Divinity: Original Sin

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 10,694 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Divinity: Original Sin Game Cover
Divinity: Original Sin is one of the deepest and most unforgettable games I've played all year
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In Divinity: Original Sin, play as a Source Hunter and investigate a murder that uncovers a plot threatening the fabric of time. With a friend, explore an open world, discuss decisions, and engage in strategic turn-based combat. The game features extensive freedom, countless gameplay mechanics, and a cooperative mode for a unique RPG experience.

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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,694 reviews
story1,261 positive mentions
grinding223 negative mentions
  • story4,487 mentions

    The story of "Divinity: Original Sin" is characterized by its engaging narrative and rich character interactions, set in the vibrant world of Rivellon. Players embark on a quest as source hunters, unraveling a murder mystery that evolves into a larger, more complex plot filled with humor and moral choices, allowing for multiple resolutions to quests. However, the game lacks quest markers and clear guidance, which can lead to confusion and frustration, particularly for those unfamiliar with traditional RPG mechanics. Overall, while the story may not be groundbreaking, it offers depth and replayability through its intricate quest design and player-driven choices.

    • “With its engaging story, imaginative world, and intricate mechanics, it offers an extraordinary experience that will keep you invested from start to finish.”
    • “The choices you make throughout the game affect the story's outcome, offering a sense of agency and making your playthrough feel unique and personal.”
    • “Its captivating story, deep mechanics, and emphasis on exploration and creativity make it a must-play for any RPG fan.”
    • “I have never in my life played a game that is so full of text that has no meaning whatsoever, from recipe books that have no reason for existing to journal entries that provide zero helpful hints or knowledge. Divinity: Original Sin feels like a game that was meant to be played by people who already know the story, have spent hours reading wiki pages, and know what all of the traits/talents/skills do in order to exploit the game's systems.”
    • “You can't follow along in-game because it doesn't differentiate between quest types, so unless you know the quest names or have them written down sequentially, you have no way of knowing how far along or if you've even made any real progress on the storyline.”
    • “The story and especially the quest design are so boring or outright bad.”
  • gameplay1,623 mentions

    The gameplay of "Divinity: Original Sin" is widely praised for its deep tactical combat, intricate mechanics, and engaging exploration, offering a rich RPG experience reminiscent of classic titles like Baldur's Gate. Players appreciate the turn-based system that encourages strategic thinking and creativity, particularly through environmental interactions and character customization. However, some users note that the game can be challenging and occasionally frustrating due to unclear mechanics and bugs, which may detract from the overall experience for less experienced players.

    • “With its engaging story, imaginative world, and intricate mechanics, it offers an extraordinary experience that will keep you invested from start to finish.”
    • “This sense of curiosity and discovery creates an immersive gameplay experience that is hard to match.”
    • “Its captivating story, deep mechanics, and emphasis on exploration and creativity make it a must-play for any RPG fan.”
    • “Annoying sound, goofy mechanics, absolutely no way to find out what or where you're supposed to go.”
    • “The biggest immersion-breaker to me were either the audio bugging out during long playing sessions (general sounds would stop playing and music could produce glitchy sounds), or fatal errors in gameplay, such as a pickpocket target moving during the pickpocketing causing a game crash, or the game letting you destroy side quest items permanently, causing it to become uncompletable.”
    • “Overall: for the price of the game, it's below my par in my opinion, the gameplay doesn't carry well enough to keep you involved and the combat turns from steady into a death-slog of finding cheap ways to kill bosses that otherwise overpower you.”
  • graphics1,089 mentions

    The graphics of "Divinity: Original Sin" are generally praised for their vibrant, hand-painted style that complements the game's retro aesthetic, creating a charming and immersive experience. While some players note that the visuals may not be the most cutting-edge, they appreciate the attention to detail and the overall artistic design, which includes colorful environments and well-crafted character models. However, a few critiques mention occasional graphical glitches and a desire for more realistic textures, but these do not significantly detract from the game's appeal.

    • “Graphically, Divinity: Original Sin Classic may not be the most visually stunning game, but its hand-painted environments and character designs are charming and suit the game's retro aesthetic perfectly.”
    • “The graphics, while fairly humble in fidelity, are vibrant, clear, and lovingly crafted, with each environment displaying personal effort in making them look believable.”
    • “With stunning graphics, nearly endless choices, and lots of difficult, advanced battles, Divinity: Original Sin is an epic RPG.”
    • “I wish the graphics were a bit more realistic/dark, not so bright and happy.”
    • “The graphics are dated at best, cartoonish at worst.”
    • “Graphics were disappointing and as I recall the original game played much better.”
  • music644 mentions

    The music in "Divinity: Original Sin" is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the captivating soundtrack composed by Kirill Pokrovsky. While the music enhances the game's overall experience, some players noted that it can become repetitive over long play sessions, and a few expressed a desire for a larger variety of combat tracks. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength of the game, contributing to its rich storytelling and engaging gameplay.

