| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: RPG Developer: Larian Studios Publisher: Mastertronic |
Like many role-playing games, the more time players put into the game, the better it gets. Over time the game play evolves, narratives
progress and new items and skills become available. This is especially true of “Divinity II: Ego Draconis” since it starts out very slow.
The game offers a fantasy world that has been seen before. However, there are plenty of satisfying content to enjoy in the game,
providing players are willing to overlook some of the game’s generic and underdeveloped aspects, which there are quite a few.
Events take off with the player’s character joining the ranks of the Dragon Slayers, an order that likes to attack dragons with magic and
sharp objects to wipe them out. Soon after the introduction and brief tutorial sequence everyone's alerted to the presence of a nearby
dragon, and players are taken away on the most unremarkable airship ever designed to a large forested zone with a town filled with
NPCs and quests. Instead of heading after the dragon, it's recommended that player’s hang back and talk to the townsfolk, and in this
way players start to collect quests and attack bad guys in the field, swapping Goblin hearts for cash and experience, and hopping
through trapdoors into dungeons to shatter skeletons, banish ghosts, and tangle with bandits.
While many of the game's more interesting bits aren't available until later, one part player’s do encounter almost immediately is the
mind reading function. This is a character skill that allows players to use experience points to get extra information when engaged in
dialogue with NPCs. It adds another layer to interaction, and can sometimes offer additional information like secret passwords or
quest information.
Customization systems are conveniently consolidated when players finally take charge of the Battle Tower, which then serves as the
player’s primary base of operations. Here players can brew potions, enchant equipment, and find numerous other NPCs who are
willing to help them out on their journey. They can even send out runners into the field to collect reagents and spend cash to improve
their armor and weaponry to better ensure success. At this point in the game, which is a fair way in, players will also be able to morph
into a dragon, which has a significant effect on zone design and exploration from that point forward.
Since the game allows players to freely swap between dragon and human form, the first zone they encounter after gaining the
transformation ability, Orobas Fjords, is designed to accommodate their ability to fly and breathe fire. The player’s dragon form can also
be upgraded with additional abilities and can be further augmented with dragon armor pieces. The exterior and even some interior
spaces are created to accommodate the dragon's flying ability, which keeps the game interesting and makes the latter parts feel far
different from the humble and boring beginning bits. While it lends a nice sense of progression to the game, the generally awkward
combat and AI issues tend to limit the appeal and depth of the encounters.
Regardless of which style of combat players decide to engage in, the fighting doesn't have much of a feel to it. Swings with large
swords don't feel heavy, there's no sense of tautness to pulling back a bowstring, and launching magic blasts doesn't feel like it has
much of an impact. Every attack feels light and disconnected from the actions taking place on screen. The spell and magic effects
aren't impressive at all, which doesn't help, meaning players will need to rely only on the damage numbers to get a sense of their
growing power. At least some of the item drops players can get can be useful, particularly when they factor in the charms and
enchantments that can boost their power.
The story itself is interesting enough once it finally gets going, though it's peppered with some ridiculous fantasy clichés. There's a
wizard who actually wears a blue robe decorated with stars, has a giant white fuzzy beard, glasses, and a pointy hat. On the outskirts of
the player’s Battle Tower are an enemy type called a Dragon Elf. Yet for every cliché there's often a counterbalance, such as a stitched
up necromancer's love interest that spews her rage through a hilarious lisp and lots of other quirky humor elements. The disposable
nature of your Battle Tower gatherers, for instance, is suitably underscored by their names: Tom, Dick, and Harry. These don't quite
redeem many of the game's more disposable narrative elements, but do a decent job of giving this fantasy world more of a distinct
personality.
It is hard to recommend the Xbox 360 version of “Divinity II: Ego Draconis” to anyone. The occasionally glitch version of the PC version
was much more pronounced on the console, particularly when it came to enemies getting stuck in the environment. The aiming
mechanic is cumbersome and confusing when dealing with more than one target, which happens frequently, the menu system and
interface are a chore to sift through, and character movement and control is more imprecise. An inconsistent frame rate, low level of
detail compared to other Xbox 360 releases in this genre, and jerky animations combined with the already unoriginal art style makes
this an unpleasant experience for anyone. Players need to make sure that they understand glitches are going to be a part of the
experience and they should be aware if the Xbox 360 version is their only option.
progress and new items and skills become available. This is especially true of “Divinity II: Ego Draconis” since it starts out very slow.
