Beyond Divinity

46%
Game Brain Score Based on 236 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Beyond Divinity Game Cover
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In Beyond Divinity, players control a fallen paladin chained to a demon warrior, forced to work together to uncover the truth behind their bond and defeat a powerful evil. The game features a party-based combat system, isometric view, and a rich, immersive story set in a detailed fantasy world. Players will need to make choices that affect the outcome of the story and the development of their characters.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

46%
Audience ScoreBased on 236 reviews
story36 positive mentions
stability25 negative mentions
  • The game introduces unique gameplay elements, such as the ability to create your own abilities and the dynamic between the two main characters, which adds depth to the experience.
  • The humor in the game is well-received, providing a light-hearted contrast to the darker themes of the story.
  • The soundtrack is praised for its quality, featuring both reused and new tracks that enhance the atmosphere of the game.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, including save corruption and crashes, which significantly detract from the overall experience.
  • The graphics and visual presentation are considered outdated, leading to a less immersive experience compared to modern RPGs.
  • The story and character development are criticized for being lackluster and not as engaging as in the previous installment, Divine Divinity.
  • story155 mentions

    The story of *Beyond Divinity* is a mixed bag, with some players finding it interesting and endearing, while others criticize it for being poorly executed and lacking depth compared to its predecessor, *Divine Divinity*. Many reviews highlight pacing issues, bugs that can corrupt saves, and a linear quest structure that detracts from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, some players appreciate the humor and worldbuilding, suggesting that the narrative may appeal to fans of the series, though it often feels rushed and unpolished.

    • “Now you fight alongside one another on a quest to undo the spell, and maybe, just maybe, return home, home to Rivellon.”
    • “The story is actually quite endearing, albeit quite campy at times. I would consider it an acquired taste and not for everyone. The voice acting is hilarious in its almost so bad it's good quality.”
    • “The story arc is ultimately pretty satisfying to complete if you can make it that far.”
    • “The story is un-compelling and lacking in background, so you do not feel attached to the main characters.”
    • “But the story in Beyond Divinity feels like a hastily-written fanfic spinoff.”
    • “The plot is poor and so forced that not even your NPC companion seems to know what is going on.”
  • gameplay51 mentions

    The gameplay in "Beyond Divinity" is a mixed bag, featuring innovative mechanics like customizable abilities and party control, but marred by bugs, clunky controls, and a lack of responsiveness. While some players appreciate the new elements and find the gameplay engaging, many criticize it for being outdated and frustrating, particularly in comparison to its predecessor, "Divine Divinity." Overall, the experience is described as enjoyable for those willing to overlook its flaws, but it may not satisfy players seeking polished mechanics or a compelling narrative.

    • “Beyond Divinity introduces gameplay elements I've never seen before in an RPG, the most fascinating of which being the ability to essentially create your own abilities, tailoring them all the way down to what icon represents them.”
    • “While the first one was a single-player dungeon looter RPG like Diablo 2, this one is closer to Baldur's Gate in terms of gameplay style, with a live-action RPG battle system that can be paused at any time to drink potions, retarget enemies, repair equipment, or queue up abilities.”
    • “The characters and the dialogue are engaging, and the overall gameplay and balance of the game is fair and rewarding if you understand how to properly fight.”
    • “The gameplay is quite linear and the dungeons come in quite a wide variety with a quaint selection of weird inhabitants for you to beat, ensorcell, and stab your way through.”
    • “But a lot of nitpicking around the gameplay and outright bugs drags it down enough for me to not recommend it.”
    • “The plot had so much potential, but glitches and terrible gameplay make it almost impossible to get through the game.”
  • music34 mentions

    The music in "Beyond Divinity" has received mixed reviews, with many noting that it features a blend of reused tracks from "Divine Divinity" and some new compositions that contribute to a darker atmosphere. While some players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the game's mood, others criticize its limited variety and occasional audio bugs that disrupt the experience. Overall, the music is generally considered good but not groundbreaking, with some tracks feeling out of place or overly repetitive.

    • “The soundtrack is good!”
    • “It does reuse several great songs from Divine Divinity, but it also features a slew of new tracks, like the main theme, which is ominous and has a growing pressure that is definitely appropriate for Beyond Divinity’s atmosphere.”
    • “And, as is standard for the Divinity games, the soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal.”
    • “The music was mostly just taken out of the first one and reused without even any mixing or remixing being done to it, and what new scarce tracks there are aren't really wowing, so to speak.”
    • “In terms of music, the soundtrack consisted of mainly reused tracks from Divine Divinity.”
    • “The music sounds like someone tried to redo the songs from the first episode but in very bad taste.”
  • graphics27 mentions

    The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the diverse and striking visuals, particularly in later acts and cutscenes, while others criticize the dated and often cluttered environments that hinder gameplay. Many reviews highlight the contrast between the appealing 2D artwork and the lackluster 3D models, which feel inferior even for the time of release. Overall, while there are moments of impressive visuals, the game's graphical quality is generally considered outdated and buggy, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Its visuals are surprisingly diverse; you have hell forts, hell lakes, hell wastes, and more. You also get crystal and mushroom forests, cult towns, and verdant green lands when the game teleports you back to Rivellon or when you choose to play the battlefields against your better judgment.”
    • “To be perfectly clear, there are striking visuals. Act 3 has a number of them, and between the acts, you also get cutscenes that are pretty cool.”
    • “The art style was awesome!”
    • “Buggy and with the older graphics, probably not worth sinking your time into, in this day and age.”
    • “The beginning was okay, but the graphics are bad and just identifying brown levers on brown walls and finding necessary stuff in the most impossible corners was quickly beginning to bug me.”
    • “Graphically beyond Divinity looks horribly dated, which is normal, so do not expect any nice visuals.”
  • stability27 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, glitches, and audio problems, making it frustrating to play. Many users report that these bugs detract from the overall experience, with some even deeming it nearly unplayable. While a few players had manageable experiences, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's technical shortcomings overshadow its potential.