    • “The soundtrack is atmospherically captivating and adds to the immersive experience.”
    • “The music/soundtrack from these games...let me just say is everything short of magical!!”
    • “The music is so blended perfectly with the game and its atmosphere that it really adds a whole new layer of depth to the game.”
    • “But there's one giant flaw that I simply can't get past no matter how hard I try: the music is absolutely awful.”
    • “I've been playing video games for half my life and I have never heard a soundtrack this bad before.”
    • “The music can drone on and make you want to mute it, and god help you if you want to read anything while standing next to a group of NPCs whose dialogue will loop with only a few seconds of blessed silence between.”
  • humor583 mentions

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by witty dialogue, quirky NPC interactions, and a blend of lightheartedness amidst darker themes. Players appreciate the clever writing and comedic moments, though some find the humor excessive or not to their taste. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor into its storytelling and gameplay, making for a fun and engaging experience.

    • “Divinity is well written and will have you chuckling as you make your way through quests, talk to characters, and explore new areas of the map.”
    • “With lovely graphics and a fantastic sense of humor, this game will charm your pants off.”
    • “The writing is delightfully humorous, and even when more dark discussions are had, they are treated with a light sense of whimsy.”
    • “Humor was not funny.”
    • “Jokes are not funny; I did not like it at all.”
    • “Humor was not funny.”
  • grinding236 mentions

    The reviews highlight a significant divide in player experiences regarding grinding in the game. Many players find the grinding tedious and frustrating, often describing it as a chore that detracts from the overall enjoyment, with complaints about slow combat, cumbersome inventory management, and repetitive tasks. However, some players appreciate the lack of traditional grinding mechanics, noting that the game focuses more on story and strategy rather than mindless level grinding, which can lead to a more engaging experience despite its occasional tedious moments.

    • “There's no grinding in this game; XP is rare, which makes looking for monsters that bit more fun!”
    • “- no grinding: gold is not as essential as in most RPGs where vendors hold the best items.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The first few hours of questing was the most boring I have ever encountered in a game - going back and forth - back and forth - looting everything in sight - very, very tedious.”
    • “Too much tedious, useless stuff, incredibly drab progression and leveling, uninteresting story, I literally forced myself to get past the 10 hours-play time just because of all the 10/10 reviews that had made me buy the game as the heir to Baldur's Gate 2.”
    • “This game can be very tedious in the way it encourages you to forge your own path, explore, and with little to no clues at all on what the next step is.”
  • replayability171 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its extensive options for different play styles and character choices, leading to high replay value, especially in co-op mode. However, others note that the linear quest design and repetitive elements can diminish the experience after the initial playthrough, making it less appealing for those seeking quick, varied gameplay. Overall, while many find the game offers significant replay potential through customization and tactical variations, others feel it lacks depth for repeated runs.

    • “This game has weeks and weeks of initial playthrough, and a lot of fun replayability on subsequent playthroughs using different tactics.”
    • “The story is long and rich, meaning you'll easily get your money's worth on just the first playthrough; and because the game can be quite different each time you play, there's tons of replayability.”
    • “D:OS is brimming with quality, content, lore and interesting characters, whilst also offering hours upon hours of gameplay, fleshed out gameplay features, consequences based on actions, multiple solutions, replayability and a level/modification editor to create your own content and adventures.”
    • “Not much replay value after the first playthrough.”
    • “Less replay value than I first hoped though.”
    • “The only downside is that quests are relatively self-contained meaning there isn't much replay value unless you just want to see things resolve slightly differently.”
  • stability150 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer modes and during combat. While some users experienced significant issues like crashes and freezing, others noted that minor glitches did not detract from their overall enjoyment. Frequent updates from the developers have been acknowledged, suggesting ongoing efforts to improve stability, but many still feel the game was released prematurely given its current state.

