I've never really been a fan of CRPG's. I've always liked the idea of indepth narratives and questing, but so often games felt way too overwhelming, and I could never enjoy them. None-the-less, I saw the high praise Divinity Original Sin II was getting and decided that I had to try it, so I got a friend and booted it up. What followed was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. We spent our first ten hours trying to find a way out of Fort Joy, and after finally escaping, we realized that it was only the beginning. We still had to escape the isle. Keep in mind this was the tutorial area still, and my friend and I were scratching our heads trying to find a way out of there. We followed each lead we had carefully, creatively coming up with solutions to problems when we were underlevelled, and tactially executing plans before they all inevitabely blew up in our faces. But every now and then there were those moments where you would beat the system. You'd go up against all odds, you'd sneak past by some miracle, or you'd find a clever solution with an item you picked up, and the best part of DOSII is that it facilliates this through open ended gameplay design. Soon two people who had never understood CRPGs, were at the final boss of the island, and made it out alive by a hair. And we did it all on our own. That's where DOSII really succeeds. It gives the player agency, and respects your time and intelligence immensely, allowing you to come up with solutions to problems the developers may have never even considered by giving you the tools to do so. So, if you're new to CRPGs, and want to get into them but cant decide on this one, I say give it a go. Because with an open mind, what you'll find is an in-depth, immersive, rewarding experience with a great story, create characters and great gameplay. Easily one of the most well made games I've ever played, and certainly one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.
