It's easy to assume that you know what kind of games you enjoy playing, skimming over other genres that you may or may not enjoy playing, or have little to no experience with. I made this exact mistake with this game and others in its series, picking them up when they were on sale and then immediately consigning them to the annals of the back catalogue. What a fool I was. This game is, and I say this with every ounce of sincerity that I have, is absolutely astounding. Usually if I feel like a grand quest through a vivid and storied world I simply boot up Skyrim or any other game in the Elder Scrolls series and wander the world of Tamriel, making my way through the all too familiar villages, have the same conversation with the same characters for what feels like the 100th time before I realise I have grown bored and move on to something less stale. How glad I was that this time it was Divinity: Original Sin 2. This game isn't just the story of a troubled fantasy world with a colourful texture palette slapped on top like many of the top-down RPG's I have played in my 20 year gaming veterancy. This is a living, breathing world in which every character, literally every single character you meet, will have at least some dialogue to speak to your party, even animals if you have the right perk, can offer you quests. The environments are varied and interesting, even throughout the tutorial you venture with your party through a variety of different environments and structures, seeking treasures and glory which lie, quite literally, around every corner. The combat is unrivaled by any RPG I have ever played before, allowing you to assign a formation to your party which they will take up at the start of every battle, meaning you can lead a charge on an enemy camp with your warriors at the front, or scout the encampments and fortifications using a stealth character and sneak your ranged party members into positions of high ground for an organised attack. Play this game.
