Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

This is a great CRPG with a lots of freedom in doing choices and apply your own ethics while facing the various quests, with a challenging combat system that require lots of strategical thinking. The game difficulty, and also to some unhappy choices in the game UI, can be frustrating at times (LOTS of times). For me it is a solid 4.5/5 stars, rounded to 5 stars because once I fought the frustration, what remains is great game which had kept me tuned for 120 hours. More in detail, this title brings what I love in a CRPG: - multiple ways to solve face quests - multiple choices with no black/white ethics - turn based combat, with lots of strategy involved (managing the elements, positioning and finding enemy weakpoint) - character and skillset personalization (wanna try a battlemage? necrowarrior? You can do it) - great characterization of the companions, each one bringing its "storyline" that develops through the game - this game incentivates and rewards exploration - The AI is above average, with the enemy employing nasty tacticts including chain stun and focus - While the story is so-so, it still allows to take whatever decision without feeling guilty or "good" or"bad" On the other side: - I found the GUI pretty bad, in particular the party managment and inventory - The interaction between elements (Air + water --> stun, etcc..) works only after you have taken down the enemy magic/phisical armor, at higher difficulty levels the enemy will have 3-4 time the armour you have. This means that most of the fights it will be the enemy that will apply status on your group while you need to stay on the defensive. When you hit the endgame, things improve alittle bit. - Lots of quests suffer from bugs or scripts error (this however can be expected as there are so many quests with different ways to solve them) - Pathing of characters is atrocious. Example: if your path is blocked by some elemental obstacole (fire, poison, etcc) only your selected character will go through it and the rest ofthe party will stay behind.. whY? Sometimes the rest of the party takes a complete different path (at superspeed) potentially triggering encounter or quests on the way - There is a pretty nice crafting system which is nearly undocumented, 90% of the junk found ingame can be used to upgrade armor or weapons or to procude scrolls but you will never know. Considering that some recipes need a "tool" (hammer, forge, etc..), the chance to find the right combination by try is near 0%.

I wasn't shure if I should buy this because I haven't been in to Party, turnbased RPG's for the last probably 10 years. But this game is simply great. Great characters The possible Partymembers have so well written backstories and everyone is just interesting. Sadly You can only take 3 with you. NPC's that won't talk to you if belong to a certain race Great combat very good balanced abilities and spells. every enemy has it's strengths and weaknesses So many little stories in the world eg cursed pigs, eggs stolen from chicken Magic which isn't only useful in combat Different ways of solving quests Simply I can't stop playing.

One of the finest RPG's I've ever had the chance to play. Delightful co-op, solid replayability, engrossing characters, and a feeling that what you're doing has weight. 5/5

Not sure what more to say other than Larian has outdone themselves. What was once a studio known for their janky, albeit charming RPGs, they've been in an upward trend ever since 2013's Divinity: Dragon Commander. The original Divinity: Original Sin (no pun intended) was a surprise hit; it was a polished, expansive, and imaginative role-playing game that paid tribute to the CRPGs of the past, while remaining accessible and introducing a number of modern video game mechanics. With Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian has perfected the formula of the first game. Introducing 4-player co-op, *fully* voice-acted dialogue trees, environmental effect-based combat, a custom campaign "Game Master" mode for DnD enthusiasts, absolutely gorgeous visuals and a stellar soundtrack that easily rivals that of the Elder Scrolls series. Larian has filled this game up to the brim. Buy this game. It is well worth the full price, and an absolute steal when it goes on sale (at the time of this review, the typical sale price is about $24 USD).

I personally don't have any problems with the launcher that they added, the account creation can be skipped. About the game: - it's a great RPG - awesome mechanics - great skills/spells - engaging combat system - nice items - awesome story Didn't finish the game yet, but after 30+ hours I can say it was worth getting it on a sale.