Divinity 2: Ego Draconis
| Divinity II: Ego Draconis | |||
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| Studio |
 Larian Studios
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| Publisher |
 dtp entertainment
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| Senior Developer | Farhang Namdar (Lead Designer) | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
All platforms September 24, 2009 January 5, 2010  |
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| platform | Windows , Xbox 360 | ||
| Game engine | Gamebryo | ||
| genre | Action RPG | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control |
Keyboard , mouse Xbox 360 controller |
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| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | 1 DVD-ROM , download | ||
| language | including German | ||
| Current version | 1.03 (main game & add-on) | ||
| Age rating |
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Divinity 2: Ego Draconis is an action role-playing game developed by Larian Studios , which was released in July 2009 for Windows PCs and shortly afterwards for the Xbox 360 by dtp entertainment . It is the first game in the Divinity series in a third-person perspective .
The player first takes on the role of a budding dragon slayer in order to save the kingdom of Rivellon from a dark threat following a prophecy. A mysterious knight falls victim to the fighting, and shortly before her death she transfers powerful powers to the young hero. From now on , these enable the player to change shape to the dragon , which in turn opens up new play areas and quests can be completed.
Additional paid game content and expansions were released for the game in the form of the add-on Divinity 2 - Flames of Vengeance (July 2010) and a revised complete collection called Divinity 2 - The Dragon Knight Saga (October 2010). Since October 2012 there is also a Developer's Cut with a developer mode .
prehistory
The dragons who lived in the Rivellon game world for a long time turned some people into dragon knights who were supposed to represent their interests in the world. Thanks to so-called dragon stones, the dragon knights could transform themselves into a dragon at any time. When the dragons withdrew from the world, the dragon knights remained as guardian orders.
Throughout history, Rivellon has been threatened several times by the demonic forces of the so-called Black Ring. In one of these battles, Lucian, the hero of Rivellons generally referred to only as "The Divine" and identical to the player character of the predecessor Divine Divinity , was supposed to kill a child named Damian, because it contained the essence of the supreme demon master and one day for destruction will be responsible to the world. But Lucian couldn't reconcile this with his conscience. Instead, he adopted the child and raised it like his own. Despite his best efforts, Damian's prophecy began to come true when Lucian killed his lover Ygerna and Damian swore vengeance on him. Damian began to wage war across the country.
Lucian formed an alliance with the Dragon Knights to fend off Damian's hordes. But during the decisive battle, a dragon knight betrayed the agreement and killed the divine. Damian, whose vengeance was satisfied, broke off the fight and withdrew. The remaining followers of Lucian, enraged by the dragon knight's betrayal, called the community of dragon slayers into being in order to hunt down all dragon knights ever since. Over the years they wiped out almost all dragon knights. During this time, Damian secretly prepared a new war against the people of Rivellon, which would finally fulfill his prophecy.
action
The hero begins his journey in Leuchtenfeld, where he is supposed to complete his many years of training as a dragon slayer. During the ritual he receives the gift of mind reading and the ability to perceive spirits . In return, he “loses” all his memories and has to relearn his skills. The ritual cannot be fully completed because a surviving dragon knight is discovered in the nearby Rubble Valley and the initiation is therefore canceled. The hero and the rest of the dragon slayers make their way to the rubble valley by zeppelin. But the long-time community members decide that the hero is not ready to face a dragon knight due to the unfinished ritual. So they instruct him not to leave the valley and go alone against the dragon knight.
The hero ignores his orders and finally meets the seriously astonished dragon knight named Talana. Dying she transforms the budding dragon slayer into a dragon knight himself, contrary to his belief. The player character is drawn from this point of an inner voice that prompts the player to fight against Damian and only outputs as Talana, gives itself to recognize than the deceased Ygerna later in the game, however. She claims that if the hero could bring her back to life, Damian would die through his soul connection with her. To do this, however, he must first come into possession of the dragon stone in order to fully possess his new abilities. He also needs a spell to find the so-called Hall of Souls in order to bring Ygerna back to life. The hero finds the former in the so-called dragon tower, which is held by the tyrant and dark magician Lord Laiken. With the victory over Lord Laiken and his death, the player character gains sovereignty over the tower, which from then on serves as his base. With the help of the dragon stone, he can transform himself into a flying dragon at any time and thus travel the game world. Furthermore, he can teleport back to the dragon tower in any situation with the forces of the stone .
After successfully conquering the tower by the player character, Damian and his troops reach the rubble valley and devastate it almost completely. Due to the poisonous fog, the player can only travel in dragon form from this point on, who also has to be careful of the attacker's fortifications. To find access to the Hall of Souls and to race against Damian's troops, the hero travels the Orobas Fjords. There he meets a real dragon who reveals the entrance to the hall of souls. Before he can enter this, however, the hero needs a protective amulet from the demon-plagued city of healers, Aleroth. Furthermore, he needs a seal for access, which he has to tear from Damian's highest-ranking demon named Baal in the destroyed valley of ruins.
