Divinity: Dragon Commander Preview

In case you have dreamed to be able to turn into a dragon with a jetpack since you were a child, you might want to read this hands-on preview for Divinity: Dragon Commander from Gaming Illustrated. Sampling ahead:
At its core, Divinity: Dragon Commander is a RTS game. While discussions with other characters take place on the mothership, the base is also home to the strategy map. Players will map out their attacks and take over surrounding countries in turn-based gameplay. Units and transportation can be purchased and moved into those countries accordingly. When opposing units come into contact in the same country, battles begin.

Combat will be familiar to players who have any experience with RTS games as gameplay is pretty standard. Buildings throughout the map can be captured and used to build factories and barracks. Those factories can in turn be used to produce new units, including land troops, flying air units and boats that destroy by sea. Once all of one player's units are destroyed, the game is over.

However, gameplay in Divinity: Dragon Commander is anything but standard. While combat is going on, players have a potentially game-changing ability in their back pocket. When battles are just not going right, players can take the form of a dragon and dive into war with third-person style gameplay. Dragons are equipped with a jetpack to quickly fly to units who need the most help. Then, dragons can unleash hell on opponents. When fire-breathing beasts are defeated, players will have to wait through a respawn period before they can enter the battlefield again. This makes RTS combat fast-paced and satisfying. Even when losing, players can wreak havoc using a dragon in a jetpack.

In addition, RTS gameplay is supplemented by card game elements. According to Namdar, Larian founder Swen Vincke is a big fan of the genre and wanted to add old-school board game elements into Divinity: Dragon Commander. Card gameplay occurs on the turn-based map before combat is about to take place. Players earn cards throughout the game and can use the specific abilities of the cards to supplement their RTS attacks.