Divinity: Dragon Commander
- August 5, 2013
- Larian Studios
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Divinity: Dragon Commander" is a strategy-RPG game that combines turn-based combat with real-time strategy elements. As the Dragon Commander, players will command troops, engage in aerial combat, and make political decisions that will affect the course of the game's story. The game features a unique blend of fantasy and steampunk aesthetics, with diverse characters and a variety of customization options.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game successfully combines RTS gameplay with political decision-making and RPG elements, creating a unique experience.
- The characters are well-written and voiced, making the political interactions engaging and entertaining.
- The ability to transform into a dragon and participate in battles adds a fun and exciting twist to the gameplay.
- The RTS combat mechanics are clunky and often feel unbalanced, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- The political choices can feel overly simplistic and binary, lacking depth and nuance.
- The game suffers from bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play at times.
- story423 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in "Divinity: Dragon Commander" is a central highlight, featuring a mix of political intrigue, character-driven narratives, and humorous dialogue that keeps players engaged. While the overarching plot of a dragon knight reclaiming an empire is somewhat straightforward, the depth of character interactions and the choices players make significantly enhance the experience, offering multiple story arcs and outcomes. However, some players feel that the linearity and predictability of the main story, along with the integration of RTS mechanics, detracts from the overall narrative impact.
“The story is simple and straightforward with excellent humor, and like all Divinity games, it is blatantly self-aware.”
“The story and characters are definitely the main selling point, with great voice acting and a unique take on the Divinity setting.”
“The story is compelling, as well, with a mix of engaging characters and political intrigue that keeps you invested.”
“The story portrayed through the cutscenes is certainly well told, but serves as more or less a justification to go from one map to the next.”
“The plot and characters are all boring and stereotypical, as if written for children, although they try to raise 'heavy' subjects in a very heavy-handed manner.”
“The writing for the story and dialog is weak, the characters never change or remember anything you've done in the past except as a numerical percentage that adds bonuses/penalties in the RTS mode.”
- gameplay333 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Divinity: Dragon Commander" is a mixed bag, combining elements of real-time strategy (RTS), turn-based strategy, and role-playing mechanics. While the unique premise of commanding troops as a dragon adds an interesting twist, many players find the RTS mechanics to be simplistic and clunky, often leading to frustration. The political and narrative aspects are praised for their depth, but the overall gameplay experience is often overshadowed by its lack of polish and coherence across its various systems.
“Very few games pull off mixing direct combat with RTS gameplay, grand strategy, and role-playing, but somehow this one strikes a satisfying balance.”
“The dragon combat is well-implemented and adds another dimension to the gameplay.”
“Divinity: Dragon Commander combines okay real-time strategy gameplay with a very simple turn-based strategy map and entertaining, if extremely polarized, Mass Effect-style conversations focused around political issues.”
“The gameplay here is, to be honest, quite bad.”
“The actual gameplay is a little dull (easy to get the hang of but way too basic for my liking) but the story parts on the ship feel very personalized to your choices.”
“The rts gameplay, which forms the bulk of the game's combat systems, is a mind-numbing clickfest of swarming units around.”
- graphics93 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style, detailed character designs, and immersive environments that contribute to a visually stunning experience. However, some players noted that certain aspects, particularly in the RTS gameplay, appear dated or lack variety, detracting from the overall quality. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-executed and enjoyable, there are inconsistencies that prevent them from being universally acclaimed.
“The graphics and sound design in Divinity: Dragon Commander are top-notch, providing an immersive and visually stunning experience.”
“Overall, the game is fantastic in terms of animations, voices, graphics, and gameplay done better than even some triple-A titles, astonishing production quality.”
“The game's graphics are well-executed, with beautiful landscapes and detailed characters.”
“You can have some fun, but the game itself is nothing I would recommend due to its older graphics and gameplay.”
“It's bugged, there's no tutorial, graphics look old, no story... feels like it was made by junior developers with no money while being rushed.”
“The RTS graphics are near prehistoric and belong on the PS1.”
- humor75 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing and engaging character interactions, often drawing on political satire and absurdity. Players appreciate the well-crafted dialogue and the self-aware tone, which adds a light-hearted touch to serious themes. While the humor is a standout feature, some critiques mention that the real-time strategy elements may not be as entertaining, overshadowed by the game's comedic and narrative strengths.
“Most of the dialogue is well written and can be genuinely funny instead of relying on cheap jokes for laughs.”
“The characters are absolutely hilarious, the banter between them is far from politically correct and nothing is off limits.”
“The humor in the game is excellent, adding a light-hearted touch that makes the time spent on the raven truly enjoyable.”
- music65 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its energetic and immersive qualities that enhance the gameplay experience. While some find the soundtrack repetitive or underwhelming, others consider it a standout feature, describing it as fantastic and integral to the game's atmosphere. Overall, the music is often highlighted as a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some criticisms regarding its execution.
“The soundtrack alone is enough to buy this game while it's on sale ($4).”
“The music in this game is absolutely amazing, and I cannot stress this enough. I spent several minutes just listening to the music while I was trying to conquer the map before being annihilated because of my rushed decisions.”
“Larian Studios did not disappoint, and again brought Kirill Pokrovsky onboard once more for a breathtaking soundtrack, one that truly sets the mood.”
“It's not surprising I found the OST so bad.”
“So in short, this game is a terrible, atrocious waste of a magnificent OST and a choice-studded storyline; more than anything, it makes one wish the devs had had at least some clue as to how one creates fun gameplay.”
“Also, the music is a bit annoying, I'm playing the Stellaris soundtrack instead.”
