Western RPGs

Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Edition Review: The Perception Game

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What we don’t understand, we call it magic, therefore, God is a wizard.

– S. (a.k.a. Halsdoll)

I just had to quote myself because that is exactly what I got from the story in Divinity Orignal Sin and so, players shouldn’t read too deeply into the story because the game is purely for entertainment purposes. As some reviewers mentioned, it’s a “great time waster.” Is that a compliment? Surely it is because the enemy of time is the Void itself! It’s an extremely intelligent game. There is a brain behind the mastermind, although it’s not always without “error”. I have already mentioned some of the things I don’t like and the things I do like previously on this blog. So you can check them if you are inclined to do so.

For the most part, I enjoyed the battle system a lot. Being able to use elemental spells with its environment makes the whole game fun and quite addictive too. I remember it took me a few tries. Like any standard RPG, there is some strategy involved; however, it’s not one of those games where you can’t get away with button mashing with the same spell and expect a powerful result. It’s a game designed for adults to use their brains. I mean to think with their eyes. That’s what the game is all about perception. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details:

Perhaps’ you can? Of course you may, but if you’re having trouble with the whole affair, I’d suggest that perhaps it’s your perception you ought to work on first! Hah!

–Alchemist
I enjoy the puns in this game. Obviously…you have to have a sharp mind to see things thoroughly, but isn’t that what makes us human? The ability to see from different angles but is susceptible to error?

Not only do I enjoy the game’s wordplay and how it integrates well with the overall theme of the story and the gameplay (I often find myself hunting and scanning for hard-to-see items), but I also like how the game encourages the player to use items as a weapon rather than relying solely on whacking enemies with a club. Sure, deep down we are all a bit primitive, but we can always learn how to be a bit diplomatic. For example, I love the Charm Spell. It comes in quite handy when you’re dealing with a powerful opponent. I used it on a stubborn bull. As you know, bulls are quite hardheaded, but with my Charm Spell, they helped me defeat my enemies in no time with their powerful head blow! I also enjoyed freezing and knocking the enemies down so that they missed their turn; there’s nothing funnier and more satisfying than seeing your opponent slipping on ice. Of course, I didn’t like it when the table turned on me. No one does because we all like to win. I also enjoyed strategizing so much that I lost track of time. From my experience, I learned that all it took was one mistake to lose a battle. The level cap in the game is up to 20 and you can level up by exploring places, completing side quests, and defeating enemies. By the time, I reached the ending, I was already level 20, which I thought would never happen!

It may sound a bit hypocritical, but my biggest gripe about the game is the side quests that relate to the story. They sure can damper the mood. One side quest I completely failed was the Goblin Story. Well, I was quick to punish a character for sending innocent people to death, which left the quest incomplete since I needed the character alive. This game would have been more enjoyable if I had tackled each quest as it came in order. I don’t know though, I learned that I wasn’t the only one with the same issue. Anyway, after reaching the climax of the story, and spending over 100 hours in the game, I lost interest in the story altogether. I found myself rolling my eyes when I learned about the lonely sorcerer turning a cat into her lover; and that the all-motherly orc can be quite the fearmonger and a big-time gold digger. I had my laughs because I would have never come up with those creative speculations toward my female kind. I suppose I understand the meaning of perversion thoroughly now. I would have never thought that God might possibly be a wizard with glasses…the god of Rivellon that is.

So back to the question of what I have uncovered through my investigation of the murder case that brought me to this grand adventure to Cyseal: Who killed Councilor Jake?

It’s nice how the game takes you back to the original main quest.

The answer is indeed, much more complex than its direct source: It was a long story, but for what it’s worth, it sure beats the VOID!

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!

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.