Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Edition

I Continue to Kill the Void

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These past few days, I was able to step away from Divinity Original Sin EE and complete shorter games mentioned recently on this blog. Now, I am back with this game, checking off my “monstrous” list of side quests. The activity can be satisfyingly rewarding as watching Dr. Pimple Popper videos or yanking weeds out from the garden. To be honest, I haven’t tried either of those activities. I just remember my co-workers telling me that’s what they do for their downtime to relax their minds. However, I am not sure if looking up how to solve quests is relaxing…these side quests aren’t so straightforward and can be quite long. I also recently learned that it might be wise to check the Tutorial Hints because certain items can be almost invisible to the naked eye. It can thwart the story progression as I learned the hard way (I always learn the hard way…).

Under Inventory, you can press hold [Left Alt] to highlight objects.

I remember earlier in the game, searching for items felt like I was trying to find a needle in a haystack and the image below could not further confirm my suspicion. It made me smile because it was part of the game design. I suppose leveling up your Perception skill is worth it.

needle inside the hay
A needle in a haystack

As much as I like the game, I am not a fan of non-linear games. Sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming when you have no idea where to start. Partially, that is why I am not so fond of open-world games because it takes a chunk of my time while other games are waiting in line to be played. Thus, my backlog (tiny compared to others) continues to grow. On top of the fact, the game is not meant for a single player (Strangely, I can hear my readers saying…”Duh…you’re not the targeted audience”). So, it made me wonder if would I have liked it more if I treated the game as a co-op; I certainly would have enjoyed the experience more than my time in Borderlands because first-person view games give me headaches. I wonder what changes were made in Divinity Original Sin 2. More importantly, I am anxious to get my hands on Balder Gate 3.

If there is one thing, I learned recently about games is that RPGs can sometimes feel like reading a fantasy/adventure book. It’s not a bad thing, but my mind can wander from time to time, drifting between lengthy dialogues when I know something important was just spoken by the characters, but the mind is too tired to absorb and appreciate its verbose theatrical lines. For example:

But my followers have done it! Ha! They have done it like I knew they would! Blood, the thick red gravy; the sauce of Source has been yielded unto star-sent stones has swept away the eternal shadows!

-Braccus Rex

Such colorful words to describe blood. I don’t know why it talks so much when it’s about to get its ass kicked! However, sometimes I do find a line that catches my attention:

A society that allows such evil to flourish is rotten at its very core, Source Hunter. I would be careful of your pouch of gold. Shiny pebbles cannot mean more than beating hearts.

-Bairdortr

Wouldn’t you say someone who is primitive tends to be more honest and noble than civilized people? The line is spoken by a barbaric woman, Bairdortr who has been raised in the wild but educated by a sorcerer. She is one out of 4 NPCs you can choose from to help assist you on your adventure earlier on in the game. She makes an excellent ranger. So far, I believe I got the source of the story down. It’s not as black and white as I thought–more like it’s about corruption. For what it’s worth, I am still enjoying the game. So, I suppose those little hiccups in games aren’t such glaring problems when you judge the whole package, but it does make me question whether I want to invest myself in another lengthy game after this. The answer is…I always do. I just wish the game was more seamless because having to constantly look up how to proceed with a quest can feel like hitting the stoplight at every intersection. Another thing I dislike about the game is how it likes to interact with the player indirectly. The image below shows a mysterious stranger asking the player a question: “Now I can’t help but wonder: Are you cut from the same batty cloth? Why’ve you come here, after all? What’s the point of it all?

Can the answer just be for boredom’s sake?

Stay tuned for my final thoughts. I believe I am getting close to the end!

Drifting Where the Wind Takes Me

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Some may not have noticed, but for those who look forward to my blog weekly, thank you. Normally I publish weekly, but it seems like there’s always a lot going on toward the end of the year with the holiday around the corner, and I wish that was my excuse for taking a small hiatus. Honestly, I lack the motivation to blog after doing extensive research about SEO, marketing, and web design. More importantly, I took the time to contemplate what I wanted out of blogging and asked if I was still enjoying it. If I were to be honest, not so much. I enjoy blogging on WordPress but I don’t like how it penalized the blogger for not engaging with other bloggers by commenting on their blogs and hitting the like and follow button. It takes a lot of my energy to reach out to people and when it doesn’t reciprocate, you get that feeling of rejection. Too many rejections make it feel like is it even worth it.