    • “Overall a full, rich, and in my opinion, bug-free.”
    • “For an early access game, this fun and bug-free experience makes it easy for me to recommend it.”
    • “As far as performance goes, I have had zero crashes, and with all graphics settings maxed out, it runs great.”
    • “Pathing issues, game freezes, perma-stuns... it's pretty rough.”
    • “This game shouldn't have been released; it's still so buggy.”
    • “What I got was a buggy, frustratingly difficult piece of junk.”
  • character development137 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the deep, free-form customization options that allow for diverse playstyles and meaningful choices that impact gameplay. However, some critiques highlight a lack of direction and balance, with certain skills feeling underwhelming or situational, leading to frustration in character progression. Overall, while the game offers engaging character development and storytelling, it also presents challenges that may require players to research and strategize to avoid pitfalls.

    • “Amazing story, very compelling gameplay and character development.”
    • “This game deserves several plays due to the deep character development and difficulty scaling, and the ability to play the entire campaign with two players is really awesome.”
    • “Divinity in particular is great because of its classless character development system, allowing you to customize your characters any way you want.”
    • “The character development was also not that great, with some skills and abilities being the obvious choice and others being useless or very situational.”
    • “However, the character development during the game in matters of background stories and relationship in the group is nearly non-existent and redundant.”
    • “I find that I never know where to put my attribute points (currently have saved up around 10 skill points in each main character) and I just feel a bit directionless sometimes when it comes to character development.”
  • atmosphere116 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Divinity: Original Sin" is widely praised for its captivating soundtrack, stunning visuals, and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a rich, engaging world reminiscent of classic tabletop RPGs, though some note inconsistencies with the story that detract from the atmosphere. Overall, the combination of vibrant graphics, lively dialogue, and atmospheric sound design contributes to a compelling and enjoyable setting.

    • “The music is so blended perfectly with the game and its atmosphere that it really adds a whole new layer of depth to the game.”
    • “This game is beautifully designed with a great atmosphere and stunning visuals.”
    • “The art style and soundtrack further enhance the atmosphere, creating a visually and aurally captivating experience.”
    • “The atmosphere is bland, resisting any attempts at immersion, unlike Jade Empire.”
    • “It distracted me from the game, and did nothing to set mood or atmosphere.”
    • “Mostly very light and less inspiring in context of the atmosphere, unlike other Divinity games.”
  • optimization64 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing good performance and graphics, while others report significant issues, including low frame rates, crashes, and poor multicore support. Many users suggest that the game requires further patches to address these performance problems, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, while some players enjoy a smooth experience, a substantial number find the game to be poorly optimized and frustrating to play.

    • “Every bit of DPS optimized, what skill to pick, what ability to max. Wait, I can boost my weapons, etc.”
    • “The full release worked perfectly fine for me, running hours without performance issues or a single crash or bug.”
    • “When I purchased the game, I wasn't able to play very well (alpha was not yet optimized for my lower-end computer), but with beta, my god, it is just... Larian Studios have outdone themselves; even my computer now runs the game wonderfully.”
    • “Performance is a serious issue, even on high-end systems.”
    • “This game has major performance issues; after 30 minutes of gameplay, the framerate drops significantly to the point of being unplayable, regardless of which video quality it was set to.”
    • “But the game is poorly optimized; it can and will crash on most computers, and I don't mean minor crashes and little bugs—the game will close itself purely and simply, and very often.”
  • emotional46 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits mixed responses from players. While some find moments of genuine connection and heartwarming storytelling, others criticize the overall narrative as boring and lacking depth, leading to a disconnection from the characters. The game offers opportunities for emotional engagement through character interactions, but many feel it falls short compared to other RPGs, resulting in a lack of investment in the story and its characters.

    • “That was last year, and every time since then I sat down to play this game, I cried.”
    • “The game is full of life, and people can really build an emotional bond with characters in the story.”
    • “Every named character has a tale, and many of them are well-developed and emotional enough to give you an unusual sense of connection to the character.”
    • “However, after the first few fights to gain levels, you need to then walk around following an extremely boring storyline murder mystery, clicking on people for no apparent reason.”
    • “Too many environmental bugs, confusing and full of errors, way to present a very boring story.”
    • “D:OS submerges you into a lackluster boring story, bugged and incomplete quests, repetitive gameplay and strategy, and generic humor.”
  • monetization8 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being misleading, with both the developer and Steam accused of promoting it in a way that does not accurately reflect the product's value. Reviewers express frustration over the lack of transparency and the perceived exploitation of early supporters.

    • “In some sense, both the developer and Steam are culpable as they're both trying to sell it with misleading advertising.”
    • “The advertisement and words around the streets don't lie.”
    • “Let the trials and tribulations come later, but at least give the masses supporting your product some value.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy Divinity: Original Sin

Play time

41hMedian play time
54hAverage play time
61hMain story
106hCompletionist
18-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 146 analyzed playthroughs

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