“At some point, we should write about Divinity, right?”
“Yeah, we should, but that means we also have to replay it.”
“I can do it without replaying it.”
“Hm, I don’t think we remember it that well…”
“I think I would just write an essay about it.”
“Lol.”
“OK, well maybe not an essay, just, you know, a thing. A free-form passionate love letter. I won’t use pictures or the usual structure either.”
“Eh. We have a certain reputation to uphold as extremely trustworthy reviewers. Won’t we risk our integrity by reviewing a game we played more than four years ago?”
“It’s gonna be awesome. I will structure it like that Dr. Manhattan monologue. It will be artsy, trust me. And we can just put this conversation as an intro piece.”
Christmas eve, 2015
We’re just about to start a new game with my girlfriend. The year was rough, the rest we are about to have is well-deserved. We figure we will not wait for a Steam discount this time and instead just go ahead and buy that new game we read so much about. It’s supposed to be a fantasy co-op. We spend a lot of time setting up our characters. I am going to be a rogue. The game is colorful, the music is great, and I almost immediately find a shell on the beach, which is a crafting material. I can’t wait to see what you can craft from it.
End of January, 2020
I am starting my review, nay, memoirs, of the game, struggling with the concept of human language. Recreating the feeling of playing this particular game in those particular days with that particular person is damn well impossible, and yet I must try. I am listening to the soundtrack with manly tears.
December 25, 2015
We stayed up very late the previous night and got up very early today. We can’t get away from the game, all bodily functions are on reserve mode. We investigate a grisly murder in a sunny seaside town and then spend hours just looking at stuff. We discover that one of us can distract the shopkeepers while the other robs them. We find this endlessly fascinating. When we finally leave the town, we are immediately attacked by zombie kobolds. This is the first time my character disapprovingly shouts “My target is dancing in shadows!” after he misses a backstabbing opportunity.
Christmas Eve, 2014
We start the long-lasting tradition of Christmas co-op video game marathons. The first game we play is Borderlands. We take a picture of ourselves afterward with our characters on the monitor. That tradition turned out to be short-lived.
February 6, 2016
We finish the game today. It has a terrible ending, and the term “time dinosaur” is conned. And yet, at this moment, I can’t imagine loving a game any more than this.
Undisclosed Time, Many Times, All Over Time
We are discussing what we loved about this game so deeply and honestly. This is one of our favorite over-discussed topics – topics that we have already talked about so many times that we know exactly what the other will say, and we are long past the total agreement level, and yet we enjoy just saying these things out loud every once in a while. So. Was it the remarkable, totally unique, unforgettable soundtrack? The level of freedom we had never seen before in a game? The story and setup that was like it was custom-made for us? Or the childlike wonder that we felt whenever we discovered anything new? We ask again and again and again and joyfully discuss the same points for the umpteenth time.
End of December, 2015
One of our old allies turns against us after some serious (albeit hidden) character development moments. We can’t believe a video game can do that. The name of the ally burns into our memory forever.
December 27, 2015
We are on the way to watch Force Awakens for the first time. On the subway there, we mention how weird it is that it is possible that let’s say Han Solo will die in this movie, which means he is already dead for a lot of people, but not for us. That was a time when the whole world was enthusiastic about the new Star Wars saga, and everybody loved the new movie. Its aura played a beautiful background to the shining diamond that was Divinity for the remainder of the Christmas season. We had to watch it two more times during the following week. At home, we watched a lot of Robot Chicken Star Wars and started saying “that was pretty wizard” unironically.
Middle of January, 2016
I am a master crafter in the game and I and craft the best stuff. Every once in a while, my target dances in shadows. Occasionally I do a successful backstab and one-shot the enemy. In battles, I always open with placing my fire trap. I don’t like mages and their fancy AoE. Once again, we are on our way to discuss the magic time carpet with some leprechauns.
September, 2019
I am playing the old game, the first one, from 2002. Unbeknownst to me, the game is not only set in the same universe, and developed by the same company, the music was actually composed by the same guy who did Divinity. I am not prepared for the emotions it is going to cause. I will even make my wife play. We spend many nights playing the same game next to each other.
January 2, 2015
I am sad because Christmas is almost over, which means Divinity is almost over, at least for now.
December 23, 2019
We decided to bring Christmas ahead by one day, and start the second game today. I am going to be a rogue. Divinity 2 is OK. Fine, it’s good. Fine, it’s amazing. But it’s never going to be as perfect as the first one, at least not to me.
Undisclosed Time
Nothing can ever be as good as this game. Divinity: Original Sin achieved the highest honors I can give to a game: I do not want to risk any tiny piece of my memory to be overshadowed, so I am never playing it again.
Info
| Release Year | 2014 |
| Genre | RPG, Tactical Combat |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Number of Players | 1 to 2 |
| Length | 86 hours of gameplay, a lifetime worth of memories |
Rating
| Overall | Amazing |
| Story | Amazing |
| Co-Operation | Amazing |