Equipped with the appropriate items, the hero can now enter the Hall of Souls in the Orobas Fjords. In this mystical place he penetrates into Ygerna's memory and prevents her execution, but only her memory of it by killing Lucian's entire guard and himself. In the end, however, he finds himself trapped in the demi-world "Hypnerotomachia". There Lucian tells him that he had fallen for a deceitful plan by Ygerna and that Damian had become virtually invincible from that point on. Ygerna wakes up in her body again. Damian's armies begin a large-scale attack on the Orobas Fjords against which the people have no chance of successful defense. At this point the game ends with an open ending .
Game world
General
The game world consists of flat valleys, rocky deserts and fjords . In general, the architecture of the buildings was taken from the Middle Ages, as was the appearance of the weapons. The vegetation of the game world consists mainly of grass, trees and the like. The general size of the game world can be compared with that of Gothic , whereby only a small part of the game world of Divinity 2: Ego Draconis , the so-called Trümmertal already represents the complete dimensions of the game world of Gothic . The design of the dungeons corresponds to that of partially looted underground tombs or tombs.
Traveling within the game world can be shortened using a system of teleporters. The design of the opponent partly does not correspond to the usual design in fantasy role-playing games, for example goblins only have one eye and it is placed in the middle of the face. Oversized opponents such as trolls are seldom encountered, mostly the player encounters opponents of human proportions. In the open air, goblins and goblins usually set up camps out of leather-covered tents, the dimensions of which correspond to those of the rubble valley city.
In the towns and villages, people go about their regular and changing activities, such as washing clothes and then hanging up the laundry in order to then feed the animals.
The player can travel through teleporters in the Orobas fjords to the fortresses of the Black Ring. The architecture of the fortresses always remains the same. These fortresses consist of several flying islands, on each of which smaller troop contingents are stationed, in addition to catapults and lightning towers. Usually in the middle there is a larger fortress in which a general of the Black Ring is stationed. If this is killed by the player, he receives particularly powerful items. The forces of the Black Ring are primarily made up of human warriors and domesticated wyverns .
Places and landscapes
Light field
Leuchtenfeld is the starting point of the game and the setting for the introductory tutorial . Built densely on both sides of a river, the medieval-looking town, which is very lively due to the daily market activity, houses the training center for the dragon slayers' community. There, the hero first trains the skills necessary for further journeys, such as controlling the game character, interacting with other game characters and basic combat techniques.
Rubble valley
To the east of the valley is the only city in the rubble valley that is divided by a river. A tavern serves as the central meeting point for the residents. A small garrison houses soldiers and recruits. A forge and a farm within the intact and manned city walls supply the city. Lord Lovis Tower is in the middle of the valley. He was once the ruler of the valley. To the north is the Maxos Temple. Through it the player gets to the guardian island. The city of the rubble valley is attacked by Damian himself and his army. The city is set on fire and its residents are killed. After the attack, the entire valley of rubble was enveloped in a poisonous fog several meters high, in which no living being can survive. Only Lord Lovi's tower remains standing.
Orobas fjords
The Orobas Fjords border directly to the north on the rubble valley. The Orobas Fjords consist of cliffs several hundred meters high. At the bottom, a large river flows directly into the sea. On the cliffs there are strung rock ledges on which trees grow. Likewise, a large number of caves that are partially inhabited by goblins. Teleporters distributed throughout the fjords make it possible to get to the fortresses of the generals of the Black Ring. These are designed as pure flying fortresses.
In the east of the Orobas Fjords you will find the largest human settlement, the Champions Harbor, the village of Hohenfels and the ruins of Drachenfels Castle. The port and the village are protected by anti-dragon zones. The port is located in the middle of the Orobas Fjords and serves as a transshipment point for goods and as a port for airships. This is also how the architecture of the port and the interior spaces are designed, for example with many cranes, boxes and the like. To the south is the Hall of Souls.
Aleroth
It is the capital of the empire and is located in the far northeast. In Divinity 2: Ego Draconis only a small part can be entered.
The city is completely accessible in Flames of Vengeance . It was designed in a medieval style. The crow's nest, a purely residential area, is haunted by the undead and partially destroyed. In the south of the city there is a barracks and a speaking tree with its own consciousness, it prevents the undead with another protective shield from penetrating into other parts of the city.
Gameplay
General
In Divinity 2 , the player controls his character directly from a third-person perspective . Unlike in many role-playing games, the player does not commit himself to a character type such as magician , warrior or ranger at the beginning . Instead, he has all the skills to choose from, which he can develop according to his own ideas by collecting experience points in fights and missions as he increases in level .
By default, quests can be solved in very different ways. For example, a quest in the Rubble Valley where the player should forward a letter from the wife of a merchant to a blacksmith with whom she is having an affair. There are a total of six possible solutions, ranging from the death of the blacksmith, the imprisonment of the trader, the increase / decrease of the prices of the trader / blacksmith to the complete failure of the quest. If the ability mind reading is used, additional solutions arise in several quests. The rewards for completing a quest are divided into the basic reward of experience points and gold, the currency of the game, and additional experience points, gold or items that can be selected . Quest rewards in the form of items and chest contents vary, so it is possible to have rewards or chest contents newly determined at random by reloading a game status . Unlike in contemporary games, the player character does not suffer any fall damage, so even falls from a great height do not lead to the main character's death. The fall damage was deactivated by the developer in order to enable a reconversion from the dragon to the human form at any time and without a previous landing.
