many interesting and unusual events passed me by last time, and the fate of many NPCs (and even rats) that I became attached to could have turned out very differently. When this happens, you experience experiences that you will remember for a long time. And Divinity: Original Sin 2 itself will be remembered by us as one of the greatest games.