Are those... helicopters...?

If you played your way through 2004 RPG, Divine Divinity (perhaps as part of the deluxe edition of Beyond Divinity, you may be disappointed to find out that according to the series' official canon, your character from that slightly redundantly-titled game, the Divine, was rapidly killed off in a battle with a Dragon Knight. All is not lost though, as the Divine's surviving Paladins swore revenge, thus leaving the plot open for the sequel, Divinity 2: Ego Draconis to make its way to PC and Xbox 360 over the next few months.

Set more than fifty years after the ending of the previous game, the player takes on the role of a Dragon Slayer, one of the order of warriors vowed to hunt down and destroy Dragon Knights. As the peace established by the Divine begins to crumble before the return of the evil he banished, the protagonist - whoops! - somehow ends up as a Dragon Knight himself, able to transform into dragon form, and on the path to becoming a powerful Dragon Lord. Shunned and reviled by the greater population and more specifically targeted by your former brethren, the irony and pathos of becoming precisely that which he formerly sought to destroy is not lost on our scaly friend.

The lovely world of Rivellon is once more the setting for a multitude of quests and stories, with multiple quest outcomes and branching plot lines promising a cascade of consequences at your every action. Player development is equally diverse, with the ability to specialise in one or several areas of expertise, or to combine items to create new ones, some of which will bestow new abilities on the player. Finding a workable balance of skills and equipment with which to face the myriad enemies of the game will be key to success.




Your dragon form is more than just a special move to reserve for bosses; since you can transform at any time, flying freely across the landscape becomes the most convenient form of travel, as well as a good way to enjoy the scenery - and perhaps torch a few villages along the way, hmm? Fire breathing will be a major element of combat, with airborne enemies to contend with as well as air-to-ground combat possible.

The unique ability to transform into a fire breathing dragon at will, allows the player to glide over vast landscapes, enjoy the panoramic view, and cover long distances quickly. Furthermore, this rare gift not only introduces a tactical angle, but also vastly enriches gameplay with challenging fire fights against other flying creatures, as well as an advantage over grounded enemies!

Let's hope we might finally have a decent dragon sim on our hands! An action RPG with a pretty awesome twist, Divinity 2: Ego Draconis is due in the second quarter for both PC and Xbox 360. While we wait, check out our collection of screens and last year's trailer.