Most of the opponents the player encounters are not in Damian's service. The types of enemies range from normal humans to skeletons to human-like creatures such as goblins, only a small part of which serves Damian and which are the most common type of enemy the player encounters. The opponents use melee weapons or use magic against the player. There are also smaller enemy types such as wild boars that attack the player with their tusks. The only enemies the player encounters in aerial combat are wyverns. He is also attacked there with catapults or lightning bolts shot from towers. Outside of cities, the player is generally attacked by all characters, with the exception of the friendly quest givers or quest characters.
It is possible to use found body parts to create a creature that will stand by your side in battle. This creature cannot die because it is undead , it can only be defeated. After a short recovery period, it can be called up again. During the course of the game there is the possibility of finding more powerful body parts and swapping them for current ones.
Ygerna, who poses as a talana, often cynically comments on events. Similar to other genre-specific games, such as Dragon Age: Origins , there is no audio output of what the main character says in dialogues. The player simply selects the desired conversation option, to which the other person reacts accordingly. However, the player character makes fighting noises and general comments, for example about the quality of found objects.
Game flow
At the beginning of each new game , the appearance of the character, his voice and his name are selected, whereby in the game the hero is always addressed as a dragon slayer. After a short intro , the group of dragon slayers ends up in Leuchtenfeld.
Leuchtenfeld serves as a tutorial city , where the player is taught the playful skills, such as mind reading or fighting with sword, bow and magic through learning by doing , as well as the variable possibilities to complete quests. After this has been completed, the group flies into the rubble valley. From there the world is open world , but is limited by natural obstacles such as mountains, guard posts or monsters that are too strong.
Human form and skills
In this form, the player has 54 skills available that can be learned. These can reach a maximum of level 13 via level increases. The skills include demons, spirit and undead summoning, walls of flames, conjuring up, picking locks and the maximum items in the inventory. All skills and their effects can be assessed at any time in a demonstration video.
The fights are divided into three types of combat: close combat , ranged combat and magic. Melee combat consists of the character's own fists, one-handed weapons, two weapons, a weapon and a shield, and two-handed weapons. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, for example the fist fight is the fastest but causes the least damage, the two-handed sword the strongest, but the slowest. The damage done depends more on the weapon than the type of weapon. A one-handed weapon can surpass the level of a two-handed weapon by far, as the values of weapons found are determined at random. Ranged combat consists of a bow and arrow. It does not offer any subspecies such as hand-to-hand combat, only the skills to fire several arrows at the same time. The magic fight is the most extensive. It offers the possibilities of summoning demons, fire magic, such as throwing fireballs, or simple healing and support magic. No weapon, such as a staff , has been assigned to the magician . However, it is possible to freely combine all three types of combat. So it would be possible to attack opponents from a distance with the bow , then cast a fire spell and then immediately take action against the opponent with melee weapons.
With every level up, the player receives progression points that are required for his attributes. The attributes include:
- Life force: Determines the amount of life points
- Willpower: Determines the amount of mana fixed
- Strength: Determines the melee damage and resistance to it
- Agility: Determines the amount of long-range combat damage and resistance to it
- Intelligence: Determines the magic damage and resistance to it.
The ability of mind reading, the thoughts are reproduced acoustically, the player often learns secrets such as passwords or can induce traders to lower their prices. This consumes experience points, while it is possible to get into a minus of experience points similar to the overdraft on a bank account. The player can only regain the total number of experience points required for leveling up when he has regained the experience points used by mind reading, for example by killing opponents.
Dragon shape and skills
It is almost always possible to transform into his dragon form. This makes it possible for the player to kill certain opponents that are designed to effectively kill or eliminate in dragon form. Only through a combination of the dragon shape and the normal shape is it possible in many cases to find dungeons in the first place and thus to solve quests. B. are hidden behind cliffs, to which there is no way. At certain points in the game there are so-called anti-dragon zones. These are colored, permeable domes around z. B. a city. In the dragon form it is not possible to pass this. These areas can only be entered in the human form. Since the dragon form is extremely strong, certain opponents cannot be seen or killed through and in this form. This is to prevent the player from torching an area in his dragon form and only having to collect the loot in his human form .
Unlike in the human form, the dragon skills, seven of them, cannot be increased by level up, but by books that are distributed in the game world. Skills include spewing fireballs , summoning wyverns for combat support, and healing yourself .
The battles in the Dragon form include killing flying enemies that need to be targeted with fireballs that require a short recharge period before they can be used again, or the destruction of catapults , the one in the shape of a dragon with spears shoot by the player Spits fireballs at them or flies very close to them and spits them directly on with fire. Otherwise there are no other types of dragon-form fighting.
Dragon tower
The dragon tower is on the guardian island. The guardian island with the dragon tower is available to the player as a retreat from around the middle of the game. It houses various floors and platforms where a necromancer , alchemist , enchanter and trainer live. In the course of the game, the player chooses one of two possible candidates for each position. Depending on which character the player chooses, they assign quests to expand and improve the respective platforms.
