In addition to Dragon Commander, Larian Studios is working on another episode of the saga Divinity. Subtitled Original Sin, this new chapter is a prequel since the events he recounts are conducted before Divine Divinity. Besides this chronological positioning, Original Sin adopts a system of turn-based game and a strong cooperative orientation.
When Larian Studios invited us to discover "the new Divinity" at its premises in Ghent, we expected to see a Divinity 3 in the tradition of The Dragon Knight Saga. Given the success - deserved - met by the latter, it would have been logical to continue in this way, improving bit by bit the result. But that was forgotten the taste of the studio for innovation! Instead of resting on their laurels, the developers chose to change direction to try something new. This choice may surprise some players, but we can only welcome this risk-taking. It must be said that for his two current projects, and Divinity Dragon Order - Original Sin, Larian has become his own publisher. The studio can unleash their creativity, without pressure of any kind.
This new adventure that takes place several hundred years before Divine Divinity, has been designed to be fully played two together. So there are two main characters, respecting parity. The male protagonist is a convict who has long been tortured. The woman, meanwhile, has flatly been resurrected! This pair of unlikely hero wakes up in a castle in ruins, without knowing how or why. Outside, a battle rages. Orcs! The pelts are using a chaotic magic hitherto unknown, that corrupts even the trees and the innocent animals. But for some mysterious reason, the magic does not seem to affect our two heroes. Will they take the opportunity to save Rivellon the threat of orcs? And what will they discover about themselves in this epic? The plot of this Original Sin is asked.
The choice of an adventure in cooperation results in a direct change of perspective from Divinity II. The camera takes a step back and height, offering a vision of the broader effort that recalls the beginnings of the saga. The gameplay of course, was thought to best exploit the presence of two characters. For example, in the quest that has been presented, one of the heroes could talk to an NPC to monopolize his attention while the other took advantage to slip quietly into the cellar ... Even the dialogue system is cooperative: the developers wanted to avoid a player on its hands while the other acts as group leader, taking all the decisions. Everyone can participate in discussions and express dissent if necessary! The idea seemed particularly interesting. And if you are antisocial, do not worry: it will obviously be possible to cover the campaign solo directing the two protagonists together.
Developers have continued the presentation by showing us some of the possibilities of interaction with the game world This has always been a strong point of the series Divinity, and Original Sin is no exception to the rule. Almost everything can be collected, assembled, carried, thrown ... You can put a bucket on his head as a helmet, take a broom to hit the enemy, etc.. If you harvest a poisonous mushroom, you can combine it with your sword to poison blade. Alchemy, cooking ... The system is rich and ample scope for experimentation. The combinations also play a big role in the magic system, based on the elements. Make it rain on enemies and then throw a spell of cold and icy here! A flash positioned in a puddle électrocutera all enemies in contact with water. This little side Magicka makes fighting quite fun.
Since evokes the fighting, let's get to the big surprise of this demonstration: the turn-based! Divinity - Original Sin leaves the system in real time of the previous components and mechanisms similar opts for the first Fallout: hexagons on travel, action items, etc.. Thus gaining tactical what it loses momentum. Certainly, this change will not make everybody happy. But we must admit that the result is not unpleasant. The pace is relatively fast, no need to wait several minutes before playing his turn. Despite this upheaval, the title does not lose any aspect of Divinity hack slash provided. Thus, the character sheet is a model of its kind, with its four classic characteristics (strength, dexterity, intelligence, charisma) and its slots to equip weapons, armor, rings and other objects. As usual with Larian, there is no class, each player is free to draw in the skills of their choice over the evolution of his avatar.
The other aspect that seems not to have changed - much to our delight - is the quality of writing quests and humor. In one we have seen, the heroes must find the source of a drug preventing minors from working. We will not disclose details of the various possible frames, but the quest proposed multiple branches and at least five or six solutions, far from the Manichaeism of some RPG. Moreover, the choices made by players have real consequences, even if their appearance is more immediate than in The Witcher. Whether good or not, the players' actions also increase the reputation of heroes, influencing the attitudes of NPCs towards them. For example a merchant can make you better deals if your reputation has reached his shop. These are the kinds of things we like to see. In the same category, note that past the prologue, you can explore the game world as you wish. The level of the enemies are not adaptive, it will however be careful where you step ...
Finally, this overview of the next Divinity would not be complete without mentioning the publisher of content that was presented to us. It allows a designer environments through the basic elements of the game or by importing their own creations. Above all, it allows the design of quests with a scripting language as powerful and intuitive. Internally developed since the first game of the saga, this language has a syntax "human" which makes its use very simple despite thousands of possibilities it offers. Imagine what stories totally new, it is then possible to give or sell to other players through the integration of Steamworks. By the admission of the founder of Larian Studios, the day when he can play cooperatively with his wife in an adventure from the community, then Divinity - Original Sin has won his bet. It should be fixed within a year since the game's release is scheduled for second quarter 2013.
