When we first reviewed Divinity: Original Sin 2 in 2017, we gave it a 9.6 for Amazing. Here’s what we said then:

Divinity: Original Sin 2 may have been designed in the spirit of decades-old RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 2, but that legacy serves only as a foundation for the expansive game Larian has built on top of it. Few other RPGs allow such a wide range of flexibility while also supporting rewarding combat and a powerful story. This will be remembered as one of the greats. - Leif Johnson

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“ Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the most beautiful looking isometric RPGs and that hasn’t changed.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch



Released: September 5, 2019 When I originally reviewed the Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition – this review that you’re reading now – I was shocked at how smoothly and seamlessly Larian Studios was able to translate a hardcore PC roleplaying game like Divinity 2 to consoles. It shouldn’t work. There are too many options, skills, interactive objects, and mechanics that require the familiar cascading dropdown menus and precision of a mouse to make work. But, lo and behold, the Definitive Edition on a console is as lossless an experience as you could hope to see.



That same spirit of “this shouldn’t work but somehow it does” is extended to the Nintendo Switch port of Divinity Original Sin 2: Definitive Edition. Somehow Larian has taken the massive scope and breadth of this 80- to 150-hour game and made it fit on the Nintendo Switch. And, though I should know better than to bet against Larian by now, I’m surprised by just how close the Switch port is to its PC counterpart. Loading Of course, the platform matters as much as the port, and while there are some issues inherent to running Divinity on the Switch, they’re equally offset by the positives – namely you can play this mega-RPG on the go, which should bump up the completion rate considerably for those who can’t spend 100 hours sitting at a PC. Like many games that ultimately come to the Switch, there’s a noticeable hit to the resolution, though I didn’t feel it was a big issue while playing in handheld mode unless I put my face right up against the screen – which you shouldn’t get in the habit of anyway. It’s a more glaring issue playing docked on a 1080p television – or worse, on a massive 4K display – but again, that’s part of the inherent trade-off for the flexibility and portability of this port, and it doesn’t look so much worse as to detract from a great game.



Fortunately, the excellent controller layout and user interface Larian cooked up for the Definitive Edition are once again tapped for the Switch version, and I found it as reliable here as I did in the other console ports – though I think the already diminished precision of a gamepad is further exacerbated by the Switch’s stubby thumbsticks.



Ultimately, Divinity Original Sin 2: Definitive Edition on Switch is an effective alternative to its console cousins if you know what your trading for it. Sure, some of the character portraits and assets might look a bit fuzzy and the resolution on a big TV isn’t going to win any awards, but you’re free to migrate your saves from PC to your handheld and play one of the best RPGs in recent memory on a plane, a train, or in an automobile. And the fact that’s even possible is incredible considering how huge, involved, and flexible a game like this is.



Bottom line – Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch stands as an equal to the other versions available, and is deserving of the same score I awarded the original release. For more information on the core experience, you can check out our original Divinity: Original Sin 2 review.





Quality Control

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Fantasy Friend and Foe

Now, the Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition refines and retools some elements of the first game that didn’t quite stick, as a free update for owners of the original on PC, and ushers that excellent isometric experience onto consoles for the first time. And that translation to console is skillfully executed, delivering one of the greatest RPGs in recent memory with near-lossless quality.Of the number of positive changes introduced in the Definitive Edition by developer Larian Studios, most will likely go unnoticed unless you’ve invested dozens of hours into the original. Things like fleshed out character stories and interactions, a no-pressure story mode, reworked and brand new fights, character pacing, a new comprehensive arena mode and more round out this Definitive Edition, and I’m most excited to see the largely rewritten third act when I finally get back to it.But the make-it-or-break-it element of the Definitive Edition on consoles is jamming an entire keyboard’s-worth of features onto the limited buttons of a controller. Fortunately, Divinity: Original Sin 2 on a gamepad is impressively intuitive. Through a series of radial and drop-down menus you’re only ever a few button presses away from doing whatever you want. While there are some few rough edges you don’t find on the PC, I’m still surprised by just how seamless traditionally complex mechanics like dividing your party, organizing your inventory, or managing your action bar perform on Larian’s controller layout, with the area search feature for easy looting being my favorite consideration.However, as expected, cursor precision on the controller isn’t as spot-on as with a mouse. Larian has included settings to cope – like a tactical camera and character highlights to help differentiate friend from foe – but I still occasionally found myself accidently attacking the ground or buffing an enemy instead of my character. But these one-off inconveniences are the exception to the rule – Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition works brilliantly on a gamepad.That intuitive translation extends to the two-player local, and four-player online cooperative modes as well. Locally, the screens seamlessly split and rejoin based on proximity, and swapping ownership of characters is a breeze. And though I spent over 100 hours playing Divinity 2’s original release all by my lonesome, I can definitely see myself easily making the transition to re-discovering Divinity: Original Sin 2 with good friends in a cooperative setting.Finally, the new arena is what an armchair strategist like me has been wanting. Divinity Original Sin 2 has one of the best isometric-RPG tactical fighting systems, possibly ever, and it’s a consistent joy to see what kind of explosive or sly strategies you can employ. The arena mode – supporting one-to-four teams of one-to-four characters – is an endless pool of that fun as you craft strategies from the 16 playable characters pulled from Divinity lore. Facing other players online or locally, or just testing my mettle against the AI in increasingly hopeless odds is something I still haven’t grown tired of over a dozen matches later.