The skills of the two contenders are different and the player must make a permanent decision that suits their style of play. For example, one enchanter specializes in armor, the other in weapons. In the throne room there are three collectors who, for example, find alchemical ingredients on command. Depending on how well they are equipped, you will find them faster and in greater numbers. There is also a dancer and a musician in the throne room. The player takes an elevator to the private rooms , where an illusionist and Sassan are. The illusionist can change the hero's gender and appearance. Sassan is competent in expanding the platforms and as a trader or magician. In the player's chambers, there is the option of permanently storing a maximum of 400 items in a chest. You can be teleported through the dragon stone to the dragon tower at any time. The platforms and their benefits:
- Necromancer platform: Here it is possible, if the player has found a crystal skull, to create his creature individually using body parts. On this next to the necromancer there is the trader Grimm, who can sell you body parts.
- Alchemy Garden: This is where the alchemist prepares potions.
- Enchantment workshop: This is where objects are enchanted. B. have better melee properties.
- Training arena: Here the player finds the dragon stone and takes it for himself. In addition, the skills are expanded here by the trainer.
Development details
background
Since Larian Studios already had experience with publisher and money concerns, they decided to take on a lot of commissioned work between 2004 and 2006 in order to create enough financial reserves for the next game in the Divinity series, which according to Larian Studios worked. Only a small team worked on Divinity content during 2004 and 2006.
The entire game was conceived on the basis of an idea by Rhianna Pratchett , who worked on the novel "Beyond Divinity", among other things, to choose a dragon as the central theme. The concrete work on the game Divinity 2: Ego Draconis began at the end of 2006. The word ego is Latin and means “I” while draconis is the genitive of the Latin word for dragon (draco) . Fluent translated, Ego Draconis means "I, the heir, successor of the dragons". The name should also be a small reference to the plot of the game. The development work officially ended in July 2009, only patches were released for the main game. The final release date for the PC was July 24th, 2009 and the Xbox 360 version followed on October 2nd, 2009.
Development and technology
The original plan was for the hero to be able to transform into a hybrid form of dragon and human, who can move just like a human, so that the player can transform into a dragon in a dungeon . However, this was dropped because, according to the developers, there was no longer any reason to fight as a human as the dragon shape is much stronger. The model was then reused and implemented for the Dragon Elf race.
Due to the hardware limitation of the Xbox 360, almost all animals had to be removed from the rubble valley during the development process, as there were strong jerks while playing.
In the planning phase, around 30 to 40 game segments were planned. In the end it was less than ten. The city of Aleroth was worked on for six months. However, when it became apparent that the city would not be ready by the deadline, it was removed from the game. When work on Flames of Vengeance began, it was implemented in the add-on.
Wider racial diversity was also planned. Elves , dwarfs , orcs , undead, imps and lizard beings, all of which were already present in the predecessors, should be settled in the game world. The player would have come across these races and they would then have sent a delegation to the dragon tower. In the tower, an army should be set up from the races and sent into battle against Damian's armies in real-time strategy combat . The dragon tower should serve as the central interface for your own army. Cyclops should be available as servants in the tower and the tower itself should be customizable as in the Sims games. It was not implemented due to the massive effort involved.
Originally it was also planned that the dragon form could carry out air attacks on normal monsters and opponents. However, this was also dropped because, as with the mixed form, there are not enough reasons to fight as a person on land. A multiplayer mode with its own storyline was also planned. However, it was discarded from the second half of the project, because the quests in multiplayer mode could not be made very varied. The quality assurance department consisted of more than 50 testers. The testers were in Germany, India, Romania, Ireland, Canada and Belgium.
For the intro , scenes from the game engine were used, which were then technically processed. This has the advantage that the work can be done faster and cheaper, but does not lose quality. The in-game videos were created with the game's own Gamebryo engine, which was already used in Fallout 3.
The developers built in hidden mechanisms to track down no-CD cracks and other cracks . If detected, jumping is no longer possible and numerous other changes come into effect.
Influences and visions
In an interview with Koen Van Mierlo, Art & Visuals, and Jan Van Dosselaer the lead writer, they explained their motivation and influences on Divinity 2 Ego Draconis , which are shown below:
The vision behind the general game world design consists of the idea of creating the greatest possible proximity to its predecessors. However, the team didn't want to create a game that looked like a cartoon or an overly realistic environment. The goal was to create a balance between the two. Attempts were also made not to completely deviate from the predecessors in the city design, but not to copy them. The past should also be reflected in the city design, such as Aleroth from the small village in its predecessors to a full-fledged city.
