PGC NEWS

The year 2014 was a landmark year for RPGs, with titles like Divinity: Original Sin and Wasteland 2 captivating players. 2015 continued this trend with Pillars of Eternity, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Undertale, and The Age of Decadence. Amidst this resurgence, Larian Studios released Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition, a refined version of their 2014 CRPG hit, alongside the announcement of its sequel, Divinity: Original Sin 2. This review explores whether the Enhanced Edition lives up to the original’s legacy in this competitive landscape.

Enhanced Gameplay and Design

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition boasts over 11,000 changes and tweaks to the original gameplay. While some exploits have been addressed, the core experience remains engaging. The most noticeable additions include new weapons and mechanics.

Bombs offer a versatile ranged option, requiring only sufficient Bodybuilding, not specific weapon proficiencies. Their variety ranges from basic elemental combinations to more unique effects like Thunderbolt, Charm, and armor-piercing.

Wands provide a new avenue for spellcasters, offering ranged elemental attacks and access to higher-level spells with limited uses, a welcome alternative to close-range staves. Auras add a new layer to buffing, allowing characters to protect allies from elemental damage or boost Initiative.

The interface has also seen significant improvements, with a cleaner font, more responsive targeting, and environmental details replacing the void beyond the map boundaries, enhancing the 360-degree camera movement.

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Gameplay

Tactician Mode: A True Strategic Challenge

The original Divinity: Original Sin was known for its challenging combat. The Enhanced Edition raises the bar with the Tactician Mode, offering a more strategic experience.

Unlike the original’s Hard Mode, which simply adjusted stats for both players and enemies, Tactician Mode focuses on tactical adjustments. Enemy health is increased by 20%, and encounters are meticulously redesigned, granting enemies new abilities, changing their placement, and even altering boss fights.

Braccus Rex, for instance, now has protective crystals that must be destroyed before he can be directly engaged. This strategic depth is far more engaging than the random number generator (RNG) reliance of simply adjusting hit percentages. Tactician Mode avoids the pitfalls of frustrating difficulty spikes, offering a genuinely challenging experience from the outset. Even in Cyseal, players encounter enemies with healing abilities and elemental attacks, demanding strategic thinking from early on.

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Combat

Camera and Voice Acting: Room for Improvement

Despite the positive changes, the Enhanced Edition isn’t without its flaws. The new camera angle is noticeably more restrictive, limiting visibility, especially for players who don’t frequently adjust their view. The camera also awkwardly jumps over tall objects instead of smoothly transitioning, creating disorienting shifts in perspective.

Another contentious change is the fully voiced dialogue. While intended to enhance immersion, the repetitive voices and inconsistent quality become distracting, particularly in the early hours. The change in voice actor for the beloved cheese vendor is a particularly jarring disappointment for fans of the original.

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Environment

Conclusion

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition successfully builds upon the foundation of the original, offering a richer and more challenging experience. The new weapons, mechanics, and Tactician Mode significantly enhance gameplay. However, the camera and voice acting changes are missteps that detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the Enhanced Edition remains a worthwhile experience for both newcomers and veterans of the original, solidifying its place as a classic CRPG.

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Character