Divinity II: Developer's Cut

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,596 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Divinity II: Developer's Cut Game Cover
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Dragons: they have been hunted, they have been slain, but now the hour to strike back has come. Break free from the confines of the human body and take to the skies in this epic RPG adventure that challenges your wits and pits you against a thousand foes. Spread your wings, burn your enemies: become the dragon! This Developer's Cut includes the ultimate edition of Divinity II, good for 100+ hou…

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,596 reviews
story313 positive mentions
stability53 negative mentions
  • Engaging story with humorous dialogue and interesting quests.
  • Unique mechanics such as mind reading and the ability to transform into a dragon.
  • Solid character customization and skill progression, allowing for diverse builds.
  • Frequent crashes and infinite loading screens, especially on modern systems.
  • Combat can feel repetitive and unbalanced, with difficulty spikes that frustrate players.
  • Graphics and controls feel dated, leading to a less polished experience.
  • story891 mentions

    The story of "Divinity II: Ego Draconis" is a mixed bag, with many players finding it engaging yet flawed. While the main narrative follows a classic fantasy trope of battling evil, it is often described as forgettable or rushed, particularly towards the end, with some unexpected plot twists that can feel out of place. However, the game shines in its side quests, humor, and character interactions, which are praised for their depth and creativity, making the overall experience enjoyable for fans of story-driven RPGs.

    • “The story is perhaps the biggest sin; very derivative and driven as much by the player as much as these running know-it-all hero NPC figures that so often pop up in the Divinity series.”
    • “The story is surprisingly deep once you start reading books and having conversations, with lots of places to explore and many secrets to uncover.”
    • “All dialogues are written in a way that balances seriousness and humor, making you both engulfed in the story and laugh when needed; the characters are not bland, each having their own problems and personality.”
    • “The story is perhaps the biggest sin; very derivative and driven as much by the player as by the running know-it-all hero NPC figures that often pop up in the Divinity series.”
    • “The story is boring and ill-paced; you may waste 13 hours just crawling the first location on foot, then you get wings and poof, you win. You had to look for fun stuff because it doesn't get shoved in your face here.”
    • “The story struggles with its own continuity throughout; the writing team didn't share notes or just didn't care, which is a shame.”
  • gameplay290 mentions

    The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its outdated mechanics and clunky combat, which can lead to frustration. While some appreciate the unique features like the mind-reading mechanic and dragon transformation, others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of polish in combat animations. Overall, the game offers a blend of enjoyable elements and significant design flaws, making it a nostalgic experience for some but a challenging one for others.

    • “The combat is good too, with lots of skills to choose from, and a dodge mechanic, which will have to be used a lot to avoid dying.”
    • “Gameplay is fun, even though it's not very complex.”
    • “Great game with unique gameplay and great graphics for its year of release.”
    • “No beating around the bush, this game did not age well at all; the gameplay is so outdated it affects the difficulty by itself. Some enemies are also constantly spamming heal abilities.”
    • “But damn... the main gameplay is unpolished; combat animations are choppy, and it feels like everything is constantly hitting me and could kill me with 6 to 7 hits.”
    • “This is one of those games where the main challenge is maintaining your composure at all the terrible gameplay design choices instead of just raging at the screen due to the terrible implementation.”
  • graphics230 mentions

    The graphics of the game, originally released in 2009, are generally considered decent for its age, with many players noting that they still hold up well today, especially with enhancements and mods. While some reviews mention technical issues and dated visuals, others praise the artistic design and detail, highlighting that the game offers a visually appealing experience despite not competing with modern titles. Overall, the graphics are seen as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's immersive world and storytelling.