The greatest external influences were the predecessor Divine Divinity , the Lord of the Rings novels and Impressionist art .
music
The music of Divinity 2: Ego Draconis and the add-on comes from the composer Kirill Pokrovsky , the keyboard player of the Russian thrash metal band Мастер . It is assigned to the Score / Epic genre. In an interview, Pokrovsky identified the music of Mozart and Bach as the greatest influences on his music. But he can also be influenced by more modern artists, such as keyboardist and pianist Keith Emerson . The following titles are from him:
| title | |
|---|---|
| Divinity II Main Theme | Forgotten Foes |
| Broken Valley Wakes | Festival of Immortals |
| Ominous Surroundings | Ancient Presence |
| A New Dawn | From Hell |
| Memory of the Dragons | Here Be Zandalor |
| Reborn | A Dark Day in Aleroth |
| Goblins! No time to waste! | Majesty of the Fjords |
| Fly, dragon, fly | In the King's Gardens |
| Sleepless Nights | Lullabies for your Inner Dragon |
| Waltz of Woe | Nasty Creatures (and Restless Guard) |
| Epiphany of Anguish | The Dragon Terror Patrol Will Prevail |
| Tides of Battle | Sunflower |
| Inner Voice | Airborne |
Speech output
Well-known voice actors were used for the German voice recordings, including those of Angelina Jolie and Ben Affleck . Well-known voice actors were also hired for the English voiceovers. A total of almost 100,000 words were spoken, which were divided into 400 roles.
| role | German speakers | English speakers |
|---|---|---|
| teller | Helmut Krauss | Jeff Rawle |
| Damian | Hans-Eckart Eckhardt | - |
| Zandalor | Ulrich Voss | Bill Bingham |
| Talana | Claudia Urbschat-Mingues | Sally Wallis |
| Magician Sassan | Sonja Spuhl | Josefina Gabrielle |
| The Divine | Peter Flechtner | Johnnie Lyne-Pirkis |
Extensions
A total of seven download extensions were released that contain new armor sets including matching weapons:
- Blood relay set I.
- Blood Season Set II
- Protector of Aleroth Set I
- Protector of Aleroth Set II
- Rivellon Guardian Set:
- Wildlife Set I.
- Wildlife Set II
Versions
When it was first published, a Collector's Edition appeared alongside the normal version . This includes a box with a standing figure (about 20 cm), a high-quality fabric card, a soundtrack EP, a reversible poster (A3) and a temporary tattoo.
On October 16, 2010, Larian published the Divinity Anthology , a collection of all previously published parts of the Divinity series, with the exception of the add-on Flames of Vengeance . The number was limited to 25,000 copies.
Since feedback came from many players and trade magazines that the technical side of the main game and the add-on were not satisfactory, Larian Studios decided to bring out a completely revised version. This extensively revised version was released on October 29, 2010 as Divinity 2 - The Dragon Knight Saga for the PC, the Xbox 360 version followed on November 12, 2010. It contains a revised version of the main game and the add-on Flames of Vengeance , as well as all download extensions that have already appeared. The total cost of the Dragon Knight Saga version was 6.5 million euros.
On October 31, 2012, a Developer's Cut Edition was released on the online distribution platforms Steam and GOG.com . It contains the main game plus the add-on Flames of Vengeance and a developer mode .
In October 2012, with the release of the Developer's Cut Edition, a campaign started on the online distribution platform GOG.com , where the Divinity Anthology Edition could be bought at the price that the buyer wanted to pay himself. The more they paid, the more content the buyer got. In addition, Larian Studios published behind-the-scenes videos after reaching certain sales figures.
reception
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The game received mixed ratings ( Metacritic : 72 out of 100 (Win) / 62 (Xbox 360), game rankings : 71.04% / 63.89%) and was compared several times in German-language magazines with the Gothic series , Diablo and Oblivion .
The trade magazine GameStar praised the essentially successful plot in its test, although it has narrative sloppiness. The quest density and its variable solution options were particularly emphasized. The character development, which only requires a meaningful increase in talents, was compared with its predecessors and the game Diablo . The pure graphic quality was compared with the game Fallout 3 or Oblivion , where Fallout 3 would look much nicer than Ego Draconis , but the game world would not appear as sterile as in Oblivion .
In their test, the PC Games recognized that the gameplay is heavily geared towards fighting, but is equipped with a story twist and has a high density of quests that don't get boring, as well as funny ideas. The biggest points of criticism for the magazine are the operation and the interface, which at first glance would reveal too little information, such as who would have issued the quest at all. While too much information would be revealed at second glance, as every conversation related to the quest is written down and logged word for word.
The side Gamona said in its test that the quests are very loving, which is a particularly important criterion for role playing games. The interaction with NPCs was also praised. So NPCs who say at the end of a conversation "I'm going to be on my way" would really be on my way and would not then "stand around stupidly around". The game is referred to as a classic role-playing game in the style of the computer game Gothic . Bigger points of criticism were the combat system, which seemed too superficial and degenerated into a constant click à la Diablo.
The page 4Players stated in their test that the game reminds of Gothic , Oblivion and Co. in its glory moments . A tower to be conquered, but which only marks a small stage, reminds the magazine of Sauron's tower from the Lord of the Rings novels. The game was compared several times with the Gothic series in the test . Character development is not as free as in Gothic , but it is possible to expand all special features of all classes. The fights are based more on an action role-playing game than Gothic, says the magazine. Individual opponents should hardly be dangerous, similar to Gothic in larger groups nevertheless represent an enormous danger. Extinct areas, such as those found in Gothic 3 , do not exist with Ego Draconis .