I just love getting my heart burned, it builds resistance but I rather do it in video games. It’s more enjoyable because I know not to take it seriously.

Blogging is becoming more like work and most sane people run away from work. That’s why I don’t work for the gaming industry. I am pretty sure I would run away from it too. All work no play is crazy. But that’s the marvelous thing about the world is that: “we are all in it together” LOL. I digress. Going back to my blog, perhaps, the audience I am trying to reach may very well be too busy gaming because gamers play games. It’s that simple. So that is why I have been hanging out at Steam, playing Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Edition. It’s quite entertaining and it gives me something to look forward to each day. Great story+great gameplay +great soundtracks=A+++! I believe they are an indie studio but with triple-A qualities. As mentioned in my previous blog post, I have been bewitched by the game! I also learned that the studio is accustomed to making educational and casino games, which explains a lot about my newfound addiction! I love learning and gambling with my time “recklessly”, but at least I am having fun. I enjoy uploading screenshots of my gameplay over on Steam’s account. Here, one sample of my screenshots:

The prisoner’s dialogue made me laugh hard. I suppose gaming is like prison and I am already crazy! Thank you for bringing this awareness to me 😀

Steam makes it enjoyable to capture those fun silly moments in games. Press F12 to take pictures. I even thought of joining a Girl Gamer club on Steam to be more “social” and less “crazy” but then I looked at the comment section and I stopped. I would be walking into a trap. From what I observed, I don’t think half of the members are even legit and the way they talk is so lewd. So here I am back in my little corner. Doing my own thing. It’s a shame though, I really like Steam’s interface.

Little Shopping Video Game Haul

I took advantage of November Steam’s sale and purchased: Gris, Remothered: Porcelain, and Tales of the Black Forest. After much thought about Remothered: Porcelain, I caved in and bought it. It’s out of my mind and out of sight. The sales marketing tactic works! I shouldn’t have to make things complicated by being indecisive about a purchase, but time is valuable and I have a bad habit of finishing everything thoroughly. Also, I decided to pick up a book to read: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I read a few chapters and it feels like it’s written for a movie. One of my political science teachers once said…if you want to know what the book is about just read the introduction, and that’s what I did to the Pillars of the Earth. I learned that the author imagined his book making it into a motion picture. Is there a movie out there based on the book that I am not aware of? I might just pick up the movie but then on a second thought, nah. I discovered the book because of the game, which ironically there is no real gameplay to it. So, I said, well if I am “playing” for the story might as well… pick up the book. That was my logic! I still plan on playing the game because I like the illustration. Why is it so hard to make a decision sometimes?

Games I Am Looking Forward To

  • Dragon Dogma II
  • Death Mark II
  • Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
  • Granblue Fantasy Relink
  • Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree

Well, that’s all I have to say for now. Thank you to those who tuned into this blog. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and that my craziness hasn’t scared you away!

I Have Been Playing Divinity Original Sin (Enhanced Edition)

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I didn’t expect to play Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Edition, developed by Larian Studios, and I did not know it was part of a successful Kickstarter project (Yes, I do live in a cave). I bought a digital copy from Steam’s sales two years ago during the pandemic. However, I heard about the game around the time it was released when a gaming friend pointed out that it’s Co-Op. For that reason, I declined from investing in such a quality game, knowing I’d get addicted to it. Indeed, now in December of 2023 when most people are probably playing Balder Gate 3, I am finally enjoying my solo adventure in Cyseal hunting for the source of evil. More than 60 hours into the game, I am nowhere to beating it! I jumped into the game blindly and learned how to play the game through trial and error (I did the same thing with Elden Ring). Let’s just say, I enjoy figuring things out for myself. Like most people, I ended up restarting the game because I messed up with the skill points and missed certain dialogues with a certain character. On my 2nd play-through, I found it easier to piece the story together while familiarizing myself with the game-play, which to my surprise there’s not a lot of grinding. To gain experience level, the players would have to complete side quests apart from defeating enemies, which is a good way to make players pay attention to the storyline. It’s an ingenious idea to kill two birds with one stone.

Now in terms of game-play, this game doesn’t hold your hand. According to the game, you start out picking two characters: Roderick and Scarlett. You can change their names and even their gender. I think a balance between male and female is fine the way it is. When I initially started the game, I didn’t even bother to change their names. So, yes you are not locked into the default characters. There is some level of customization but there’s no real point to it. Yes, you can zoom in for a closer look but the entire time, it’s better to be in the bird-eye view. Plus, the selected icon pictures that display your characters are limited. This can be quite the eye-sore when you are trying to distinguish your character from others.

character sitting
Couldn’t find an icon picture that matched my character creation so I chose closest one…
I chose blue hair for the female character because it bothers me very much when the icon picture doesn’t match the character on the screen.

