Divinity II: Ego Draconis – 360 – Review

Given the
similarity in titles, it would be easy to assume that Ego Draconis is little
more than an effort to capitalize on Bioware’s recent opus, Dragon Age: Origins.
While both are role-playing games in a fantasy setting, it may surprise people
to learn just how richly-laden the world of Rivellon is; much of it actually
looks even better than Fereldan. Divinity II was not devised as some kind of
afterthought. Just a few hours in, it becomes readily apparent how much thought
and care went into this experience, one which easily surpasses its cult-classic
predecessors. You may roll your eyes at the notion of having to deal with a
villain named Damian, but this RPG offers far more than the usual fantasy
clichés.

In Divinity
II, the player makes the ironic transformation from Dragon Slayer to Dragon
Knight. Slaying dragons sounds all well and good, but when someone offers you a
chance to have all the powers of the dragon at your fingertips… well, it becomes
difficult to resist. Technically, the player does not have much say in this
matter. Playing as the flying, fire-breathing monstrosity is quite thrilling,
and it’s definitely something players will relish. However, the ability to
become the dragon is not handed over to you once the game begins. You must put
in considerable hours first, and this provides an excellent incentive for player
progress.

Fortunately,
Ego Draconis isn’t a chore to play. The world is vast and beautiful, and is
absolutely teaming with activity. Take off in one direction, and you may find
yourself caught in an ambush. Head off somewhere else, and a quest opportunity
may appear. Each quest is fulfilling and enjoyable in its own right; some may
offer rare potions as a reward, while others will let you play mind games with
NPCs. Particularly appealing for the devious player is DII’s telepathy feature.
Experience points can be spent in an effort to access the most private thoughts
of others, often in ways that allow you to manipulate them. This feature can be
extraordinarily useful, and shows the developers were not attempting to make
some silly dragon-themed game, but a true RPG with intriguing mechanics for
accomplishing objectives.

Ego Draconis
makes use of a fairly fluid character development system, as well. This allows
players to develop a set of skills early on, but shift to other abilities later
if they feel so inclined. If you plan on being a blademaster, you can be trained
as such, and later complement these talents with some sorcery as well. You’ll
need every advantage you can get, because the more intense battles in DII will
pit you against swarms of nasties that constantly test your combat prowess. The
dragon does come in very handy for expansive regions in the game, but the
transformation cannot be performed in confined spaces, if only for the sake of
gameplay balance.

There’s
quite a bit to look at in the game, from fancy high-dynamic range lighting to
fuzzy little bunnies hopping around the forest. The PC version did seem to have
a few issues with freezing, but the overall appearance is considerably cleaner
than its counterpart on the Xbox 360. There are no glaring differences between
each version, so the general gameplay experience is identical. BioWare may
dominate the role-playing sector of the market right now, but if you find
yourself looking for something different, Larian Studios’ (along with dtp and
CDV) Divinity II has quite a lot to offer.

Gameplay: 8.5
Outstanding
quests, a massive world to explore, exciting combat, and transformations into
dragons. Not much to complain about with this one.

Graphics: 8.4 
A very slick
presentation with visual effects aplenty. If only the characters looked a bit
better.

Sound: 8.7
Great use of
audio effects, and even the music is rather catchy.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Even the seasoned
role-player may find himself wiping sweat from his forehead.

Concept: 8.0 
We’ve seen plenty
of fantasy titles in the past, but a smart execution and a few innovative
elements are always welcome.

Overall: 8.4
Strong narrative
and open-ended design are the highlights of this fantasy experience. Divinity
II: Ego Draconis will likely be overlooked by many due to the timing of its
release, but it offers a genuinely engrossing world for RPG buffs to wallow in.

* * *

For related
information about this game, please follow this
link.