This game is the real deal. It is a modern Baldur's Gate/Ultima VII that really raises the bar for interactivity and freedom in a western RPG. However, it does demand your undivided attention. Divinity: Original Sin is NOT a game that you can pick up and play offhandedly. The world and characters are rich and the game makes no effort to hold your hand through any of it. When you want something, you have to reach out and grab it yourself. For many players, this could be an obstacle. I had a lot of fun discovering the different ways I could use objects and the environment in all the different situations. I struggled at first with D:OS, because I was limiting myself to using what I had learned in other RPGs that were much more shallow when it came to interactivity.

From the outset, you're allowed to walk into areas you clearly are not yet meant to see. You're allowed to progress quests that are too dire for you. You are allowed to do absolutely anything you want after the brief introduction. You can fight guards (and probably die), you can rob people, you can accuse people of things they did not commit. There's no "perfect" game, and especially refreshing is the fact that there is no good-evil continuum. There are only actions and reactions. The first barrier to new players is realizing that there is no point at which the game will solve a problem for you.

The second barrier is realizing that this is a game where it pays to think as if it was real life. If you can't find a key, you can bash the door down. If someone has something you want.. well, you can satisfy their request in exchange for the item... or you can buy it from them (EVERY NPC can be bartered with). Or, you can simply kill them and take it. You can kill that person, but the people they know might be overcome with sadness and become unwilling to help. If they know you killed them, their friends might just try to kill you. If you find a pumpkin, you can carve it with a knife and wear it on your head. If you pick up a bucket, you can also wear that, but it will be difficult to see. If you have the teleport spell, you can teleport enemies into objects for severe crushing damage. You can steal a candle from an inn and later use it to ignite a pool of oil in battle. Water and blood conduct electricity. And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of just how deep this game really is...

D:OS really covers its bases if you're somebody who gets extreme joy in thinking "outside-the-box". If you're on the fence in deciding whether or not to buy, I would say go ahead and pull the trigger. This game holds a ton of value, even with the current $40 price tag.

9.5/10