Divinity Original Sin: A Corridor RPG

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Divinity Original Sin: Enhanced Edition

This article finally concludes Awkward Mixture's quest to complete Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition. Instead of the first or the second article, which focused on combat and the broad plot arc respectively, this essay will examine a number of topics in lesser detail.

At first, Divinity appears to be an open world, where the Protagonists are free to roam at will in their quest to discover the murderer of Councilor Jacob and the secrets of their true identities. At first. Over time the player becomes aware that this open world contains a series of obvious Level Gates.

Shamus Young at Twenty Sided, once (and twice) remarked that video game developers “design the layout to draw players towards the action.” Instead of flashing messages on the screen, or overly intrusive way-point markers, good designers use lighting, resources (such as power ups or items), and well designed scenery to encourage the player to move in the right direction. The best game designers build scenes which lead the player effortlessly forward. They construct environments which are engaging and funnel the player toward the goal. They populate the path with items, enhancements, and features, while inferior designs leave the player lost and uncertain how to proceed (In this particular instance Shamus was discussing Half-Life 2, but the idea is relevant to most genres).
The developers of Divinity don't a have problem with uncertainty. It isn't always clear which way the Protagonists should go, but it's always clear which paths are prohibited until later. To prevent the player from wandering ahead of the plot, the game doesn't require the collection of particular items or the completing of objectives. Instead higher leveled enemies block the player's path. Like any RPG, heroes level up by earning Experience from completing quests and defeating enemies in battle. Enemies also receive a level value, displayed prominently above their head, but this number means both nothing and everything. It means nothing because two level 10 characters can differ dramatically in their power. Yet, levels mean everything because it's nearly impossible to defeat enemies even a single level higher (players on their second playthrough might achieve this, but most first time players will find it inconceivable).

The player can judge the outcome of any combat before it begins. All enemies the same level or lower can be beaten (though it may require multiple attempts), but enemies one level higher might as well be as impervious as the Death Knights one encounters later in the game. These leveled enemies are like the walls of corridor shooters, shepherding the protagonists towards their next objective. They are like gates, which requires a key, and the key is Experience. Divinity always makes it appear as if the player is free to roam, but in truth there is rarely more than one path, never more than one choice. These walls become so obvious that one wants to beat their hands against them in a futile rage.

These level walls reduce the openness of Rivellon and the freedom of the player. As a solution to the slim skeleton of the plot and a lack of independence, Divinity is packed with an overflow of side quests. These stitched on stories can be arduous and spread across multiple maps, or simple with both the quest's trigger and conclusion residing in the same screen. Occasionally they employ the wit which Divinity rests upon, but mostly they are pointless filler, which clogs the game and triples the length of a otherwise reasonable twenty hours.
Not only are there too many quests, but they clutter an already expansive Quest Log. Every entry in the Protagonists' journal is represented by a creative title. Clicking the title expands the entry into a number of bullet points, describing the relevant details of the quest. The Quest Log is packed, partially because there are so many side quests, but more consequentially, because there are too many entries relating to the same topic. Twenty hours deep into Divinity, my Quest Log contained not one, not two, not three, but nine articles relating to the main quest. Most were restatements of other entries, a curious and confusing jumble of each other. These nine included the following entries: A Forge of Souls, A Source Hunter's Journey, Investigating the Mines, A General's Tale, The Missing Threads, Cassandra Who Art Thou?, Infiltrating the Immaculates, The Initiation, and The General's Story. The two General titles highlight the repetition, and these are just the categories. When clicked each displays paragraphs describing in detail the title. There's an unnecessary overload and repetition between multiple topics, which could be condensed without any loss of information for the player.

Aside from the core mechanics of combat, plot, and levels, Divinity also includes a repetitive activity which one might generously call puzzles. Reasonable people would separate them into two categories: trying to locate a book/item (most likely encountered two hours ago and abandoned because it didn't seem relevant) or searching for minuscule switches. There are also regular puzzles which require problem solving and movement skills. Without the Air skill, Teleportation and the Scoundrel skill, Cloak and Dagger, accessing certain locations and levers may be difficult, if not impossible. Even if these two skills are not necessary, puzzle solving becomes much simpler as they allow access to areas protected by dangerous terrain. Invisibility is another useful skill for these obstacle courses, masquerading as puzzles.
A few final topics before the conclusion. First, Divinity includes too many items offering only infinitesimal improvement between an one picked up ten minutes ago, and now. The over abundance includes armors, weapons, grenades, scrolls, potions, skill books, but also the uncountable component pieces. Worst of all are the books and quest keys. A player should collect a personal library of books, because quests often require an obscure tome from ten hours ago to proceed. A player may find it more efficient to pick up every book they see, rather than retread their steps looking for the requisite volume. And the keys, used in quests, never disappear, even after use. Such was my fear of dropping a valuable and unused key, that I kept them all, crowding up the inventory screen. And always carry a shovel!
What else is bothersome? A few absurdities; some NPCS are unhealable (by magic or potion), just so Divinity can sacrifice them for dramatic effect. The sounds of the market place in the center of Cyseal are repeated on a one minute loop. The sellers speak no more than three lines, which they repeat relentlessly, until one wishes this wasn't the best place to sell their unnecessary items. This repetition issue is the same in any location with villagers, but especially abrasive at this particular location because of the size of the congregation and the volume they generate. Throughout the game, the player receives Bloodstones. They're created through evil magic overseen by evil Sourcerers, and I planned to use them only in emergencies, because Divinity doesn't indicate the importance of activating them. But part of the plot can only be accessed by activating them, so use them as soon as you find them. I learned quite a bit of the plot an hour or so before the end of the game.

In conclusion, Divinity combines three key elements; combat with extended repetitive battles of AOE and elemental labyrinths, a plot puffed with fluff scattered confusingly through an oversized Quest Log, and an open world circumscribed by obvious level gates. The whole packaged; wrapped into a sixty, 60 hour game. In spite of the beauty, and occasional inspiration of the writers, I was bored 20 hours in, exhausted at 40 hours, and desperate to finish at 60.

For those readers who might believe I can not handle a sixty hour game, or a classic role-playing game (and some people would find no enjoyment in either of those issues), I'd like to declare that in addition to already reviewing The Banner Saga 2 favorably, Awkward Mixture plans this year to review another acclaimed RPG, and a sixty hour game. After all of these have been written, I will also write a comparative review of these four differently styled RPGs.

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