The BG3 Developer’s Hilariously Bizarre 3rd Person RPG

[@MitchManix]

Download Broken Ranks today: eu.brokenranks.com/registration/MitchManix/ and immerse yourself in a world of emotional storytelling, strategic combat, and thrilling exploration!

[@CodeguruX]

It hasn't been forgotten at all. It brought back true turn-based combat. Not the garbage pause, command, pray that they don't move crap we've had to endure for decades. Temple of Elemental Evil was like the only game to get D&D correct before them.

[@viktorhorvath6879]

I´m just here to tell you that I think you have the most interesting voice and way of speaking in the entire youtube scene. I don´t know if you have an accent or dialect or why you speak the way you speak, but it always nice to listen to your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@normal6969]

Live service, flashy games are for non-gamers, who after work just wanna engage an hour of clickfest before sleeping. The people referenced in "broadening audiences". So no, real game-addicts will prevail with real good games. Live service ones, who cares?

[@Interference22]

I still contend Larian's most batshit insane game is probably Divinity: Dragon Commander, a game that (if memory serves) mixes RTS with bizarre diplomacy and flying around as a dragon, setting fire to things. I distinctly recall the option to marry a zombie.

[@szymonrozanski6938]

You are correct with your memory.

[@CastellanMaben]

And a skeletal princess.

[@Fang.1]

Loved that game. It also had a really fun conquest mode.

[@3adgamd3r]

@@CastellanMabenthat is the zombie, however she starts as a skeleton and (depending on your choices) can become a vampire, a human, or remain a skeleton Each of the love interests have some wild branching paths, the elf can remain a traditional vegetarian, or you can encourage her to become a meat eater, stuff like that, and there’s five separate romance options iirc

[@theprecipiceofreason]

Is that the one where you can feed your spouse to the dragon?

[@the_ecips9692]

That one NPC that randomly runs to you somewhere outside in a sort of woodlands area and talks to you about how if you give him a ton of cash he'd prepare a house for you? I remember this, even though I forgot this game during the years. I was so hyped to find that there's a housing system in this game - as much as I was confused later, when I found out there actually isn't. That dude just ripped me off and my gamer-logic-brain fell for it. I never again trusted NPCs who asked for money in any game after this incident.

[@zooziz5724]

You got mmo'ed by an NPC lol :D

[@Arrusoh]

This was my first Larian game. I have so much nostalgia for it and it makes me endlessly happy to see someone acknowledge it's existence. I completely fell in love with this game and i need to play through it again. It shows exactly what Larian are and I couldn't be happier. Thank you so much for making this video.

[@syro2412]

This was also my first Larian game. I'm happy that they've become so successful now

[@iciclecold2991]

It was my first Larian game too and I adore all the silliness contained therein. I love it so much!!

[@Lorvay]

What I remember the most about Divinity Eco Draconis 2 was it humor... and the humorus description of your attributes.

[@Crasuk]

I played Divinity 2: Ego Draconis before I discovered Divinity Original Sin. I had a great time and it was a pleasant surprise seeing that Larian Studios were getting better and better with every game.

[@Warwipf]

We do not talk about Dragon Commander tho.

[@Leckaine]

@@Warwipf Yes we do. While the gameplay is nothing special the world building and the waifus you can marry and sacrifice to the demon are very based. Skeletons are best, especially the advisor.

[@j1337-l1n]

In broken valley there are 3 recruits and one drill sergeant. other than those 4 characters and trash mobs, everybody else has their own name. every boss has their own names every npcs even those who only have 1 lines of dialogues has their own names. they could have just named them guard 1 or villager 2. And I am pretty sure every one has unique lines as well. I think this shows how much care they put into making their games.

[@anishinaabae]

exactly! not to mention because larian tried so many different game mechanics and RPG subgenres, all of their hard efforts culminated in both original sin and baldur's gate 3. larian studios is what happens to game development when you have a team of people interested only in what makes them passionate, rather than wherever the money is.

[@crclar3146]

This game doesn’t have much NPC’s, and you can find many unnamed ones in the Ego Draconis Aleroth. Also, you didn’t mention the fact that all enemies have roughly the same AI. If you remove character models it’ll be hard to distinguish them. It’s a little bit sad.

[@Moshmaschine]

DEATH! HAHAHA! I really like your calm, yet hilarious style of presentation. Almost has a "Slightly sped up Gaming David Attenborough" vibe to it. Subscribed!

[@Tommy_The_Gun]

Imagine if Larian would made sequel. A proper, modern, open world crpg with huge world and no fast travel... because who needs fast travel if you are a Dragon and just fly places ? XD

[@ragvald8835]

It's not entirely out of the question, after their success.

