Divinity II: Ego Draconis

[Glynbeard]

Divinity 2: Ego Draconis (which is actually Latin for "I, of the dragon") is a sequel to the Divine Divinity computer RPG series. The game is set in the fantastical world of Rivellon, a magical and timeless land populated by humans and creatures. Once beautiful, Rivellon is now shattered by the apocalyptic wars of the past. The war seemed to be over, but the peace was deceptive.

Players begin as a Dragon Slayer, hunters who travel the countryside, determined to rid their lands of any dragons they encounter.


Game: Divinity II: Ego Draconis
Genre: Role-playing game (RPG)
Rating: M (17+)
Developer: Larian Studios


Divinity 2 is available for play on PC (Windows) as well as the Xbox 360.


I was thinking to myself, why read a wall of text, when you could easily watch a short cinematic which explains the same story. (No spoilers) Enjoy

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If you do want text:

Many Years have passed since the darkness of Damian’s armies was repelled and Damian was banished into another realm by man’s Demigod hero, the Divine. While men enjoy their first years of real peace, Damian breaks free from his bonds and returns to the world of Rivellon to take vengeance on who imprisoned him. To do so, Damian takes control of the minds of the world’s rarest and most powerful beings: the Dragon Knights, whom he unleashed on to the world. It is one of them who kills the Divine. With the dragons now on the side of evil, many young men and women of Rivellon have taken up the role of ridding the world of these dragons – they are known as Dragons Slayers.



Minimum System Requirements:

Processor : Intel Dual Core at 1.8 Ghz or better
Video Card : 256 MB DirectX 9.0c With Shader Model 3.0 support (Nvidia 7600 / ATI Radeon X1600)
Memory : 1 GB for Windows XP / 2 GB for Windows Vista
Hard Disk : 9 GB of free hard disk space
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP / Vista
Sound Card : DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card
Direct X : 9.0c / 10.0 (Vista)
Installation : DVD-ROM Drive

Recommended System Requirements:

Processor : Intel Dual Core at 2.6 Ghz
Video Card : 512 MB DirectX 9.0c With Shader Model 3.0 support (Nvidia 8800 / ATI Radeon X3800 )
Memory : 2 GB
Hard Disk : 9 GB of free hard disk space
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP / Vista
Sound Card : DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card
Direct X : 9.0c / 10.0 (Vista)
Installation : DVD-ROM Drive



I have been playing Divinity 2 for about 2 weeks now, and I must say it has its ups and downs. It was the start that threw me off though, loading screens that resemble this:



At every new area are sort of a drag, but hey every game has its problems and glitches now. Seriously though, lets take a peek at the beautiful world of Rivellon!









(Note: I am currently playing the PC version of the game) When I have the graphics maxed out, the game looks as amazing as it does in the above pictures. However, this creates enormous amounts of lag, so I won't dare do it in a battle (this is mostly my rig's fault, he falls slightly short of all the recommended system requirements sadly).

I'd have to say that these probably won't be award winning, but the setting is very well built around the story. If you are just starting out, I suggest playing a couple levels in as the environments become more interesting as you progress further and further.

All in all, if your comp can handle this, your eyes won't hate you for playing this a couple of hours each day.



The audio in Divinity 2 is especially cool. Convincing voice acting for all quest dialogues, and a slightly different take on background music makes for a much more enjoyable playing experience.

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

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This is the type of game where, if you own a pair of nice headphones, you put them on while you play. I don't have a pair but I'd assume it would feel like you are standing in the game talking to the npc like they were a real person. Pretty darn cool.



So, the beginning of the game allows you to train 1 of 3 specializations (Warrior; up close and personal fighting style, Mage; use of magic and a bit of close combat fighting, and the Ranger; do I really need to explain this one?). Once chosen you begin your adventures in Rivellon.

Example of a warriors fighting style:


After playing through a couple areas in the game it begins to pick up, and trust me when it does, it is like the entire game has been flipped upside-down. This is due to the Dragon Form ability you receive which allows you to take the Form of a Dragon to fly, fight and destroy whatever you wish.



Some quests require you to be in your Dragon Form whilst other require the human form to complete them (some even use both). Like in WoW, you also have a choice of spec (choosing between Priest, Mage, Warrior, Ranger or your Dragon Slayer abilities like mind reading and picking locks). Also, in your Dragon Form, you have the ability to choose to put skill points in different offensive/defensive moves.



Sadly, the gameplay does get sort of repetitive and boring after a while; clear the area, move along, repeat in new area. The quests are nice counterparts to this though by adding to the storyline.

I'd finally like to mention the whole saving aspect of the game. If you die in game it makes you revert to your last save-point and unless you are constantly saving, you can't count on it being a recent point in time as the auto-save only occurs before major areas in the main questline. Sort of annoying yes, but it makes the game more difficult (not always a bad thing).


- Nice, but animations could use some work.
- Although they took a new take on some of the background music, it just doesn't seem to fit with the point of the game.
- Dragon Form = amazing. 'Nuff said.




If you have ever played a game like this before you know how addicting they can be by dragging you into the lore and story. I guess I'd give this a 'Steal it from your rich friends' rating and try it out... We all have them. But seriously, it's a fun game with a neat story. Try it out.

Thanks for reading guys, I hope you enjoyed this. I will hopefully be creating another for the sister game Dragon Age: Origins if I can get a copy of it.

[OrangeKingdom]

No pvp? Boo!

[XC4T4LY5TX]

reminds me of Fable2 , but with more intense graphics, and a cooler story line ...AND DRAGONS!

[Ravenheart]

Thanks for the review, I'm gonna try it out

[Xees]

played this game :
Storyline = 9.3
Graphix = 9.4
Combat System = 9.7
Very Fun to play , you never get bored , you never lose interest

[Scotty_B]

damn nice graphics - No PVP sucks tho and i wouldnt play it.

[Trollblod]

Wow, awesome graphic, I've been searching for a RP game with graphics : D
Buy buy!

[metalhk47]

Its looking really good, I hadn't heard good things about it until now. thanks for a great review, I'll try it soon.