The games portal Gameswelt also found parallels to the Gothic series. The combat system works similarly to that of Gothic . Great tactical skills are not necessary in combat, only the distribution of skills is decisive. It was criticized that there is no good-or-bad system and so all residents usually react the same way to the hero. Just like the magazine Gamestar, the Gameswelt portal compared the game with Oblivion and came to the conclusion that Divinity 2: Ego Draconis does not work as clinically as Oblivion and that there is already something to be admired at every corner of the starting area.
The Looki portal criticized the story, although it was nice, but it was only partially captivating. There are also minor display errors and disdainful water displays in the game. The game offers an extensive game world with sometimes boring jump-'n'-run passages. Bigger points of criticism are the compass and the map, which are not very informative. The ranged combat system has been criticized for making it unnecessarily difficult to target automatically. The main story could be explained in three paragraphs, but every now and then offers nice cuts and surprises.
IGN Entertainment said in their review that the longer you play, the better the game gets. IGN had seen this kind of fantasy world dozen of times before, for example in Risen or in Dragon Age: Origins . The story itself is interesting enough after it has picked up speed, but it is filled with ridiculous fantasy clichés. This is justified, for example, with the magician Zandalor, who wears a blue robe with stars, a fluffy beard and a pointed hat. Regarding the game world, IGN says that it is full of people and fantastic creatures, each with their own way of fighting.
The games tips page praised and criticized the game world at the same time. You would find books everywhere, this would have been staged more coherently than in Gothic 3 , but not as intensely as in The Witcher . The graphic level didn't even reach the level of the previously published Drakensang , but the game still looks neat and stylish. The combat system is even more hectic than that of the Gothic series and leaves the player less freedom.
Of Computer Bild Spiele the "big" game world and the "good story with many tasks" were praised. It was criticized that there was no route display for orders.
The Dragon Knight Saga edition received mostly good ratings from English-language websites and magazines ( Metacritic : 82 out of 100 (Win) / 72 (Xbox 360), game ratings : 83.20% / 72.69%). Divinity 2 - The Dragon Knight Saga was also partially tested by German-language magazines for the Xbox 360. It received an average rating of 2.05 on Computer Bild based on three reviews.
Awards and sales success
Divinity 2: Ego Draconis won various Editors Choice Awards on rpgwatch.com, gbase.ch and that of the Russian "LKI game magazine".
Divinity 2: Ego Draconis was so successful that it sold out for a few days. The main game drew great displeasure from the community and the trade press because of its end, as the player "loses".
Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga took second place in the 2010 Game of the Year Awards - Best RPG by RPG-Watch. The readers could also vote and chose the game in third place.
In 2010, the French magazine jeuxvideo.com voted Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga the best PC and Xbox 360 game of the year. The Dragon Knight Saga edition won several Editors Choice Awards like Divinity 2: Ego Draconis .
Sales figures
According to the website vgchartz.com, the game and the add-on in all released versions have sold around 370,000 times.
Flames of Vengeance (add-on)
| Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance | |||
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Larian Studios
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| Publisher |
dtp entertainment
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
July 30, 2010 |
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| platform | Windows , Xbox 360 | ||
| Game engine | Gamebryo | ||
| genre | role playing game | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Keyboard , mouse | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | 1 DVD-ROM , download | ||
| language | including German | ||
| Current version | 1.03 | ||
| Age rating |
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Divinity 2 - Flames of Vengeance was released on July 30, 2010. It immediately continues the story of Divinity 2: Ego Draconis . The main game is required to play.
action
The starting point of the plot is the advance of Damian's armies to Aleroth. Zandalor, a mage who has already helped conquer the dragon tower, creates a protective shield spell to protect the city from attacks. Damian's armies bomb the shield and Zandalor can only maintain the protective shield for a few days.
At this point in time, Behrlihn, a loyal follower of Damian, uses his magical abilities to penetrate the demi-world Hypnerotomachnia in order to free the hero trapped there. Behrlihn wants the hero to free him from his grave deep below Aleroth. In return, he promises to free Lucian the Divine from Hypnerotomachnia and to give the hero the powerful artifact called "Eye of the Patriarch" with which it is possible to stop Damian's armies. With no alternatives available to him, the hero agrees.
Behrlihn frees the hero and lets him step into the world in Aleroth. Like Ygerna before, Behrlihn speaks to the hero and gives him instructions and advice. Five clues have to be found to get to Behrlihn's prison below Aleroth. But Bellegar, a powerful wizard who only speaks rhyming, tries to prevent this.
After the player has managed to find all five clues against Bellegar's resistance, the player can visit Behrlihn's grave. In the grave, the hero meets Bellegar again. This gives the player character the choice of freeing Behrlihn or instead let him help him defeat Damian's armies. If he decides in favor of Behrlihn, Bellegar teleports away, Behrlihn is released and the latter gives the hero the patriarch's eye. He does not free Lucian and, as the player could already foresee, joins Damian. If the player chooses Bellegar, the hero gives the hero an artifact that has power similar to the eye of the patriarch, and Behrlihn remains trapped.