[@gergoretvari6373]

i really wish. and maybe a remake for this gem

[@Here_is_Waldo]

Would you want to transform into a dragon, or just be one from the start? I can't help think playing a dragon full time in an RPG could be interesting.

[@Tommy_The_Gun]

@@Here_is_Waldo Depends how it is done, and it can work really well if it is done right. Both Divinity II & Drakan 1 & 2 had moments when you needed to control a human character & go into dungeons & caves or traverse an area that is Deadly to Dragons. I would imagine that in crpg game like Witcher, you would actually need to polymorph to a human so that NPCs will trust you more & you would gain information that way (as many people would simply run away if they saw a Dragon). Many quests & content would be locked behind human gameplay and some behind Dragon gameplay and some can require both.

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

It's great to see that you've finally tackled this one. Divinity 2's legit a hidden gem and a hilarious experience. It's honestly heartwarming to me to know that Larian's not changed much from their roots.

[@dawildbear]

Oh, I didn't forget.

[@dawildbear]

@Dr.Quarex Yeah, probably for the best >.>

[@Lambizkit]

I'm always happy to see this game getting coverage. I return to it every few years or so. It was my favorite game from Larian for quite awhile.

[@Tommy_The_Gun]

Divinity 2 Ego Draconis is a hidden gem. No question about it. What really caused this game not be be more popular were technical issues that plagued it. Even community made patches could not fix it. Part of the reason behind this is that the game was also released on consoles & then badly ported to pc. Aside from Divinity II Ego Draconis and Drakan, I can not think of any other action crpg game where you can be a Dragon / Ride a Dragon. It is a shame that we don't get games like this any more. I was hoping for Scalebound, so it could "fill in the void", but it got cancelled. And it is a shame cuz if a game is done right - it would sell. I do hope that after BG3, Larians will continue the story of a Dragon Knight instead of doing the obvious (DOS3).

[@phaedruslive]

Divine divinity is still my favorite game from Larian. Not yet corrupted by the cultural trends towards 'quirkiness' and anachronism.

[@jclindsay007]

There was a semi-good game on ps2 called dragon rage that was kinda fun.

[@Opus_Fluke]

Necromancer: Death! Ah hahahahahaha!! Every Guild Wars 2 player: The Harbinger's been on the "special" potions again...

[@eclipsethedog]

Unironicly Divinity 2 is one of my favorite rpgs of all time the dialaog is just so memerable and halarious

[@brindle21]

Brilliant video, just love your work, enjoying more people discovering your talent 😊

[@BorsodBoy]

The whistling theme from that early village is always and forever a cherished memory of my childhood, loved this game

[@chillgoblin9103]

"But whenever you need to sneeze, you're FUCKED!'

[@hednlin]

I LOOOOOVE Ego Draconis! Fell in love and spent almost 100 hours in 2023 alone

[@thehorsefromhorsinabout]

Rad, funny story, I originally bought and played this because everyone was raving about divinity original sin 2 but calling it divinity 2. It was pretty good, didn't realize until later I played the wrong game.

[@heartoffire5902]

10:17 - If you want to hear the laugh again. I was cracking up so much.

[@Real-Hawk]

You always make me laugh Mitch. At 4:40 I spilled some beer trough my nose and it kinda hurt but it was totally worth it. Love your reviews!

[@editorism]

It's baffling how you don't have more subscribers. You make such entertaining content!

[@BLMan828]

Thank you for making this video! Divinity 2 DKS is one of my favourite games of all time, but others didn't even hear about it, so it was hard to talk about it with others. I still play it from time to time and it always will have a special place in my heart.

[@Turin_Inquisitor]

This seems way better than I expected. I'm still on my Divine Divinity playthrough.

[@PiaInTheHouse]

At like 12 years old, this game was my first ever real video game! My brother had given it to me back then. Oh how nostalgic i feel about it. I had no idea what i was rly doing but I think back to it very fondly. I had no idea it was from larian!! I only just realized it was part of the divinity series as you mentioned it. I really want to replay it now!

[@Ichthyodactyl]

I was very confused when you were talking about this game and I was like "wait... this was Ego Draconis..." I guess the fact that they re-released this game completely missed me. Now I feel like I have to go back and play this to see how different it is from what I remember but I did play the original Ego Draconis release on xbox and, while the controls were pretty jank, I really loved the game.

