Beyond Divinity Reviews

A couple of favorable reviews for Larian Studios’ Beyond Divinity hit the ‘net yesterday. The first is at RPGVault with the following conclusion:

It should be clear by now that Beyond Divinity is by no means a flawless product. The story isn’t as strong during the first two acts, not providing the same sense of motivation and guidance as later on. There are also questions and issues with respect to graphics, balance, the interface and bugs. On the other hand we have interesting new locations and communities such as the Imp Village, Raanaar rebels, Black Ring members and the grand Citadel that manage to break away somewhat from the general mold of fantasy RPGs. Combine that with tens of hours worth of sub-quests and a pretty good narrative during the final acts, and you have an interesting role-playing experience. Despite the new features and changes such as the battlefields, the promised tactical party combat and the reworked skill system, it doesn’t necessarily surpass that of the original Divine Divinity. However, anyone longing for something more depth than the hack and slash gameplay of recent action RPGs should definitely consider giving it a try.

And the second is at eToyChest with an overall score of 90%:

While neither a step forward nor a step back for Larian, this is more of a step to the side. If you liked Divine Divinity, you’ll love the follow-up. If you like RPGs, in general, you’ll love Beyond Divinity. It has a few minor flaws, but the overwhelming amount of fun this game offers more than makes up for it. The guys at Larian, just like their peers at Black Isle, Bethesda and Obsidian, are fans of this genre, and they know what makes a good RPG. While it remains to be seen what direction the series goes in, I firmly believe we’re seeing the beginnings of a major new series, along the lines of Ultima or Wizardry, and that’s exciting. If you’re even remotely interested in role-playing games on the PC, you owe it to yourself to give Beyond Divinity a purchase.