    • “I'm running on Windows 10 and the game runs great at 2560x1080 resolution.”
    • “This game isn't as buggy as people say, well in my experience, but having to save often because of those rare bugs is annoying.”
    • “This was particularly rough for me during my last chapter where freezes and crashes made it frustrating to progress.”
    • “It's buggy, frequently crashing to desktop, and the whole experience feels like the devs went over budget.”
    • “Divine Divinity was great, but this... is unplayable. It's full of bugs and glitches; when saving or loading, the audio disappears and the FPS falls in some places. They should rename this game from Beyond Divinity to Beyond Unplayable.”
  • humor21 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it genuinely funny, particularly through environmental gags and character interactions, while others criticize the uneven voice acting and forced jokes. Some appreciate the campy charm and entertaining dialogues, though opinions vary on whether it matches the wit of previous titles in the series. Overall, the humor adds a fun element to the gameplay, despite some frustrations with other aspects of the game.

    • “It’s also incredibly funny, both when it means to be and not.”
    • “This is a really funny game, and if you love environmental gags and mocking fantasy tropes then this game is going to make you laugh.”
    • “The two main characters are awesome and their dialogue is really funny sometimes!”
  • grinding15 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game becomes increasingly tedious, particularly in later levels where backtracking and repetitive dungeon layouts hinder progress. While some players appreciate the optional grinding mechanics and the presence of merchants, many find the overall experience to be a painful slog, detracting from the otherwise rich worldbuilding and story elements.

    • “You can read others' reviews for a list of the game's mechanical faults, which I would have tolerated with a good story or plotline, but even with the wealth of dialogue and flavor text, it failed to make it feel like anything more than perpetual grinding.”
    • “The issue is that things just get tedious - particularly in later levels when there are large mobs of foes that are now doubled - not to mention all of the neutral foes that are around making it very tough to do any dodging.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone who doesn't want to go through a tedious, painful slog of a game.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Beyond Divinity" is characterized by a mix of ominous themes and a sense of pressure, effectively reflecting the game's darker tone. While the environments and NPCs contribute to a rich world, some players feel the music can be mismatched and that the overall atmosphere does not quite reach the heights of its predecessor, "Divine Divinity." Despite these critiques, the game offers a unique blend of charm and frustration through its character dynamics.

    • “It does reuse several great songs from Divine Divinity, but it also features a slew of new tracks, like the main theme, which is ominous and has a growing pressure that is definitely appropriate for Beyond Divinity's atmosphere.”
    • “This game is quite rough around the edges and very different in both tone and atmosphere. The story revolves around two characters, one a death knight and the other your choice of pesky adventurer, who interlink with each other and embark on a quest that is both frustrating, joyful, and charming!”
    • “The worlds and environments are well made and atmospheric, and when outside the battlefields, they are usually filled with cool enemies, interesting NPCs, plenty of useful loot, and some puzzles to figure out.”
    • “This one is quite rough around the edges and very different in both tone and atmosphere. The game revolves around two characters, one a death knight, the other your flavor of pesky adventurer, that choose to interlink with each other and thus embark on a quest that is both frustrating, joyful, and charming!”
    • “The atmosphere in the game was decent, but at times the music felt out of place (preferred the music in Divine Divinity).”
    • “The atmosphere is worse than in the first game.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and performance issues, particularly in open areas. While some users found it acceptable on certain setups, including Linux with specific configurations, many expressed frustration over the lack of polish and the game's tendency to stutter or crash under certain conditions. Overall, the optimization appears to be a significant drawback, detracting from the otherwise engaging story and gameplay.

    • “Acceptable performance, with few crashes in 5-6 hours and a bit of lag in open areas like battlegrounds.”
    • “However, if you just want to know the story that led you to Original Sin and you can't sit through an unoptimized and unpolished game, do yourself a favor and watch a video.”
    • “The game has an interesting plot, difficult puzzles, and good humor, but it's not optimized for modern systems.”
    • “Also, the linear progression is something I hate; although it does make sense narratively, the first game had an open world. The glitches are really annoying; the game will crash anytime you go over your weight limit instantly with no warning. Sometimes, if there are many things dropped at once, the game starts stuttering like hell.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    While some players appreciate the game's hub for leveling up and purchasing equipment, they note that the reused adventuring areas can diminish replayability. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some finding it enjoyable but not particularly replayable, especially when compared to other titles known for their replay value.

    • “They are supposed to be a fun addition to make the game replayable and allow players to use it as a hub for leveling up and purchasing equipment and consumables.”
    • “Following on from the ultimately replayable diving divinity, you now go beyond in terms of storytelling depth; you are now truly on your own.”
    • “It doesn't mean it isn't fun, but sometimes the adventuring areas can feel reused and diminish replayability.”
    • “Overall, I would say this is really a game worth playing; though not replayable for me.”
    • “Following on from the ultimately replayable Diving Divinity, you now go beyond in terms of storytelling depth; you are now truly on your own.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally impactful, highlighting its surprising elements and challenging moments, particularly praising the ending. However, some criticize the overall narrative and mechanics, suggesting that these detract from the emotional experience.

    • “So I'll just say it's original, it's got its surprises, it's got some really hard emotional bits, and the ending was amazing!”
    • “No autosaves combined with the fact that the death of one character results in the death of both makes for a frustrating experience, especially when paired with a boring story.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

42hMedian play time
34hAverage play time
17-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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