[@Tommy_The_Gun]

Ego Draconis was a "Base Game". Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance was an Expansion that required base game. Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga was basically a re-release of a Base Game + Expansion on one disc. There was also Divinity II: Developer's Cut on Steam that was basically a complete package with some making off materials and Developer Mode enabled so you could play around with the Dev tools (spawning items etc)

[@armelior4610]

You should try it ! I never played the original but if reviews from back then are to be believed the expansion vastly improved/fixed the base game. The flying fortresses were greatly reworked for example. And IMO the expansion despite being only in one city is better than the base game.

[@carolinemccall6748]

Loved this game. Flipping up a ladder as the woman like a gymnast. Is this the game where if you killed an absurd amount of rabbits, it would summon a huge killer rabbit for an achievement? Great video!

[@sigmundfreud2375]

Back then as a kid I didn’t know why, but I loved Divinity 2 the dragon knight saga. Played it like 7-10 times. It was clunky, ran like garbage and there where far more popular RPGs around. But it that distinctive flair and clever writing, with griping world building Larian got famous for in the end. Good for them.

[@elkantar1330]

I played this back when I was very young, always holds a special place in my heart, need to replay it again an this time with the expac. I didn't have it back in the day.

[@vDarkEaglev]

I've been a big fan of the Divinity series since Divine Divinity, and Larian's unique approach to game development has always fascinated me. They were constantly changing things up and experimenting with their RPGs. Always had a good sense of humor and challenge, too. The Divinity games were never an easily beaten experiences and encouraged experimentation to find out what works. I hope we see more weird stuff, like Divinity II and Dragon Commander, come from them in the future but with the big hits that were Original Sin 1 & 2, and the absolute behemoth that is BG3 I don't see them straying too far from what they're doing now. Though, at the very least we know they're consistently making great quality, slightly weird, games, and that's great.

[@spibbymcgoo4877]

Mostly I remember getting to the end and it finishing on a giant cliffhanger, basically saying lol buy the future expansion if you want an ending. Then if you made the mistake of getting the later complete version that you’re playing here instead of just the expansion, which seemed like a good idea at the time because the complete version had updated graphics and such, you’d find out that none of your saves were compatible. Fun times. Never did finish that expansion.

[@NukaPooka]

Dragon Knight Saga is a gem XD

[@lightfallonthehead3842]

this game seems absolutely... beautiful. thank you sire for showing up on my feed

[@AlaiaSkyhawk]

(Adds game to "play someday" list) This one sounds like a lot of fun :D Great vid!

[@Vandakai]

This was one of those bin buys for me in gamestop years ago but, it was a blast to play and I loved it. Great vid.

[@milczyciel]

9:45 I'll be honest - the only two things I remember from that game are: flying around and the look of this very ghost.

[@NukaPooka]

Ahhhh how i missed the "DEATH" scream. Dont worry i also couldn't stop laughing and even now i still chuckle at it XD

[@drowningin]

I don’t usually click sponsors, but something told me to check out this one. It actually looks really good in the non-censored for YT trailer. Didn’t see anything about mobile so I’m cautiously optimistic and will try it out tomorrow

[@AspieMemoires]

That moment you realize, child you, had played Divine Divinity and didn’t realize it’s connections to Divinity 2 or Baldurs Gate 3. Wow. Edit: For those unable to have reading comprehension/just being rude lol. I discovered a game I played as a child? Was made by the same company I very much like in the present, and had made other games I hadn’t realized were made by them. 😂 Y’all so quick to be deconstructive and brashly insulting without any forethought.

[@Hjartulv]

because there is no connections? and these games weren't even released back then? Wtf r u talking about?

[@StyxxOfDidymos]

Exactly wtf is he talking about . ​@@Hjartulv

[@StyxxOfDidymos]

Take an English class.

[@AspieMemoires]

@@StyxxOfDidymos Actually Mr. Debby Downer, the sentence is structurally sound. Obtain better reading comprehension yourself instead.

[@AspieMemoires]

@@Hjartulv Larian Studios? Those connections? Lmao 😂 realizing an old game I played, was made by a studio I very much enjoy in the present. Man you people are really in the negative with critical thinking.

[@RankAndFileGuy]

When in doubt, chickens.

[@slenderminion2229]

Man, this game was such a big part of my childhood. I will never forget the orgasming treasure chest being followed by a boss fight against lunatic sentai hobos.

[@cherryrook8684]

Man i loved this game. I remember the base game being so unbalanced in some parts that later when i got my hands on the Dragon Knight Saga i doubted myself if i was just bad at the game or it had become easier. But i definitly remember the creature being so OP to the point it was broken, some bosses would literally one shot you (Amdusias Dragon Form AND the explosive + fear combo in human form). The first ghost you had to fight in the catacombs was also brutal, the surprise encounter when you get dropped into Lovis dungeon and later on the sentinel isle one of the rooms locks you into a fight with 4 of the scythe hand undead (forgot the names) wich also gave me a lot of trouble in the base game

[@smergthedargon8974]

on Nightmare, the final bosses of the base game can still one shot you, with a Magic Blast that'll deal over 1000 damage, guaranteed to kill you unless you've maxed vitality and have a ton of magic defense.

