[h1] Short Version [/h1]
Get this game only, if it’s at least 80% off, to blast things as a dragon for a few hours. Everything else is done better by other games, which cost less.
[h1] Full Review [/h1]
Divinity Dragon Commander is Frankenstein’s monster in game form. Like Frankenstein's monster this game is a jumbled together mess. RTS, RPG, first person dragon simulator, card game and risk like turn based strategy have been mixed together in an incomprehensible way.
The [b] RPG [/b] is one of two components, that was serviceable. Good voice acting, character designs, body language, facial animation and soundtrack make this part of the game somewhat enjoyable. Only somewhat because the decisions are all binary. No thought is given to the finer nuances of character development, politics and government.
Here just one example: Do you want to replace half of your army officers with women? The possible choices are yes or no. Why is there no possibility to favour women with the same accomplishments and competency over their male counterparts, to slowly raise the number of women in positions of leadership, while not promoting incompetent women, just because the quota has to be met?
Competition in the [b] RTS [/b] genre is stiff. And almost all the competitors are better than this poor man’s command & conquer. There are only predetermined build locations, so no base building.
The macro management is unfulfilling, because there are only two working strategies against the AI. 1. Rush for the build points to get more resources, produce a large amount of troops, overwhelm the AI with numbers and your support dragon. 2. Rush and deny the AI new build points, turn into your attack dragon and obliterate them before the battle really starts. This is great, because the dreadful RTS part ends sooner. Even with a winning chance of only 3% it never failed and the AI is beaten in a few minutes every time.
Even worse than the macro might be the micromanagement. All units have special abilities, and they can be useful, if you know how to handle them. But the balancing is just so bad, that It’s more effective to do rush after rush with huge numbers, instead of even bothering to micro. The horrible camera and controls further discourage the micromanagement.
The [b] first person dragon simulator [/b] is where this game shines at first. Being a dragon and eradicating whole armies is satisfying. Fluid Air controls and great abilities make this part pleasing. But after the tenth battle dragon fighting starts to become boring … after even more battles it starts to be akin to torture. Part of the problem is the lack of challenge. Even battles with a less than 10% chance to win are easy because the enemy AI has no dragon and all other units can be countered with special dragon abilities.
The game would have been better with fully flashed out dragon battles or just good RTS instead of this awkward mix. In dragon form managing your troops is a hassle and when in RTS management mode turning into a dragon will distract from macro.
In the [b] turn based strategy game [/b] risk the starting conditions are comparable and battles are somewhat up to chance. Engaging in diplomacy is therefore rewarding and often necessary to win. Diplomacy, comparable starts and battles decided by chance are missing in divinity dragon commander. Another thing, which makes it less fun than risk, is the reach of the units on the world map. Setting up choke points is almost impossible, because most units can just move through entire countries filled with enemy soldiers.
There is only one word needed to accurately describe the [b] card game [/b]: pointless. It feels slapped on and disjointed from the rest of the game. For building certain constructions on the world map a corresponding type of action card becomes available for the player every 3 turns.
The most important are mercenary cards, which are generated in taverns. They give you more units in battles, if you choose to use them. How this actually works is a mystery. Having a tavern on the northernmost isle makes it possible to recruit half an army of mercenaries for zero gold for a battle half the globe away, just because it has been standing there for 12 turns.
Build a parliament, and you can get event cards for more gold in a country you own or genocide in a foreign country. Yes, parliaments open up the possibility to commit genocide in countries you don’t own and don’t even share a border with. This is not how parliaments work in any country. Just image some small country builds a parliament waits 10 years, and suddenly they can commit genocide on half the population of the biggest nation without even lifting a finger….
Wizard towers are the only building which make even a bit of sense. And the only reason is magic needs no logic to function. They give you dragon powers for one battle. But because it’s best to just research the dragon powers you need anyway, the wizard tower is mostly pointless. Just like the card game component in this game.
[h1] Better games, which cost less [/h1]
Get this game only, if it’s at least 80% off, to blast things as a dragon for a few hours. Everything else is done better by other games.
Here are a few recommendations of better games, which are also cheaper:
RTS & turn based strategy: Medieval 2: Total War (24,99)
fantasy RPG with romance: The Last Sovereign (free)
first person action: Mount & Blade Warband (19,99)
card game: Slay the Spire (20,99)
Edit: Did some formatting to make the review less unwieldy.
