‘Healer, use the Source …’

Wait, shouldn’t that be “Luke, use the Force?” The Source or the Force. Let’s see. “The Source is an energy field that surrounds each and every living thing.” So far that sounds the same. “By linking minds to it, we can draw on life-giving power …” Maybe that's where the two concepts diverge. However, in both Star Wars and Divine Divinity, the Source and the Force have something in common – there is a great disturbance in each.

Divine Divinity, a PC program from Larian Studios and CDV, has rather obvious parallels to other concepts, and the game does suffer from a slowing of action at odd times – which can happen more often if at a minimum install rather than the maximum install. However, if you can get past all that, the game does have its merits and should give role-playing fans a quick fix.

As the story goes, black monks called forth Divinity, in an attempt to destroy her. However, quite the contrary happened. Instead of being destroyed, she fragmented and pieces of her entered other people from throughout the countryside. Your avatar happens to be one of those. Caught in the words by foul creatures and battling for your life, the fragment of Divinity hits you and you lie unconscious. A healer finds you and tends to your wounds, nursing you back to life. But there is misfortune and trouble in his village.

The village elder, a powerful wizard, is besieged mentally, and the Source, that power which helps the healers do their job, is disrupted. A plague is running through a nearby town, and the surrounding woods are infested with evil armies. Even though the rest of the people you encounter don’t believe your avatar can affect anything, you are going to give it a try.

The avatars you pick run in three categories: survivor, hero or wizard. Each has their inherent skills, but you can cross-train. And in many ways, this is an adventure of discovery. Your character seems to have a bit of a memory loss, and doesn’t truly understand the power that he or she has been imbued with.

Graphically, the game is set up a little like Diablo II. The same low cloud-level perspective is used to view your avatar as he or she walks through this land. There are a variety of puzzles, side quests and a huge mapboard to discover. When it comes to interaction with characters within the game, there are some anomalies, but the overall exercise can be rewarding. Cutscenes, a tad overacted, set up certain scenarios, and you can obediently follow up for side quests. There is booty to be had in accomplishing some of the tasks.

The conversation is menu oriented. You have a choice of what your character will say, and the whole conversation can rotate in a circle so that you can eventually ask everything in the menu.

The anomalies occur in unlikely areas. In the opening moments of the game, you are told that you can purchase equipment from the local merchant. However, if you plunder a neighboring garden of certain plants, which are a drug craved by the merchant, and give it to him, he doesn’t seem to mind if you plunder his store for decent equipment. Wandering through homes and taking whatever you find doesn’t affect your reputation. Some of the puzzles can be rather simple.

The sound boasts solid music and some overacting in the voice characterization department, but overall, it is well done.

Graphically the game is a mixed bag. The environments have interactive elements, which are immediately recognizable when you pass your cursor over them. The game is colorful and the special effects are well done. The animation is stilted. Some characters move fluidly, while others move rather awkwardly. The combat can be a little bloody.

The game does have moments of slowing when installed at the minimum level. At the maximum level, there were still a few instances when the characters seemed to be mired in mud, but those moments happened infrequently.

This is a game that most certainly will suffer from comparisons to other games or media. The gameplay is akin to Diablo II (Blizzard) or even Revenant (Eidos) for that matter. Does it entertain? Yes. Does it intrigue? Yes. It may not be the RPG that everyone is waiting for, but it does have some nice twists and turns, and is an enjoyable outing.

This game is rate Teen for violence and blood.

Gameplay: 6.9
The game seems to have problems in game speed, especially at the minimum install, causing it to slow down at odd moments. Your character will be walking, then suddenly go into slow motion. This can be frustrating. The effect does occur, albeit infrequently, if you install at the maximum level. Fog-of-war keeps the mapboard hidden, and load times between environments, is quick.

Graphics: 7.8
The look of the game is quite good. Walking past a pond reveals wonderful wavering reflections. The environments are very well done. Some of the animation seems a little awkward – characters walking with arms in strange positions and gliding rather than with the jostle naturally associated with walking. This is quite obvious when other characters do have the natural movement. The special effects are well done.

Sound: 7.8
The musical score is very good. The effects are solid, and the vocal characterizations are, for the most part, well done.

Difficulty: Medium
The game does present a variety of challenges, and does sport different difficulty levels.

Concept: 7
This is a game that borrows from a lot of sources, in a very obvious manner, for its content. That is not unique to this program, however a little more subtlety could have been used. That said, Divine Divinity does manage to pull it all together in a playable gaming experience.

Overall: 7.8
This program has a few stumbles and stutters, but still manages to present an entertaining game experience. The storyline is a little more in-depth than Diablo II though the general look and gameplay is similar, but when it comes to actual RPG depth, Divine Divinity comes up a little short compared to Neverwinter Nights or Icewind Dale II. There can be some frustrations with gameplay, but the overall experience is a positive one.