    • “The graphics are amazing, especially considering it was released in 2009.”
    • “The graphics hold up well today, and the story has some excellent writing, with Larian's trademark humor seen throughout.”
    • “Featuring pleasant graphics, acrobatic 3rd person combat, blazing visual effects, great musical score, witty dialogues, and a captivating plotline, Divinity II brings a truly unique experience to the table for all RPG lovers.”
    • “The graphics are a touch dated, but I don't really mind that.”
    • “The graphics are certainly not amazing by modern standards, but honestly they're not that bad.”
    • “The graphics may be subpar, but the audio is good, and the combat and leveling systems are above average.”
  • humor171 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, witty dialogue, and the ability to balance serious themes with comedic moments. Players appreciate the quirky characters, funny side quests, and the signature Larian style that includes both subtle and broad humor, often drawing comparisons to classic comedic influences. Overall, the humor adds significant charm and enjoyment to the gameplay experience, making it a standout feature of the title.

    • “The game is pretty hilarious; Divinity has always been on point with its dry, witty humor, and this game does not disappoint.”
    • “All dialogues are written in a way that balances seriousness and humor, making you both engulfed in the story and laugh when needed. The characters are not bland, each having their problems and personality.”
    • “Some of the quests and dialogue lines in this game are so cleverly written and engaging that they had me literally burst out laughing.”
  • music145 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. Composed by Kirill Pokrovsky, the soundtrack features memorable and immersive tracks that elevate the gaming experience, although some users noted inconsistencies and occasional sound bugs. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's standout features, contributing significantly to its emotional depth and engagement.

    • “The soundtrack is nothing short of exceptional as well - I don't say this lightly as I normally dislike music across Larian games.”
    • “The music is wonderfully composed, the graphics are clean and expressive, the story is well paced, the humor is done surprisingly well without mocking the serious objectives of the game, and the combat is fluid and exciting.”
    • “The soundtrack is grand, immersive, and epic, like what one would expect from a true RPG.”
    • “Music is irritating; also, there's lots of unfair design like when you turn into a dragon and all land units despawn.”
    • “The soundtrack is unbearably bad for an RPG.”
    • “Music can be repetitive, or certain areas have no music.”
  • stability56 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly during loading screens and transitions between areas. While some users appreciate the engaging story and gameplay despite these issues, many express frustration over the technical problems that can hinder the overall experience. Overall, players should be prepared for a bumpy ride filled with troubleshooting and potential interruptions.

    • “I played this on the Xbox when it came out and will say the PC version is so much better graphically and in overall gameplay. The game runs great as well; I have not had a single issue yet.”
    • “Other than that, the game itself is mercifully bug-free as I only found 2 in nearly 100 hours of gameplay: 1) a couple of levers that should cause a platform and chest to appear in one of the side quests but don't work, resulting in missing some random loot; 2) there is one locked box for which the key is completely missing from the game, also resulting in missing some random loot.”
    • “The plot and quests offer a good variety and are generally bug-free.”
    • “Not because of the lack of content to do as a side quest, choices, etc., but because the game (at least that’s what happened to me) at each exit from a building the game crashes or a side quest will be buggy making it impossible to complete it.”
    • “Game is really buggy; during the Flames of Vengeance DLC, I had crashes at every third load screen after restarting the game.”
    • “There are numerous bugs and glitches that make the game unplayable.”
  • optimization41 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant stuttering, framerate drops, and camera choppiness, particularly on modern systems. While some users found workarounds to improve performance, such as locking the framerate, others experienced persistent issues that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game appears to struggle with optimization for contemporary hardware, leading to a frustrating experience for some players despite its engaging story and characters.

    • “The strongest aspects here are the story, writing, and characters, and as long as you can deal with the technical and performance problems, the story and character customization alone outweigh the cons.”
    • “Still highly enjoyable and runs smoothly now.”
    • “This game must be amazingly optimized because I have never had such a beautiful game run so well on my old computer.”
    • “There's a boatload of minor performance issues, framerate drops, stuttering, sound not playing when it ought to, etc.”
    • “But this game's performance is so bad, even on a decent PC.”
    • “The terrible optimization.”
  • grinding34 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly as they progress through the lengthy 30-hour campaign. Combat mechanics are often described as boring, with a lack of enemy variety leading to a monotonous gameplay loop. While some appreciate the unique elements, many feel that the grind becomes overwhelming and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The game is fun, but it gets tedious after a point.”
    • “May sound fun, but after you killed the 300th samey mook with the same 2 spells, it gets tedious.”
    • “It's an ARPG with bad and sloppy combat, and the majority of gameplay is endless tedious trudging through generic cartoonish uninteresting MMO theme park landscapes that suffer from invisible wall syndrome.”
  • atmosphere24 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beauty and depth, effectively immersing players in a rich, atmospheric fantasy world that invites exploration. Reviewers highlight the successful integration of diverse themes, such as horror and nostalgia, enhanced by a compelling soundtrack and strong voice acting. While some music choices may not always align with the atmosphere, the overall experience is described as stunning and engaging, making it one of the most atmospheric games available.

