Before Larian developed Baldur’s Gate 3, one of the best role-playing games of all time, they laid the foundation for success with another RPG series. You can now secure the first part at an all-time low price.
What is this RPG series? Since 2002, Larian Studios has been developing games for the Divinity universe, switching between genres with initial lack of success. This only changed when the team led by studio founder Swen Vincke moved away from traditional publisher partnerships and went all in on their vision.
Through crowdfunding and their own reserves, they financed the role-playing game Divinity: Original Sin, which was released in June 2014 and already possessed many of the qualities that would make Baldur’s Gate 3 one of the best role-playing games of all time a few years later.
These qualities include the complex role-playing system, the engaging turn-based combat that allows for environmental interactions and manipulation, as well as the enormous degree of freedom in exploring the world and completing quests.
The mix excited enough RPG fans that the developers could release the significantly more polished sequel, Divinity: Original Sin 2, about three years later – which ultimately paved the way for Baldur’s Gate 3 due to its success.
The trailer for Divinity – Original Sin 2:
No unicorn is born from nothing
Why was Original Sin important for BG3? When industry experts and other developers or publishers talk about Baldur’s Gate 3, they not only praise the immense quality of the RPG, but also like to emphasize that something like this may never be replicated. Larian’s latest role-playing game is therefore often referred to as a “unicorn,” because such a thing simply doesn’t happen regularly.
An important reason for this: The team at Larian started the development of Baldur’s Gate 3 only after the completion of Divinity: Original Sin 2, but in truth BG3 builds on a foundation that the developers have been working on since at least 2013 – namely in the form of the engine that was first used in Divinity: Original Sin.
All the lessons learned during this development benefited the sequel, Original Sin 2. Ultimately, Baldur’s Gate 3 reaped the benefits of the insights gained from this second production.
Which other studio can take ten years to – without pressure from an external financier – continually improve a functioning RPG foundation across three games?
One might find something similar at the big names like Naughty Dog (Uncharted, The Last of Us) or Rockstar Games (GTA, Red Dead Redemption), which have been refining their respective successful formulas for many years due to their success and reputation.
Is Original Sin still worth it today? Even though D: OS does not reach the quality of its successor or Baldur’s Gate 3 and offers less in terms of humor, German localization, AI, and camera attack points, you will still find a fantastic RPG here that can keep you entertained for 50+ hours – and that’s in the Enhanced Edition from 2015, which is currently only €3.99 on Steam.
We can also highly recommend the sequel, Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is not too far from BG3 in terms of quality and is also on sale for a lower price on Steam. Unlike the first part, the current price of €13.49 for the sequel is not historically low. The historically low price is €12.23 … and there’s a reason for that!
Anyone who treats themselves to The Source Saga bundle on Steam with both parts will save even more, as it only costs €12.23. With both RPGs together, you’ll be easily occupied for 100+ hours.
Of course, there are many more exciting role-playing games on Steam with which you can enhance your Christmas days. Ah, to be able to experience the first time playing Witcher 3, Persona 5, and Nier: Automata again… that would be something. You can find a list of numerous recommendations here: The 14 best role-playing games on Steam
