Divinity: Original Sin 2 was considered by many to be the best game of 2017, and for good reason: it had incredible writing, world-building, gameplay mechanics, and more. One of the best aspects about the title from a technical perspective was that, aside from minor framerate drops, it ran and played perfectly.
Now that the game is leaving Xbox Game Preview and making its way to Xbox One officially on August 31, we decided to see if this stellar design carried over to the official release on console. I'm pleased to say that, aside from a few minor complaints, it has.
Read: Divinity Original Sin 2 review
Framerate and loading screens
In terms of framerate, Divinity: Original Sin 2 runs incredibly smooth. Even in environments with heavy detail or numerous NPCs, the game maintains a steady 30 FPS, which is the common standard for top down RPG games like this one. There will occasionally be a slight dip if there are plenty of flashy spells and attacks going off in these more taxing areas, but you'll generally experience a steady framerate from start to finish.
Loading screens are also quick. The longest one I ever dealt with was around 15 seconds long, which isn't that bad at all given the sheer scale and detail of Divinity: Original Sin 2's play spaces.
Colors, lighting, and textures
The vibrant and bright world of the game pops right off the screen on Xbox One, just like it does for PC. Lighting effects add to the beauty, illuminating areas with everything from glaring sunbeams to dim, flickering lamplight. The textures are also much sharper than they were when we originally took a look at the title on Xbox earlier this year.
Unfortunately, some of the textures do suffer from some rendering lag. While things like large landmasses and bodies of water will render fully in real-time, some smaller things such as character models, armor, and various objects can take a split second to completely load as you move the camera around. It's noticeable, but I wouldn't call it a hindrance to the experience.
Camera, controls, and interface
Divinity Sin 2's camera is intuitive and easy to manipulate, allowing you to change the angle at which you view the environment whenever and however you'd like. Controlling your character is just as easy, which means you'll have zero issues navigating the maps and levels.
The user interface can be a little confusing at first, but after a few minutes of learning how to move through each menu, it's not too hard. Be careful not to accidentally press buttons, though, as every single input on the Xbox controller is used in the control scheme.
Conclusion: Superb performance and design
In a time where many PC-to-console ports are low quality and underwhelming, developer Larian Studios has blown me away with their port of Divinity: Original Sin 2. If you were worried about the performance or controls ruining the experience on console, fear no longer.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 will be available on August 31 on Xbox One.
