14 DAY TRIAL // What we know:
Divinity: Original Sin is an upcoming role-playing game that threatens players with so much freedom they're likely to miss out on a lot of opportunities on account of not being used to certain advanced interactions within a video game.
Larian Studios have quite a history of strong RPG titles under their belt, and this time around they want to deliver a truly enthralling role-playing experience, drawing its lifeblood from old-school story-driven RPGs and at the same time offering modern visuals and innovative world interactions.
The game is built on the robust in-house engine that also runs Divinity: Dragon Commander, and will feature deep character development options with non-linear quest progression and a vast array of choices that will define who your character is (and will award bonuses/penalties accordingly).
There are no classes, character progression being based on 6 main stats, a lot of secondary stats, free allocation of skill points and a bunch more social stats that are progressed through choices in social interaction with the NPCs.
Combat will be turn-based, using an action point system that allows movement and ability use, and will feature friendly fire and the management of a party of up to four characters, with acting order based on individual initiative and advanced tactical features such as flanking and backstabbing.
Why it matters:
Divinity: Original Sin looks and feels up to date even from its alpha version. It represents the natural evolution of role-playing games, becoming more complex as technology offers increasingly more computing power, keeping in line with other genres.
The developers have been very bold in this endeavor, setting out to accomplish some never-before-seen feats that will truly push the envelope of the role-playing genre. The level of interaction between players and their environment will be unparalleled, should they be successful in their venture.
Players are presented with a myriad of choices that will have an impact on the world and their game experience. Larian Studios have declared that choices and consequences are very important for them, because they make the world feel alive and help provide a more natural and real experience.
The developers have already made a name for themselves with the previous installments in their Divinity series, and this is their most ambitious work yet. Thus, it remains to be seen what the future of role-playing games shapes up to be.
The game is officially scheduled for a February 2014 launch, and since December it has entered a backer-only alpha test.
We also covered the backer-only alpha test, so you can head up to Softpedia's Quick Look Into Divinity: Original Sin to find out more about the game.
Softpedia will also feature a full series of Incoming 2014 articles that will cover the most anticipated games of the year.