Zandalor then wants to advance by zeppelin to Damian's Flying Palace to drop a bomb there. As a dragon, you escort the zeppelin to the palace. But only Ygerna and Behrlihn, if the player has released him, are there.
Regardless of how many life points the ship has when it arrives, it falls into Damian's palace and explodes. Then the hero is in Hypnerotomachnia and meets Ygerna and possibly Behrlihn again in the final battle. Ygerna's death breaks Lucian's prison and he and the hero return to Aleroth.
Gameplay
The character can be imported from the last saved game to Divinity 2: Ego Draconis . Depending on the score, this must be played up to the extro sequence of the main game. The complete equipment and the decisions regarding the dragon tower are taken over. Alternatively, a new character can be created. This starts at level 35 and with 45,000 gold coins. He has minimal armor and no weapons or jewelry. The servants of the dragon tower are probably chosen at random. The game principle of the add-on has only changed slightly compared to the main game.
| German-speaking area | ||
|---|---|---|
| publication | Rating | |
| GameStar | 86% (Win) | |
| Games world | 77% (Win) | |
| Gamona | 79% | |
| Looki | 82% (Win) | |
| PC Games | 81% (Win) | |
| Game tips | 80% | |
| International | ||
| IGN US | 6.0 / 10 (Win) | |
| Meta-ratings | ||
| GameRankings | 68.75% (Win) | |
| Metacritic | 72/100 (Win) 70/100 (X360) |
|
Reviews
The add-on received mixed ratings ( Metacritic : 72 out of 100 (Win) / 70 (Xbox 360), game rankings : 68.75%).
The trade magazine GameStar described the add-on as a happy-end add-on. The story would come to an end with many very interesting and entertaining quests. The voice actors did an excellent job, but they played a lot of roles. Flames of Vengeance is said to be a compressed version of the main game.
The PC Games thinks that the add-on would result in the history of the hero to a worthy end. The humor of the main game also runs through the add-on. The beginning, in which the hero returns to Aleroth in a ball of energy with tense drum beats, is a grin, which is a clear swipe at the Terminator films. The biggest criticism of the add-on is that the extensive grounds of the main game are soft to the city of Aleroth and their narrow, underground passages.
The Gamona side said that the add-on does what it should: continue the interesting main story and offer even more fun. But it doesn't go beyond that either. The biggest points of criticism are the very changeable and sometimes unfair balancing. In general, improvements would only be made in detail.
The game portal Gameswelt believes that the add-on would not reinvent the role play wheel, but rather continue the main game in terms of game technology and content without any experiments or great innovations.
The Looki portal rated the “successful” level design and the “humorous story” as positive for the Windows version. Negative points of criticism were the incorrect balancing.
The Spieletipps page praised the “varied quests” for the Windows version. The balancing was rated negatively.
The add-on Flames of Vengeance received the gold award from the specialist magazine Gamestar.
Trivia
The game contains references to the following fictional characters:
- Baal , he's Damian's chief demon.
- Hansel and Gretel , Hansel loves Gretel and Gretel thinks that their names go wonderfully together. A monster appeared in her house. Hansel lured it to the market square with a trail of sausage and breadcrumbs, where it was captured. Gretel says that it was much worse when she and Hansel were captured by a witch in the forest.
- Terminator , the hero returns to Aleroth through a blue ball of electrical energy. It moves like in a movie. Typical Terminator music is played. In addition, the hero says: "I'll be back" (English: "I'll be back").
- Power Rangers : After the player has visited the grave of a dragon in the Orobas Fjords and leaves again, several characters appear, the so-called Dragon Terror Patrol (dtp the name of the publisher), which take the typical formation of the Power Rangers and how they appear .
One of the possible publishers said that Belgium is known for not having any artists. As a result, a character was created in the game, which is supposed to symbolize the publisher and is emotionally connected to a chicken. If the chicken is killed, the soul bond will cause the character to also die.
Bellegar is a powerful wizard who speaks only in rhyme. While it is rather secondary in the main game, it has a significant role in the add-on for the main story.
In the game, after the player has killed 30 rabbits, a huge one, the so-called killer rabbit, appears. After it is killed by the player, the achievement "Rabbit Tusk" is unlocked. The killer rabbit is a reference to Monty Python .
Continuations of the Divinity series
On August 6, 2013, Divinity: Dragon Commander , a mix of diplomacy, tactics and real-time strategy, was released. The player plays the Dragon Prince of Rivellon, who conquers the empire using real-time strategy battles. On the battlefield, the player can also be present in his dragon form and actively intervene in the battle.
Another role-playing game, Divinity: Original Sin , was released in 2014 . It takes place before Beyond Divinity in terms of time . It is shown in isometric view and has a co-op mode .
Web links
- divinity2.de , official website
- Divinity 2: Ego Draconis at MobyGames (English)
- Divinity 2: Flames of Vengeance at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Developer video , included with the Dragon Knight Saga as bonus material
- ↑ Games that use the Gamebryo engine
- ↑ a b download page ( EXE ; 2.0 GB). Official website, last accessed July 30, 2013.