- replayability38 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of choices in political decisions and character arcs, others find the linear campaign and limited gameplay options diminish its overall replay value. Many highlight the potential for different outcomes based on relationship choices and gameplay strategies, suggesting that those who enjoy exploring all possibilities may find significant replayability. However, the consensus indicates that once the campaign is completed, the incentive to replay may wane unless players are keen on unlocking achievements or experimenting with different character paths.
“Despite what many other reviews say about this game, it is extremely fun and has a ton of replay value.”
“Despite that short playtime, there's tons of replayability if you want to see all the possible political, romantic, and companion decisions you can make.”
“The RPG style it has in choosing your abilities, attributes, faction popularity, and story path are also great, giving ample replayability.”
“The story is very linear though, so replayability is not too great, except if you want to try different storylines with your possible brides.”
“I was able to complete the game in under 10 hours, and besides seeing different character arcs from your generals (or picking a different wife), gameplay-wise, there isn't a lot of replayability.”
“Once you finish the campaign, you can make a custom one that avoids the cutscenes and separate acts, making for a lot of replayability so you can explore the many political decisions set before you.”
- stability17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs that disrupt gameplay, including game crashes, glitches in real-time strategy (RTS) mode, and poorly functioning controls. Many players find these issues to be game-breaking, leading to frustration and a lack of recommendation despite some enjoyment of the game's concept. Overall, the consensus is that the game is too unstable for a satisfying experience.
“Nope, the game is extremely buggy to the extent that it makes you lose a battle.”
“I came back to replay the game and the glitches in the RTS mode are everywhere now.”
“For a game I really enjoy, I have to give it a thumbs down because of the game-breaking glitches.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, with many expressing that the RTS elements can feel disjointed and overly long. While some appreciate the option to skip battles or auto-resolve conflicts, the repetitive nature of unit management and combat mechanics detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a mixed reception regarding the game's pacing and engagement.
“I found this game to be horribly tedious; worse yet, you can't even seem to enjoy being a dragon at any given time because the AI pulls a storming move all day, every day, every minute.”
“Another completely overrated game in Larian style: lots of cool features, loads of interesting ideas, but the gameplay is simply tedious as hell; the RTS portions are never-ending slugfests.”
“Playing across the risk-like meta-map can be a tedious slog if you're waiting around to build units, and auto-resolve usually loses you far more units than necessary.”
- character development12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its charm, humor, and depth, with strong voice acting and impressive character designs enhancing the experience. While some critiques mention a lack of nuance in political themes, the overall writing and incorporation of sociopolitical issues are considered brilliant, making players genuinely care about the characters. Many reviewers agree that the character development stands out compared to other strategy games, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“Larian adds a lot of charm, a dash of humor, and a surprising amount of character development to this game.”
“The dialogue and character development, as well as the incorporation of real sociopolitical issues into a strategy game, is absolutely brilliant.”
“No thought is given to the finer nuances of character development, politics, and government.”
“Really makes one think how they come up with the character designs.”
“The characters have personality and it's quite easy to start caring about them - I'd say the character development is better than most RTS/TBS games.”
- optimization11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly during skirmish battles where frame rates drop below 60 fps on high settings. While it runs smoothly on Linux with Proton for some, others report poor optimization and system requirement warnings, indicating a lack of consistency across different systems. Overall, while certain elements of the game are praised, the optimization remains a notable concern for many users.
“For the most part, the game runs smoothly on Linux with Proton.”
“The optimization is great, no issues whatsoever, also little to no bugs. Pick it up, totally worth every penny.”
“Some choices you make politically can hinder or boost your performance in turn-based and real-time because of the support you have in the region.”
“The game has some optimization issues: I have played this game across three systems, but on my latest system, when viewing a skirmish battle from the corner or during enough fighting, the game drops below 60 fps at 1920x1080, max settings.”
“Lots of potential, but executed horribly and with poor optimization.”
“The transition between dragon and unit managing is downright horrendous (camera flips and remains how you left it, wondering which way is north/south, etc.) It also seems to have some bad optimization issues as it keeps telling me your system does not meet the requirements for 'high quality textures' and may cause system instability every time I launch the game.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the story for being predictable and the characters for lacking depth, leading to a disengaging experience. However, others appreciated moments that made them feel powerful and in control, likening their experience to that of a general or emperor, despite the game's pacing issues and repetitive gameplay in later acts. Overall, the emotional impact appears inconsistent, with some players finding it lacking while others found it resonant.
“This game managed to hit some good notes for me, in that it made me feel like a general and an emperor, which I haven't seen many games do.”
“The balance isn't perfect - it takes way too long to beat the game at the rate you do things, not that I mind a long and heartfelt battle, but I was having nothing new to do when I got into the second act.”
“The story is terrible and boring, with the most obvious twist. The villains are forgettable, and the NPCs are atrocious. The jokes fall flat, which seems to be a constant issue with Larian games. The overall experience is so disappointing that you'll find yourself wanting to skip through it all.”
“The emotional depth is lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters or care about their struggles. The narrative feels forced and uninspired, leaving little room for genuine emotional engagement.”
“Despite the game's attempts at humor and drama, it often misses the mark, resulting in a disjointed experience that fails to evoke any real feelings.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised as its strongest feature, characterized by a calming soundtrack, impressive visuals, and effective sound design that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the combination of ominous imagery and immersive audio, which together create a captivating mood throughout the game.
“The atmosphere and mood of the game is its strongest aspect.”
“You have this calm music in the background with only part of a huge ominous head visible, and I found the atmosphere of that scene fabulous.”
“The sound design is also commendable, featuring quality effects and atmospheric music that complement the gameplay.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game involves real money for in-game purchases, which has led to disappointment among players who feel that the casual gameplay is too short and does not live up to the expectations set by promotional ads.
“Does this game use real money for in-game purchases?”
“Here, a casual playthrough (easiest mode) is a short game that ends in loss before the game really gets to develop towards anything you see in the ads.”
