In an era where big dawg developer companies give us shorter games, limited offer dlc, and 2 page black and white instruction manuals Divinity 2 DKS comes along on a silver chariot pulled by the two mighty steeds Larian and Atlus to prove "chivalry" is not dead in the industry. Even before you get into the game itself you're treated to a soundtrack cd and a fully colored bi-lingual instruction manual. Indeed after head honcho Swen Vincke sincerely thanks you for your purchase and showers praise upon his team in a heart felt introduction letter you may feel as if you are having a delirious hallucination. Then when you are promised 100 hours of rpg goodness for 39.99 your head will reel with the possibility that you have fallen into an alternate dimension through a worm hole. Well, rest assured Divinity 2 Dragon Knight Saga is as "real" as it gets!
I've heard some gamers describe this as being "good filler" to occupy time until Skyrim releases but to me that seems to discredit just how worthy Divinity 2 DKS truly is. While it is true some things in DKS remind me of Oblivion, Fable, and Dragon age it's chalked full of many nuances that make it completely unique as well. Sure, you can kick chickens, learn to mix herbs, roam around in an open world, and enchant your gear with special charms but these familiar things are a very miniscule portion of the greater experience.
The first aspect that surprised me in a positive way was how streamline the controls were. Spells, items, and attacks can be assigned to the Y, X, A, and B in any combination you want. You can also allocate additional things to your directional pad. Pressing LB will allow you to open doors, snag goodies, climb ladders, and talk to npcs whereas the RT makes you jump and can also set up a graceful dodge roll if you press a direction on the right analogue stick at the same time. In addition you can go into an inventory screen where everything is easy to find. If you get lost it's easy to mark something on your map which gives you a blue arrow to follow while indicating your own location with a red arrow.
Unlike other rpgs which restrict your hero Divinity 2 is very liberal. Though you may choose your gender and class from the beginning nothing actually bars you from the ranger, slayer, wizard, warrior, and priest skill trees. You can mix and match to your heart's content!
Yet Divinity 2 is no cakewalk. You have no magic sparkling pixie trails or brightly glowing items to tip you off. The game will be cruel if you do not take the time to look around. Likewise if you fail to save often enemies will kill you once they get into better organized bands with "healers" and "shamans" to buff their archers and fighters. Losing 3 hours of progress due to careless negligence can be a cumbersome drag!
At first Divinity 2 may come off as a bland action rpg . Yes, you can eventually turn into a dragon to partake in epic aerial dog fights with floating sky citadels. Yes, you do get an awesome "battle tower" that makes Bruce Wayne's "Bat cave" seem as if it is a dingy cheap hotel room by comparison. Yes, later on you can collect body parts from your enemies to make a patchwork monstrosity which will fight loyally by your side. Problem is this isn't until about 15 or so hours into the game.
Yet the exploration between the points of being a naïve adventurer and becoming an epic protagonist are so well crafted with so many diverse side quests and lively encounters you are not going to care if certain things about DKS smack as being "rudimentary". This is "good fantasy" at its' finest. The loot hunting, absurd or foreboding conversations, and visceral combat act as a euphoric drug that incites that "Just one more hour!" response.
Perhaps the most interesting mechanic towards the beginning of the game is the ability to "mind read". By spending a small boon of experience points you can decipher people's thoughts during chat sessions. This can range from being mildly amusing to very helpful. Certain whispery contemplations will reveal the locations of important items, teach you a new alphabet, boost certain attributes, or even cue you in on secret pass words that are essential to your quest.
When you finally "do" take to the skies being a dragon will be awkward initially. Each battle citadel has towers that either fire out powerful blasts or spawn more flying enemies. Strategically it helped me to take out the ballista towers first before going after the nesting towers. Also be sure to keep on the move. Staying idle in one place too long will spell out your doom! Luckily a dragon's "fire balls" are somewhat akin to homing missiles so taking down the winged abominations that come after you is not a chore in tedium. As the difficulty of these battles scale up you'll also be able to upgrade your dragon form's inherent supernatural abilities.
Wrapped around all this is an intriguing story. As a dragon slayer recruit you are tasked with hunting down the last of the dragons. It is known far and wide that a corrupt dragon knight struck down the divine champion of the realm thus his kindred have become scapegoats to blame for everything that is evil, wicked, and wrong. Yet in an ironic twist of fate a dying female dragon knight gives you her powers and reveals to you an even greater threat in the land. The events that follow sort of mess up your life. In one instance you have to cut down your old friends that are trying to kill you. In addition the villain Damian is not rampaging without having a valid reason. Though certain characters may seem like ridiculous clichés at first they eventually prove to have a lot of emotional and historical depth to them. There are moments you may feel sorry for the bad guys and equally loathe the good guys. DKS insists you "think". It's not going to make things easy by setting up a bunch of cookie cutter archetypes meant to incite total fondness or total avarice. Many big movers and shakers in Rivellion have done both virtuous and atrocious deeds in equal measure. Take that as you will.
Before I close up shop I should state that DKS may lack a few things you expect from the genre. Though you have free reign with your multiple responses there is no morality meter. In addition though the game has "romantic themes" your main hero cannot develop and enrich a relationship with a special partner. Frankly I did not mind this nor did I perceive it as a qualm but for those who prefer the "Bio-ware" or "Witcher" approach to socializing DKS may leave them wanting.
For me Divinity 2 DKS has been a delightful escape. It's obvious a lot of love and hard work went into this "special edition" and the bugs I've encountered have been few and far between. If you enjoy Western rpgs but are looking for something that's delightfully different you should totally pick up this unappreciated master piece!
Pros
+Easy to learn controls
+ fluid combat
+ Freedom to develop your character anyway you want to
+Deep multi layered story
+ A sweeping and breathtaking sound track
+Unique aesthetic design applied to enemies & armor.
+ Side quest are actually "fun".
+ Turning into a dragon, mind reading, and creating your own patchwork minion separates this game from the pack while establishing it as a special experience you shouldn`t pass up!
+Very massive and interesting world.
+Magic teleport way points make travel easy once you find them all.
+Free soundtrack and bi-lingual full color instruction manual. (The other featured language is French)
Cons
-Little to offer those who prefer morality meters and relationship development
-Game can be unapologetically vague and very difficult
-Aerial fights in dragon form maybe frustrating until gamers grasp the basics for successful strategy.
-Fans that supported Larian by getting the original "Ego Draconis" will feel a tad cheated. All I can say in DKS's defense is that it comes with a 30 hour expansion AND many steps were taken to improve the core game. (Aka better engine and nicer visuals)
For you if
Do you feel as if the journey matters more than the destination? Do you like seeing your armor and weapons visually change as you equip new gear? Love dragons and wizards? Do you applaud open worlds that offer up humor, tragedy, and a rich history in equal dosages? Do you prefer to be in the thick of the action instead of issuing commands via turn based monotony? If so Divinity 2 DKS was lovingly smelted and re-forged just for you!
Not for you if
Divinity 2 sits on the uncomfortable ant hill of being more stream lined than Oblivion yet is not quite as straight forward and user friendly as Fable. If you prefer an rpg that is one of those two extremes DKS could rain on your parade with its` "middle of the road" approach. In addition there are no "deep relationships" for the hero or heroine to pursue so if you are aching for a dime novel fantasy romance this is not the place to find it.
Personal Bias Opinion
I haven't played a Western rpg that has hooked me this much since Dragon age. DKS has fun game play, many expansive locales, and a really good story line. It's also not afraid to do its' own thing which is admirable. For these reasons I give it 5 out of 5!
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