Author’s note: Whilst a Kickstarter funder myself, I did not touch the game during its development process – therefore I cannot compare any pre- and post-release changes. This is an early, first impressions review. I shall amend this upon further venturing into the game.

Divinity: Original Sin is Larian Studio’s latest addition to the Divinity series, going back to its roots as a turn-based RPG set in an open world with unlimited possibilities. You control two customizable characters, who arrive on an Island chasing down sorcerers, fighting off orcs, and investigating the reports of undead activity in the area. Quirky and engaging, Larian’s Kickstarter darling is a welcome addition to anyone’s game library.

Original Sin starts you off by letting you customize your two playable characters. You can change their class, appearance, and even their initial stats, if you wish. There are numerous options to choose from, with the classes ranging from fighter to wayfarer, offering varied styles of play, but can probably be grouped into three major roles (coinciding with the three voice pack choices in game): rogue, warrior, and wizard. There are many roles that min-max certain skill sets, while others act as a blend between two major roles. Overall, there is enough variety here to cater to different play styles. Cosmetic customization is also rich, with options to change gender, hair, voice, skin tone, face, and portrait all available.

The game features a very neat art style and visual aesthetic. The world of Original Sin is colourful, vivid, and full of life. The trees sway gently, torches burn brightly, and water flows smoothly – the world feels dynamic and active with every little detail added in. The quality of the game’s graphics is astoundingly good, while also being somewhat efficient – it runs on Ultra by default on my GTX 765M, and I’ve had no issues with it dropping below 30, usually floating at the 40s on FRAPS. The art style is akin to a more realistic Torchlight – colours pop out and everything is somehow cartoonish, but it definitely feels like a believably real representation of its world.

Combat in Original Sin goes about in a turn-based, action point oriented style. It is reminiscent of other classic RPGs such as Fallout 1 and 2. Certain actions cost a certain amount of AP, movement AP cost is dependent on distance (in meters, unsure if you can change this to the empirical format) and certain units are given priority to move first. Various stats affect what weapons and armor you can equip, how certain skills work for your character, hit chance, dodge chance, and inventory space. So far, the combat flows nicely, and is quite enjoyable. One of the more noticeable breaks from the usual AP system is that any unused AP in a turn is carried over, adding more options for your later turns.

A major part of Original Sin is interaction with its various characters, with special focus between the two player characters. Often times, when a decision is to be made, your characters exchange dialog, with each option affecting certain traits of the characters, such as their persuasion, obedience, and altruism.

So far, with roughly two hours in, Original Sin is showing plenty of signs of a good game, and I will definitely invest more time in it to further develop my opinion. It seems like the game is made for coop, with two players controlling one character each. I can see that playing out fairly well, with hilarious results in the inter-character dialog! Overall, I would say that if you were already interested in the game, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to get it, especially if you have a friend playing it as well.

Author’s note: Whilst a Kickstarter funder myself, I did not touch the game during its development process – therefore I cannot compare any pre- and post-release changes. This is an early, first impressions review. I shall amend this upon further venturing into the game. Divinity: Original Sin is Larian Studio’s latest addition to the Divinity series, going back to its roots as a turn-based RPG set in an open world with unlimited possibilities. You control two customizable characters, who arrive on an Island chasing down sorcerers, fighting off orcs, and investigating the reports of undead activity in the area. Quirky and engaging, Larian’s Kickstarter darling is a welcome addition to anyone’s game library. Original Sin starts you off by letting you customize your two playable characters. You can change their class, appearance, and even their initial stats, if you wish. There are numerous options to choose from, with the classes ranging from fighter to wayfarer, offering varied styles of play, but can probably be grouped into three major roles (coinciding with the three voice pack choices in game): rogue, warrior, and wizard. There are many roles that min-max certain skill sets, while others act as a blend between two major roles. Overall, there is enough variety here to cater to different play styles. Cosmetic customization is also rich, with options to change gender, hair, voice, skin tone, face, and portrait all available. The game features a very neat art style and visual aesthetic. The world of Original Sin is colourful, vivid, and full of life. The trees sway gently, torches burn brightly, and water flows smoothly – the world feels dynamic and active with every little detail added in. The quality of the game’s graphics is astoundingly good, while also being somewhat efficient – it runs on Ultra by default on my GTX 765M, and I’ve had no issues with it dropping below 30, usually floating at the 40s on FRAPS. The art style is akin to a more realistic Torchlight – colours pop out and everything is somehow cartoonish, but it definitely feels like a believably real representation of its world. Combat in Original Sin goes about in a turn-based, action point oriented style. It is reminiscent of other classic RPGs such as Fallout 1 and 2. Certain actions cost a certain amount of AP, movement AP cost is dependent on distance (in meters, unsure if you can change this to the empirical format) and certain units are given priority to move first. Various stats affect what weapons and armor you can equip, how certain skills work for your character, hit chance, dodge chance, and inventory space. So far, the combat flows nicely, and is quite enjoyable. One of the more noticeable breaks from the usual AP system is that any unused AP in a turn is carried over, adding more options for your later turns. A major part of Original Sin is interaction with its various characters, with special focus between the two player characters. Often times, when a decision is to be made, your characters exchange dialog, with each option affecting certain traits of the characters, such as their persuasion, obedience, and altruism. So far, with roughly two hours in, Original Sin is showing plenty of signs of a good game, and I will definitely invest more time in it to further develop my opinion. It seems like the game is made for coop, with two players controlling one character each. I can see that playing out fairly well, with hilarious results in the inter-character dialog! Overall, I would say that if you were already interested in the game, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to get it, especially if you have a friend playing it as well.