The game offers a fantasy world that has been seen before. However, there are plenty of satisfying content to enjoy in the game,
providing players are willing to overlook some of the game’s generic and underdeveloped aspects, which there are quite a few.
Events take off with the player’s character joining the ranks of the Dragon Slayers, an order that likes to attack dragons with magic and
sharp objects to wipe them out. Soon after the introduction and brief tutorial sequence everyone's alerted to the presence of a nearby
dragon, and players are taken away on the most unremarkable airship ever designed to a large forested zone with a town filled with
NPCs and quests. Instead of heading after the dragon, it's recommended that player’s hang back and talk to the townsfolk, and in this
way players start to collect quests and attack bad guys in the field, swapping Goblin hearts for cash and experience, and hopping
through trapdoors into dungeons to shatter skeletons, banish ghosts, and tangle with bandits.
While many of the game's more interesting bits aren't available until later, one part player’s do encounter almost immediately is the
mind reading function. This is a character skill that allows players to use experience points to get extra information when engaged in
dialogue with NPCs. It adds another layer to interaction, and can sometimes offer additional information like secret passwords or
quest information.
Customization systems are conveniently consolidated when players finally take charge of the Battle Tower, which then serves as the
player’s primary base of operations. Here players can brew potions, enchant equipment, and find numerous other NPCs who are
willing to help them out on their journey. They can even send out runners into the field to collect reagents and spend cash to improve
their armor and weaponry to better ensure success. At this point in the game, which is a fair way in, players will also be able to morph
into a dragon, which has a significant effect on zone design and exploration from that point forward.
Since the game allows players to freely swap between dragon and human form, the first zone they encounter after gaining the
transformation ability, Orobas Fjords, is designed to accommodate their ability to fly and breathe fire. The player’s dragon form can also
be upgraded with additional abilities and can be further augmented with dragon armor pieces. The exterior and even some interior
spaces are created to accommodate the dragon's flying ability, which keeps the game interesting and makes the latter parts feel far
different from the humble and boring beginning bits. While it lends a nice sense of progression to the game, the generally awkward
combat and AI issues tend to limit the appeal and depth of the encounters.
Regardless of which style of combat players decide to engage in, the fighting doesn't have much of a feel to it. Swings with large
swords don't feel heavy, there's no sense of tautness to pulling back a bowstring, and launching magic blasts doesn't feel like it has
much of an impact. Every attack feels light and disconnected from the actions taking place on screen. The spell and magic effects
aren't impressive at all, which doesn't help, meaning players will need to rely only on the damage numbers to get a sense of their
growing power. At least some of the item drops players can get can be useful, particularly when they factor in the charms and
enchantments that can boost their power.
The story itself is interesting enough once it finally gets going, though it's peppered with some ridiculous fantasy clichés. There's a
wizard who actually wears a blue robe decorated with stars, has a giant white fuzzy beard, glasses, and a pointy hat. On the outskirts of
the player’s Battle Tower are an enemy type called a Dragon Elf. Yet for every cliché there's often a counterbalance, such as a stitched
up necromancer's love interest that spews her rage through a hilarious lisp and lots of other quirky humor elements. The disposable
nature of your Battle Tower gatherers, for instance, is suitably underscored by their names: Tom, Dick, and Harry. These don't quite
redeem many of the game's more disposable narrative elements, but do a decent job of giving this fantasy world more of a distinct
personality.
It is hard to recommend the Xbox 360 version of “Divinity II: Ego Draconis” to anyone. The occasionally glitch version of the PC version
was much more pronounced on the console, particularly when it came to enemies getting stuck in the environment. The aiming
mechanic is cumbersome and confusing when dealing with more than one target, which happens frequently, the menu system and
interface are a chore to sift through, and character movement and control is more imprecise. An inconsistent frame rate, low level of
detail compared to other Xbox 360 releases in this genre, and jerky animations combined with the already unoriginal art style makes
this an unpleasant experience for anyone. Players need to make sure that they understand glitches are going to be a part of the
experience and they should be aware if the Xbox 360 version is their only option.
