Game Reviews

Long a staple of fantasy tales (and more than a few Dungeons & Dragons adventures), dragons have long been held in high regard by fans of the genre. Now, thanks to the folks at Larian Studios, gamers will get their chance to play both sides of the draconian lore, as both the dragon slayer and the dragon in Divinity II: Ego Draconis. And while epic is scale, this is one RPG adventure that’s in dire need of a saving throw against the critical hits from game-breaking glitches.

Divinity II: Ego Draconis is, technically, a sequel to Larian’s 2002 PC adventure, Divine Divinity. Don’t worry, though, if you missed out on the series’ first go around, as Ego Draconis is a brand new adventure simply set in the same world as the first game. The world of Rivellon has changed significantly after the Great War, which saw humans and dragons facing off against each other. Humankind eventually prevailed, leading to the creation of the Dragon Slayers, a group of mystically empowered humans tasked with hunting down the last of the dragons, known as the Dragon Knights. As a newly initiated Dragon Slayer, the player eventually finds himself in the midst of a new threat looming over the horizon. In order to save Rivellon, the player must eventually harness the power of the very thing he’d been trained to destroy…a dragon. Swords and sorcery prevail in Divinity II, and the game seems to follow most of the prevailing standards of RPG fare. Players talk to NPCs, getting various missions from the citizens of Rivellon, and accomplishing those missions for the sake of experience and loot. Unlike most RPGs, though, Divinity II doesn’t try to shoehorn the player into one specific class. While you have to start off as either a warrior, mage or ranger, after this initial choice, your path is entirely up to you. Feel like being a long-range fighter with some backup? Toss a couple of points into the Ranger and Priest skill trees, and see how you like it. One interesting aspect of Divinity II is the player’s innate mindreading skill. At the cost of some of your accumulated XP, you can tap into the NPCs’ innermost thoughts, sometimes revealing key information and opening up new quests. Of course, if you use this ability too often, you’ll find it taking you a lot longer to level up than someone who’s not quite so nosey. Another, slightly more morbid, feature of Divinity II gives the player access to necromantic magic, using body parts found throughout the game to literally build yourself some custom backup. These Frankenstein-like abominations can be called up to fight for you and customized to your liking. And then there’s the whole shapeshifting aspect of the game, introduced once the player begins the transition from Dragon Slayer to Dragon Knight. It’s definitely a new twist on things to jump from a cliff and shift into the winged form of a dragon, raining fire down on your enemies.