- ↑ Prehistory of the Dragon Knights
- ↑ Prehistory 1
- ↑ Prehistory 2
- ↑ Prehistory 3
- ↑ a b c d e game world source 2
- ↑ a b game world source 4
- ↑ a b c d game world source 1
- ↑ a b c game world source 3
- ↑ a b c d e f g Gamestar video.Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ↑ looki review and source
- ↑ a b c d Gamestar Video Add-on. Accessed July 31, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d e f g page 2 of the GS test.Retrieved July 31, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d e developer diary, enclosed with the Dragon Knight Saga as bonus material
- ↑ a b General information and tips about the game
- ↑ YiYa Review
- ↑ pcgames.de page 3 of the test
- ↑ Gamesworld Info
- ↑ Eurogamer Preview Preview on eurogamer.de
- ↑ pcgames.de page 5 of the test
- ↑ gamezone.de test Serves as a reference for the paragraph in which it was linked and the platforms below
- ↑ Interview with the founder of Larian Studios rpgwatch Interview on rpgwatch.com
- ↑ Press release dtp press release on gamestar.de
- ↑ ' Divinity 2: Ego Draconis (PC) product details . On: dtp-entertainment.com. April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Divinity 2: Ego Draconis (Xbox 360) product details . On: dtp-entertainment.com. April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Developer diary pp. 90 and 91, enclosed with the Dragon Knight Saga.
- ↑ makinggames contribution to the cinematic films of the game. ( Memento of the original from August 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Source the first picture in the plot section . On: gamestar.de
- ↑ readme.txt, enclosed with the Dragon Knight Saga.
- ↑ Interview and background about the game
- ↑ FAQ about the add-on
- ↑ Interview with the composer of the game
- ↑ vgmdb.net soundtrack list
- ↑ List of speakers
- ↑ Dialog lines and word volume
- ↑ English speakers
- ↑ DLCs on mobygames.com
- ↑ Collectors Edition and gold status
- ^ Divinity Anthology
- ↑ Developer diary p. 89, enclosed with the Dragon Knight Saga.
- ↑ Divinity II - The Dragon Knight Saga
- ↑ exact cost allocation of the Dragon Knight saga
- ↑ Developers Cut on Steam
- ↑ Developers Cut on GOG.com
- ↑ Pay what you want action
- ^ Divinity series - "Pay What You Want" campaign on GoG
- ↑ a b 4players.de
- ↑ a b computerbild.de
- ↑ Kevin VanOrd: Test "Divinity 2". In: GameSpot . CBS Corporation , January 8, 2010, accessed May 29, 2014 .
- ↑ a b gamestar.de
- ↑ a b Test and evaluation of the games world
- ↑ a b gamona.de
- ↑ Testing the PC version
- ↑ a b test looki.de
- ↑ a b pcgames.de
- ^ Matthias Oertel: Test "Divinity 2". 4players.de, May 10, 2009, accessed May 29, 2014 .
- ↑ Charles Onyett: Test "Divinity 2". ign.com, January 15, 2010, accessed May 29, 2014 .
- ↑ a b Metacritic : Average rating of the Windows version , based on 43 articles. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
- ↑ a b Metacritic : Average rating of the Xbox 360 version , based on 37 articles. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Gamerankings : Average Windows rating , based on 23 articles. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
- ↑ Game ratings : Average Xbox 360 rating , based on 36 articles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
- ↑ IGN test
- ↑ Test game tips
- ↑ Metacritic : Evaluation of the Windows version , based on 9 articles. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Metacritic : Average rating of the Xbox 360 version , based on 13 articles. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Gamerankings : Average Windows rating , based on 5 articles. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Gamerankings : Average Windows 360 rating , based on 13 articles. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ↑ computerbild.de Average grade Dragon Knight Saga
- ↑ Editors Choice Awards rpgwatch.com
- ↑ Awards Divinity 2: Ego Draconis
- ↑ Message 1 about the current unavailability
- ↑ Message 2 about the current unavailability and review ( memento of the original from March 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Developer diary p. 89, enclosed with the Dragon Knight Saga.
- ↑ Dragon Knight Saga Game of the Year Awards 2010 rpgwatch.com
- ↑ Awards Dragon Knight Saga
- ↑ Sales statistics on vgchartz.com
- ↑ Add-on release date . On: dtp-entertainment.com. August 28, 2010.
- ↑ a b gamestar.de
- ↑ a b Gameswelt add-on test
- ↑ a b gamona.de
- ↑ a b looki.de add-on test
- ↑ a b pcgames.de
- ↑ a b game tips add-on test
- ↑ IGN test add-on
- ↑ a b Gamerankings : Average Windows 360 rating , based on 36 articles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
- ↑ a b Metacritic : Average rating of the Windows version , based on 4 articles. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
- ↑ a b Metacritic : Average rating of the Xbox 360 version , based on 6 articles. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
- ↑ gamestar Gold Award
- ↑ Add-on test with reference to the two and their history
- ↑ Source 1 Killer Rabbit & Monty Python
- ↑ Source 2 killer rabbits
- ↑ Source 3 Killer Rabbits and Success
- ↑ Preview Dragon Commander
- ↑ Preview Original Sin
