Before Larian Studios developed the massive hit, Baldur’s Gate III, the studio had released a number of games in its original Divinity franchise. Divinity: Original Sin remains one of my favorite RPGs, and Divinity: Original Sin II pretty much expanded on everything that made the first game great.
I loved the sense of humor in those games. You can see a lot of that DNA in Baldur’s Gate III. I also loved the creativity of approach. You could take the Talk With Animals skill and use it to have illuminating (and sometimes useful) conversations with local cows, for instance. In combat, coating the floor with oil and then setting it ablaze was always a good strategy. (There were earlier games in the Divinity series, but I came aboard with Original Sin).
Baldur’s Gate III, of course, is a much bigger game and a much more financially successful game than Larian’s previous titles. With that success – and a sizable warchest – it’s no great shock that the studio is returning to Divinity for its next RPG. Just Divinity now, which is a good name for a video game. Less unwieldy than Divinity: Original Sin.
The cinematic trailer is . . . a lot. It’s age-gated, so I can’t embed it here but I include the link below. There’s feasting, celebration, bonfires . . . self-flagellation, graphic sex, torture, dark magic. Like I said, it’s a lot. Very much a NSFW trailer, very grimdark and pretty damn cool. I can’t wait for this game, though I’m sure it will be years before I get my hands on it.
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Swen Vincke, founder and game director of Larian Studios, said in a statement that this is the biggest project Larian has ever worked on, which is pretty exciting given how big and expansive Baldur’s Gate III was.
“Despite our long history with the series, this is our first game entitled ‘Divinity,’” Vincke said. “We’re ready to bring everything we’ve done previously into one place. This marks the beginning of something with more breadth, depth, and intimacy than anything we’ve created before. We’ve been building toward this moment ever since we took our fate into our own hands. This is the Divinity we’ve always wanted to make and you’re going to have loads of fun with it.”
According to Larian, you don’t need any previous experience with the Divinity franchise, though those who do will “be able to enjoy greater understanding and continuity.” They’re great games, so you might as well play them if you enjoyed Baldur’s Gate III.
Watch the age-restricted trailer on YouTube. Check out the game’s website here. The Game Awards has featured a number of RPG reveals this year, including the new Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic single-player RPG with Mass Effect director Casey Hudson directing, and a new D&D RPG called Warlock.
