Divinity: Original Sin Funded, New Stretch Goals

Divinity: Original Sin has been on Kickstarter for just under three weeks and has already passed its goal by $100,000. It’s another game for Larian Studio’s Divinity series that launched in 2002 with Divine Divinity.

The new game retains that feel of a traditional, isometric viewpoint RPG. Click around to move, stumble across hostiles and you’ll switch into the turn-based combat mode. You can play solo or with a drop-in, drop-out companion across a network. Each player character can hire their own mercenary in the tavern for extra firepower and if you choose to use magic, you can also summon creatures to fight for you.

Harking back to RPGs of the late 90s and early 2000s, many of your actions within the game will be reflected back to you by the NPCs. Accidentally set fire to the docks and the whole town will rise up against you. Stand up for an orc’s right to freedom and some people will have respect for you. Others will become openly hostile but frankly, that’s their problem, not yours.

Characters are classless, developing skills across six different schools – melee, ranged and four magic schools of fire, earth, wind and water. There is friendly fire so try not to drop fireballs on your melee companion. Loot drops are free-for-all, so be careful who you play with. This is teamwork at its best and worst, all in one package. Fortunately, money drops are split between the team. I think.

In co-op, both players have a say in the dialogue options. From time to time you’ll be able to make decisions. Sure, you could discuss things outside the game but Original Sin lets you choose what what you want to say and uses your skills to decide who wins out. Choose an intimidating line while your partner tries to charm and the stronger-willed person succeeds. Of course, you don’t know which will work best on the character you’re speaking to.

You’ll also be able to discuss new quests with each other. These little side-discussions will change your stats, gaining points in compassion, contempt and other social attitudes.

Larian Studios have just released a new video that demonstrates this very thing. In it, you’ll see a pair of Source Hunters (that’ll be you) venture into a haunted lighthouse, talking to a ghost and then some guards about what they’ve discovered. In the case of the guards, they both chose to do the same thing and this is reflected in the dialogue.

Later in the video, you’ll see a fully explorable dungeon that you’ll never be sent to by an NPC. I love this sort of thing.

Reaching the $500,000 goals means Larian have confirmed a new Homestead area on the Shelter Plane at the End of Time. In here, you can browse through the Transcript of Unravelled Destinies to see the effect that your actions had upon the world. From the Kickstarter update:

“By flicking through its pages, you will learn about what happened to all those people whose lives you affected. Did the young couple you reunited live happily ever after? Did that swindler you dragged to court really learn the error of his ways?

Did you impact past or present and did you thereby influence the future? Can you jump back to reality and still make changes?”

Seeing the consequences of my actions is probably my favourite part of RPGs. While that will all be apparent in-game, it’s pretty handy have this reference as well for areas that you may forget to revisit.

Divinity: Original Sin is being developed initially for PC, with console and mobile versions still under consideration. Learn more about the game from the Kickstarter and the official website.

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