Divinity: Dragon Commander Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on August 8th, 2013

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As I floated high in the sky, surveying the land while my vast hordes of soldiers marched uncontested towards my foe's final citadel, the occasional control woes and frayed edges I encountered along the way didn't seem quite as glaring as they initially had. For whatever else Dragon Commander is, it's also a game that puts big issues on the main stage, then lets us reap the rewards and shoulder the consequences of their decisions without moral judgment. For that reason alone, it's worth a look.

My biggest worry with Dragon Commander was that it would feel too disjointed by having so many different components of gameplay, but I didn't feel like that was the case for most of the campaign. Very few games manage to combine genres while doing justice to them, so it's impressive that Larian was able to do so with genres synonymous with depth. Divinity: Dragon Commander is an excellently written and polished blend of action, RPG, and strategy that delivers on each front without feeling disjointed or glaringly weak in any one area. It's a game in which each component meshes together well as a whole package, and the end result is a fantastic genre mixing title that is both entertaining and thoughtfully constructed.

Overall I'm left rather disappointed by my experiences with this game. I really wanted to like it, as it's one of the only RTS games I've seen recently, but the RTS element was so fundamentally flawed that I ended up just auto calculating almost the entire campaign. It was good for a single play through, but for the little amount of entertainment time that offers, the $40 price tag is rather steep. Dragon Commander definitely isn't the genre reviving game I was hoping for.

In conclusion, I shouldn't like this game. I shouldn't encourage such shoddy game mechanics, nor should I approve of style over substance to such a degree. Yet I cannot help but have so much damn fun playing Dragon Commander. Allowing you not only to play as a dragon, but also role-play as a dragon results in an enormous amount of chaotic immersion, a strange mix between incredulous excitement and story-driven urges. The various choices you make throughout the game are sometimes silly, sometimes serious, but as you play more, you begin to become thoroughly invested in them, creating an image of the emperor you wish to be - whether or not you succeed in your goal. Ultimately, it is a question of personal taste, as with all games but even more so in this case. Are you able to stomach slightly dated graphics and unpolished gameplay for an interesting premise and exciting setting? Are you a fan of Funtasy and Steampunk? Ask yourself these questions, and if the answer is affirmative to both - then your choice will be a no-brainer. This is an excellently fun romp, an entertaining adventure that will keep a smile on your face as you vomit fire onto airship-flying imps.

As a game, for non RTS fans, there's something fun and quite accessible here although requiring a bit more attention than your typical action game. On easier settings it's quite possible to tear up the opposing forces with the dragon and ignore most of the tactical elements. On tougher settings, the RTS approach comes into its own with the dragon being used as additional force to boost the army rather than an instant win mechanic. There's a neat balance of gameplay styles which makes Divinity Dragon Commander stand out. If you are an RTS fan, then this is well worth checking out as there's lots to do and a cool game on offer here that will keep you entertained to the end of days.

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