    • “He truly managed to make something so beautiful that fits the game and gives it such an incredible atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere created is spot on!”
    • “Amazing game with a deep atmosphere.”
    • “I am roughly 6 hours into the game and while the game's weird nostalgic atmosphere will probably drag me further in, I have a few central issues with this game.”
    • “The background music doesn't match the atmosphere always.”
    • “The side quests are not mandatory, of course, but completing them all feels necessary to understand and perceive the true nature and atmosphere of divinity games.”
  • replayability19 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging story, character progression, and diverse side quests that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others criticize it for being overly generic and lacking replay value. Many highlight the ability to experiment with different character builds and choices as a significant factor for replayability, though some feel that combat and pacing issues detract from the overall experience. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some considering it highly replayable and others finding it lacking in that regard.

    • “Good replayability too, so you can choose to act differently, side with someone else, or play totally different.”
    • “The storyline is well done, the game offers many funny side quests and replayability through an interesting character progression.”
    • “Best single player RPG I've played. I finally got it on PC and I've spent hundreds of hours on this game on console. Amazing replay value and tons of builds you can test out.”
    • “The game is overly generic, has little to no replay value, and makes 'Shaq Fu' look good.”
    • “Truthfully though, the replay value is slim to none, but if you're looking to burn about 60 hours, you could do far worse.”
    • “There are some minor problems with it - there's a lot of downtime in between fights early game, and I don't think it has a lot of replayability.”
  • character development8 mentions

    The game features strong character development, highlighted by memorable voice acting, music, and character design, including the option to play as a female character with appealing aesthetics. Players appreciate the blend of humor and storytelling, with character progression tied to gameplay elements like becoming a dragon and leveling up skills and items. Overall, the character development is seen as a significant and enjoyable aspect of the game.

    • “Game has great character development and wacky British humor throughout.”
    • “Great atmosphere, great story/storytelling, and good character development (skill and item-wise).”
    • “The game has quite a bit of character development.”
    • “Can't complain, and you have the option to play as a lady (I really like the art style and character design on her; very pretty) and the armor designs are legitimately good.”
    • “Completely free character development.”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The game is praised for its monetization approach, as it features no microtransactions, loot boxes, or additional DLC purchases, providing a complete experience without any cash grabs. Players appreciate the absence of money-grubbing tactics commonly seen in other titles.

    • “No microtransactions, thank you!”
    • “If you look closely, this game does not have loot boxes, pointless DLCs, paywall content, microtransactions, or any money-grubbing tactics used by the likes of Ubisoft or EA these days.”
    • “If you look closely, this does not have loot boxes, pointless DLCs, paywall content, microtransactions, or just about any money-grubbing tactic used by the likes of Ubisoft or EA these days.”
    • “Its really nice that everything is included in one package, no additional DLC purchases (cash grabs?) are needed.”
    • “No additional purchases (cash grabs?) here.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, citing feelings of nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles like Fable and Oblivion. While the game evokes heartfelt moments and appreciation for the developers' efforts, it also elicits frustration during challenging gameplay segments.

    • “The game made me feel nostalgia and took me back to the days of games like Fable, Oblivion, and the like.”
    • “For every heartfelt chuckle or legitimate moment of curiosity I had, there was a moment or three of a frustrated sigh, loading the last save and trying once again to complete some menial task or fight.”
    • “Watched the video, was very touched and heartfelt from all the hard work they had to put into this game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Divinity II: Developer's Cut

Play time

25hMedian play time
39hAverage play time
9-60hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 23 analyzed playthroughs

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