This brings me to the topic of building characters. It’s not important about what class you choose in the beginning because you can change class, although it’s wise to reallocate your skill points in the beginning to your liking because you will mess up. I have been addicted to the strategic game-play. I am not sure if I am enjoying the game-play more than the story. I think there is a good balance. Good sense humor is always appreciated. Plus, the soundtrack to this game is superb. It is what reeled me into the game in the first place.

The theme in character creation menu

Listening to the soundtrack Memories of the Future, makes me feel as if I am romantically drifting to a faraway land called Cyseal where I lie down on a nice white sand beach. It’s a great escape from the winter here because most trees and grass are brown for months. I have yet to feel like it’s home where it’s always evergreen.

Making a List Is Therapeutic for the Creative Soul

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Around this time of year, I tend to make a list of upcoming games and books I plan to play and/or read. I wonder why. Back in the days when I was a teen, I would have played anything that was given to me, including free games on the PC; and I would have read anything in front of me.   Now these days, I am more picky—really picky to the point of relying heavily on reviews, trailers, and word of mouth to determine a purchase.

For instance, looking at my Wishlist, I have been debating whether to pick  Remothered: Broken Porcelain after reading several negative reviews stating the same thing over and over about how buggy the game is.  Still, a part of me wants to go ahead and purchase the game since it’s on sale but I have been on the fence with this game for almost two years now! I am pretty sure the game is not as bad as reviewers make it out to be— but I don’t think it’s worth the time to play unpolished games regardless of its potential. Plus, I recently purchased Song of Horror and Tormented Soul. Games that are supposed to have the old school, survival horror third-person view aesthetic. They are next in line of games to play-but I do need a break from horror. As much as I enjoy horror for the adrenaline rush, too much of it is not good. So, I have been playing Strange Horticulture and Divinity Original Soul Enhanced Edition instead. I am 36 hours into Divinity! I found myself in the middle of the night playing before bedtime, trying to figure things out. Time sure flies when you are having fun. I like the game-play. It’s a turned based game that involves some strategy. Some people described the game as pen and paper experience, which unfortunately I have never played a tabletop game. But what I like most about the game is its lightheartedness on the seriousness of the plot: I am a source hunter; I hunt down evil sorcerers. The diverse voice acting makes the tone of the game theatrical and entertaining. One character sounds Russian the other sounds Southern and yes there is even an English accent thrown in the mix. It’s dramatic. Even the animals are voice dubbed by real humans which only add more charm to the game. Overall, it has good vibes with relaxing original soundtracks.

Halloween Scarecrow
I thought it was cool that there was a pumpkin scarecrow in the game. 

Looking back at my older post toward the end of 2022, I made a list of games to complete for the upcoming year. I accomplished some. Not all. I have completed Soma, Eyuiden Rising, Elden Ring, AI: Sominum Files, and Whisper of Machines. I also picked a game to play randomly this year: The Last Guardian, Fatal Frame IV, Zero Time Dilemma and Final Fantasy XII. I enjoyed all of them, but I am feeling a little burnt out from gaming in general. I find myself wanting to do other activities that are good for my mental health such as reading a good book or painting. Actually, I am currently reading Charlotte’s Web by E.B White. This book was on my reading list from one of my blog’s posts:Three Films that Make Me Want to Read the Book. 

Fern holding Wilbur
I appreciate Charlotte’s Web so much more than I did when I was in elementary school! 

Making a list type blog post and sharing it with the world feels like a form of commitment. I want to set bigger goals next year so that means I will scale back from gaming a bit. Sometimes by the time I finish a game, I don’t have the mental energy to write a review because behind the “writing scene”, there’s a lot of writing, revising, and editing. After all the hard work, I still find minor errors (*sighs*). As they say a second set of eyes are better than one. Over the years, I have learned that there is a lot of work behind maintaining a blog, and what drives me is my love for writing and creating content. When I look back at what I have written, I am amazed at my dedication. It’s something I would have never recognized if I didn’t put in the work. Most of all, I learned that I am always evolving. Sure, the blog doesn’t pay the bills, but it pays to keep me sane. So, I suppose everything balances itself out for the time being.