Larian Comments on Divinity’s Combat System and Whether It Will Be Turn-Based or not
Larian CEO Swen Vincke has confirmed that the upcoming RPG Divinity will be keeping the turn-based gameplay that the studio has become known for over the years. Some gamers felt that, because it wasn’t confirmed during the official reveal, Larian could be moving away from turn-based gameplay for Divinity, but Vincke has quickly poured cold water on this idea.
In following up the critically and commercially successful Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian has a lot to live up to with Divinity. Long-term fans of the studio and the CRPG genre in general will already be familiar with the franchise, which had its last release with 2017’s Divinity: Original Sin 2. In fact, many BG3 fans actually flocked back to Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel in the wake of the new game’s announcement. Turn-based gameplay has always been in the studio’s DNA, and it felt as though Baldur’s Gate 3 was Larian refining that formula to a level it hadn’t previously. However, with Divinity going back to basics with its reboot-style name, some had raised the idea that the studio could be set to switch up and delve into the realm of real-time RPGs. However, it seems this won’t be the case for the developer, at least not at this point.
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Swen Vincke Says Divinity is Staying Turn-Based, Just Like Baldur’s Gate 3
Speaking to Bloomberg after Divinity‘s announcement at The Game Awards, Larian CEO Swen Vincke confirmed that the studio is sticking with its turn-based roots for its next game. “This is going to be us unleashed, I think,” Vincke said. “It’s a turn-based RPG featuring everything you’ve seen from us in the past, but it’s brought to the next level.” It’s too early for Vincke to really hone in on specifics on the game, which he hopes will take less time to complete than the six-year development cycle of Baldur’s Gate 3. However, the CEO’s statement is great news for those who want to see even more of the excellence Larian displayed with its previous title, and fans can be safe in the knowledge that it’s tackling a gameplay style it knows inside out with Divinity.
For many, turn-based gameplay is one of the features absolutely necessary to appear in Divinity from Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a Larian staple, and it feels like it could fundamentally change the studio’s identity if it were to move away from that in future titles. But equally, there is ultimately a section of gamers who simply don’t enjoy turn-based combat, even at its very best. And so while it’s great to see a potential Game of the Year contender in Divinity stick to its guns, when Larian post-Baldur’s Gate 3 certainly has the resources to take a more traditional route with the same scale as its other games, it’s sad to think that some gamers may not be able to enjoy the upcoming RPG because of this. It’s possible that Larian will expand beyond its turn-based roots in the future, but it doesn’t seem likely any time soon.
For those who wanted Larian to move away from its existing franchises after Baldur’s Gate 3, it might not all be bad news. Earlier this year, Larian confirmed that it has two projects in development at the same time. There is no reason to believe this has changed with the announcement of Divinity. There’s also no indication of when the studio’s other title will be announced, either. Still, it will be interesting to see if the developer decides to move in another direction with its other title, where Divinity is the studio’s outlet to stay true to its roots, allowing it to experiment elsewhere. This, though, is purely speculation.