[@stevenclark1662]

Oh! I played this last year! It's a lot of fun!

[@oliverurbanik9647]

Fascinating - that the Graphics still hold up .. for a game this old, this looks good.

[@GemmaTrellis]

"whenever you need to sneeze, you're fucked!" made me laugh way too hard

[@aaronodonnel5001]

I found this game on Xbox 360 I think in the sale bin at Walmart for like 2 dollars and at the time it was the most gun o ever had in a game. You could literally jump off of a mountain and turn into a dragon feet from the ground . Absolutely amazing. Started playing d2os before buying balderdash gate 3 and have been playing it for a year now completely enthralled. No need for bg3 until prices go down and totally couldn’t care less. These devs are awesome

[@horrorking1000]

Probably my favorite game by larian from back in the day

[@jamaluddinkhalifa8371]

i wonder what Larian could do with Heroes of Might and Magic if given the chance... Heroes 3 was my childhood. it's especially special because *my mom* taught me how to play it. one of the only two video games she played. my dad and brother played it extensively too

[@otopico]

I bought the game years ago thinking it was a more traditional rpg. When discovering it was 3rd person and an arg, I set it aside for a couple of years. That was a mistake. I love the Divinity series, and this game really deserves more love. The jank was never enough to ruin it, even though it felt like instant death was a core game mechanic. You can see Larian learning the genre and Dragon Night Saga 'feels' like a Larian game just as much as BG3. And the creepy healer ghost summon is a design that is burned into my memory.

[@Maggerama]

That necromancer moment made my day, thank you.

[@theastralwanderer]

I think my two favorite things about this game are: 1: The fact that if you kill too many bunnies you get attacked by a giant killer rabbit. 2: The option to say something snarky in every conversation. 2(a): Maxos.

[@armelior4610]

"Maxos !" is the greatest running joke in gaming history, you can even do it in hell

[@z.s.7992]

Twas a truly epic dumper, so robust that no dragon could break it

[@howdyhohi]

I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this game. As a huge fan of the fable series and kingdoms of amalur, this is right up my alley. I was sold the moment you said chicken kicking. ordering this for my 360 rn 😭

[@baptixm]

It’s like an uncanny mesh of Fable & Kingdoms of Amular.

[@calamitoso0066]

The best part is where you fight against the ginyu forces.

[@hashimashadoo]

I freaking love The Dragon Knight Saga - probably my favourite ARPG. There's a lot you can miss if you don't use a walkthrough though.

[@remek110m]

I've played this when it came out but forgot the name. Thanks for bringing it back for me, time to buy it and play again :D Maybe the way to finish it is laugh at unexpected deaths rather than rage quiting 😂 As always, great video.

[@nathanokeefe7063]

I love the choice to give her a lisp. A stitched together tongue would probably have some difficulties.

[@Mageslayer325]

I absolutely played the crap out of this game, melee ranged and magic options were insane

[@MrJade12]

This is the best game Larian made and its not even close.

[@AthosJosue]

Bate or dumb, I can't say.

[@TheJester765]

Wondering how Baldurs Gate 3 would be like a fp rpg

[@Parnyr]

Very good video. Thanks Mitch :)

[@joonashapponen6231]

I remember playing one of this saga's games when I was a teenager. It was not this exact game I think, but the difficulty spikes and such were there for sure. I did manage to find out a way to cheese exp fast in the middle of the game, and after that everything was trivial.

[@svellice]

YAAAAASSS I‘m always so happy when other people discover this gem. I mean, what other rpg lets you *be* the dragon?!

[@Lucifronz]

Too restrictive to be fun. I bought the game because of that selling point and wound up hating the game for a long time because of it. Dragons should feel powerful and you do not feel powerful as a dragon in this game by any means, especially if you foolishly follow the path the game sets you on which winds up taking you to an overpowered area that will instakill you in your dragon form.

[@dave3076]

I admire your patience. This was a tough game to get into.

[@BeepSmile]

I'm glad you mentioned 'I'm not weird', because otherwise I'd have thought you weird.

[@silverthorngoodtree5533]

Have you reviewed dragon commander? Interesting game play. But the WIFE options.. umm yeah. The undead and dwarf are particularly funny.

