Divinity Wednesday #16

Larian Studios’ latest “Divinity Wednesday” update provides us with information about the mysterious Farglow, some new 360-degree screenshots, and an in-house interview with art lead Koen van Mirlo and writer Jan Van Dosselaer.

How does the world in Divinity II relate to the original game?

Jan: After visiting Nemesis in Beyond Divinity, the player now returns to Rivellon, the idyllic-yet-deadly setting of Divine Divinity. This of course implies that Divinity II and the original share perhaps the most important of features, which is the game world itself. Much has happened and much has changed though, so the game will present a journey of discovery for both newcomers and veterans. Those who played the other games will obviously have no true advantage that wouldn’t be fair but they can enjoy a certain level of intertextuality between our newest adventure and its predecessors. Examples of this can range from returning (main) characters to winks in texts and dialogues even the die-hards may not immediately spot. I’m really looking forward to seeing the forum members share them with one another on the Larian message boards.

What do you feel makes a great fantasy world?

Jan: From a story and writing point of view I’d say a great fantasy world is a harmonious one. By that I mean it is not merely an amalgam of loosely connected elements that may be enough to provide a fun, but fundamentally shallow game world. Rivellon is a place with a rich history and even though the player may not actually know that history, it is omnipresent, right beneath the surface and ready to be discovered should you wish to do so. There is nothing sterile about Rivellon and its inhabitants: everything and everybody has its own background, idiosyncrasies, beauties and flaws. I’m not just talking about the texts and characters either: the way the game looks, the architecture of towers and temples, the very way all locations have been decorated: it all adds to the atmosphere and history of Rivellon.

Koen: I tried to use these backgrounds as much as possible when creating the looks of certain factions. For instance, the looks of the Aleroth champions were designed with the ancient Romans in mind. Autocratic in nature, this trait is reflected in their architecture: huge and monumental. A proud people, their armours are intrinsically decorated with gold and silver.