Divine Divinity: Retro-review

The Divine Divinity released in 2002 immediately attracted my attention.. But for a number of reasons, the game was postponed into a long box. Much later, when the game got to my Steam library, she fully met my expectations.

Adventures! People talk about them as something worthwhile, by the way, this is all a mixture of poor nutrition of constant lack of sleep and absolutely strangers who are trying to stick all sorts of pointed objects of Terry Prach in various parts of the body
The game represents isometric RPG. On the screen, the European Middle Ages with people, orcs, elves, gnomes and other fantastic creatures. According to the plot, it is necessary to overcome the ominous cult of striving to conquer the world, urging the ancient evil. In the player’s hands another nameless hero of one of three classes, each with his own ability. We visit multi -level dungeons, kill a variety of monsters, collect a procedurally generated loot. It would seem that the game is doomed to failure and the label of another Diablo clone was easily hung on it, but the developers from Larian were able to add a number of strokes to the final product that helped to highlight the game from many similar.

“And everything in this world went on its own, with temple slots casino UK sister sites the exception of everything else that resolutely went a skew” Terry Prachec
With the beginning of the new game, we are offered to choose a class of our protagonist. But this choice affects only the starting characteristics and appearance without armor. Nothing interferes when receiving a new level to choose an affordable ability from branches of a different class. The player is available the War of the War (all that is connected with weapons and battle) the path of the adventurer (thieves and social skills) and the path of the magician (various spells) correspond to 3-4 schools, another branch of abilities opens during the passage of the game. Developers almost do not limit in creating the perfect protagonist suitable for the player. If you want a warrior using poisons and boiling his own attending potions or a clever magician in which it will be impossible to get. The accessibility of ability or spell is limited by the minimum level, but nothing prohibits maintaining the points of reserve skills in order to spend them later.
It is worth noting that Divine Divinity is one of the few games where it is nice to play a magician. Spells cause powerful damage and have colorful effects. But there are also their pitfalls. Like the player, opponents have resistance to magical damage. To which exactly you can find out only in practice or and if there is a special ability. The situation when the monster is for a long time we pick the enemy with fire, and it is killed from a pair of lightning is very likely. For those who have chosen the magical path of development, there is an important bonus. Spells, unlike other skills, rarely, but bought for money in stores. Most of the game, with the exception of the last act, the magician is convenient and pleasant to play.
A distinctive feature of the role system is that with an increase in the level of the player of the murder of opponents, they bring less experience up to its complete absence, and the experience gained for the fulfillment of quests on the contrary is growing. It is logical that you should go through the surroundings exterminating opponents and then take the quests.
Opponents will have to meet very diverse from quite familiar skeletons and zombies to dragons, something coat-nigguratic and giant shrimp. The level of enemies is not tied to the level of the player, and going the wrong way, it will be easy to die from two strokes. But even with weak opponents you need to be careful. Having hit one of the monsters, his comrades will run away from the nearest environs and you will have to fight the whole army.

“-I see! I see! Bright light emanating from your body is a miserable charlatank! Everyone knows about the existence of aura in any living creature ”is one of the many dialogs

The main plot, although simple, is interesting for its features and plot turns. Long ago, powerful entities created and inhabited the world called Rivelon. But one of them, later called the lord of Chaos, decided to destroy him. The lord of chaos twice invaded this world. The gods expelled him for the first time, for the second time he was able to defeat him by the deaths of Rivelon, uniting under the banners of the Seven Council and fulfilling the mysterious ritual. But the invasion of chaos did not pass without consequences. In Rivelon, the lord’s servants, united in the organization of a black circle and set the goal of the return of his master to the world of mortals. There is a prophecy that the hero will come to restore the Council of Seven and save the world from chaos. Many years have passed and among the races once included in the Council began to take place, which put them on the brink of war. Forests and caves are teeming with monsters, the dead rises from the graves, various criminals raise their heads and the mysterious plague is raging. It is at this difficult moment for Rivelon that the game begins.
The hero himself is not chosen, but only marked by the Higher Forces. Besides us there are two more noted. Provinging his right to be called the chosen player will have to reconcile the local people and gather the advice of seven, simultaneously destroying the insidious plans of the villains. The situation is complicated by the fact that in the kingdom there is already a person whom everyone considers real elected. This is the young Duke Janusz, who more than corresponding to the conditions of the prophecy.
Of course, in our way it will be necessary to solve problems and simple (and not very) residents of Rivelon. Minor quests are small stories, for some there are even a cut-scene on the game engine. The player will be hunted by monsters and evil sorcerers; join the guild; Several times you have to conduct a real detective investigation with the search for evidence and the questioning of witnesses; and even conduct the ritual of calling the demon. Some of the quests have a forking outcome, depending on the choice of a player, including leading to failure.

“-And what do you think in this forest there is something edible, yes, the wizard answered-we are“ Terry Pratchetche

When performing the main quest, you will have to visit various locations starting from classic multi -level dungeons and tombs, but you will also have to look into the forests of the elves and the steppes of the orcs, go through both the slums and the royal palace. Despite the isometric view and outdated graphics, the game is beautiful thanks to the designed design. The locations are detailed and diverse, and with the most part of the interior you can interact, a chest or chair can be moved, a torch is extinguished, etc.D. And even if with rare exceptions, the environment does not tell a specific story, but allow you to feel the atmosphere of each location: the luxury of rich quarters, poverty and dirt of slums, and in the dungeon it becomes clear that you are far from the first adventurer and not all of them ended well.