[@Chonicle2]

I loved this game so much i still install it and play it every so often

[@conmangames32]

Thank god nearly got withdrawals again from not having yoi upload 😂😂😂 and i dont care what anyone says, dragon knight saga was amazing. Still go back to it today lol. Ego draconis!!!! Such a great game. Yes great not good great and so underrated. Still one of my faves today. Being able to transform into a dragon is sooooo good!!!

[@Warwipf]

Divinity 2 was a great game. Kind of a diamond in the rough, but I loved Ego Draconis and Flames of Vengeance back in the day. The moment I realized this was gonna be great was when I convinced the skeleton blacksmith at the beginning of Ego Draconis that he could not possibly be alive without muscles and organs and he just died lol. After I played them I went back and played Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity (don't bother lol) as well. Ever since I've been a little Larian fanboy and it's the reason the only games I've ever backed on Kickstarter were OS1 and 2.

[@RafeLaet]

1:10 I SAW IT! The reference! its the Berserk spin move!!!

[@Physithor]

Remember having a hard time with the later bosses, then switching to insta-kill with maxed skill level for easy final bosses

[@ZennExile]

This game lowkey had the best Necromancer design of any game outside of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Everquest.

[@TheYdyp]

I still hope they return to the Divinity I and II formula as well to flesh it out more. Loved the part where you could shapeshift in a dragon, but as said it was a bit underused after its introduction chapter was over.

[@violetbliss4399]

I'd really love it for Larian to do something like this again. I don't mind the turnbased approach, but I would lie if I said I didn't like 3rd person rpg or RTWP even more. They've consistently shown they can do all of these!

[@GingerCnut]

I remember rushing home too watch Tony Hart for Morph.

[@DoomOfConviction]

I played it 15 years ago and this review was a nostalgic kick.

[@rocketrooster2410]

I know this game as Ego Drakonis

[@user-gs9qy8yn7n]

5:31 can’t stop laughing

[@NoxLunarwing]

ayyy yooo This game was always a favorite of mine!!

[@JCDenton2012Modder]

The Dragon Terror Patrol shall prevail!

[@gangstalkerofgangstalkers]

👹 lets get it man!

[@ThePaperKhan]

Pretty hard to forget it when the preorder items are references to it...

[@SpazzMaticu3]

I LOVED THIS Game as a young central european. Its soild, funny and quit hard if u skill into wrong abbilities. Amazing ending and dlc too. only issue with Divinity 2 is the hard lvl caps in areas and not all skills are created equal...oh and its a not a dragon with four legs...so ur a Wyvern...

[@ronnycook3569]

I played and finished this game. I don't recall any major difficulty spikes, but I tend to play these things very cautiously. The later Divinity games are a lot more nuanced and thought-provoking, but Divinity 2 was great dumb fun.

[@j.d.4697]

Broken Ranks looks so good! 😮 It's already 3 years old? I gotta check it out.

[@venepskeuten9206]

I would love a remake of the dragon-knight saga in larians current modern style. The game is a gem, but its clunky nature holds it back significantly. With larians as it is now, the games full potential can be realized.

[@Khalifrio]

I loved this game. I wish Larian would branch out of the isometric style games and do more third and first person style RPG's.

[@marceelino]

I played all of their games and they were all great.

[@KiteoHatto]

Divinity 2, two worlds 2 and neverwinter nights were my childhood😂

[@lightborn9071]

Bg3 was actually made by completely different people who took over the studio. It was started by the original larian, but that's where their stoy ended.

[@firehedgehog1446]

Larian missed an opportunity with BG3, this game set a great foundation for its dragon transformation mechanic that was sadly underutilized. Larian COULD have improved upon it with BG3's Sorcerer class if they included a dragon transformation with the Dragonblood subclass. (Why do D&D video games that include that subclass feel the need to not include that transformation?)

[@melchiordelaunay2539]

I loved this game. What a throwback !

[@mattg2298]

Oh god i dont even remember where or how i found this game but this was the first larian game i played but i had fun just the silly mind reading promets to just useing fireball and magic missle while dual wielding it was a blast or meeting with an actual dragon

[@xdas11]

Ok so I'm not really into this type of rpg games but the comedy and goofiness really attract me XD

[@mufasaiam7794]

This game is what introduced me to the world of RPG

[@MortSalazar]

Still dreaming of the day Larian gives third person rpgs another shot. And i mean, Damian is still around. Someone's gotta cut him down

[@grand_R]

dear lord that cake is SERVING

[@cofreak999]

I'm sad you didn't mention the killer rabbit that appears if you killed too many rabbits, I died so many times to it.