Divinity: Original Sin and Kickstarting the CRPG Genre

The editors at Planet Ivy recently wrangled up a brief piece that’s both a Divinity: Original Sin preview and a summarization of the apparent rebirth of the CRPG genre thanks to crowd-funding. More reading material for Larian’s next role-playing title is always welcomed:

The game may hark back to the CRPG heyday that saw the likes of Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale and, of course, the original Divinity game, Divine Divinity, but it brings some new and never-been-tried-before ideas to the orc-stained table. Take the co-op not new in itself, but whereas in say Baldur’s Gate one player took the role of the main character and made choices on behalf of the party, in Original Sin the ability to influence the world falls to both characters. You and your friend (or soon to be enemy) both make decisions, choosing to agree or disagree as you see fit.

It’s a subtle mechanic that if implemented right could really change the way co-op is played in this dialogue heavy genre. After all, freedom of choice (and not just archetypal good/evil options, thanks Mass Effect) and the ramifications of your actions are what separate these games as great. By the developers’ own admission, this system attempts to simulate something like a pen and paper RPG. You know, where people sit around tables, living out fantasies through imagination alone, felling great demons with pencils and getting jiggy with a neighbour clad in elven gear over in the corner next to their mum’s washing machine.

Wisely, they’re not perching all their hopes on one feature though. As I already mentioned, thanks to hitting their $1 million goal, magic will be affected by the state of the moons and the weather, but elemental properties will also interact with each other, NPCs, enemies and your character. Faced with an ice demon, what do you do? Melt it down with a fire spell? Sure, then charge ahead into the fray only to slip on the water and land on your bum, leaving yourself in a vulnerable and, more importantly, undignified position.

Thanks, RPGWatch.