Divine Divinity Build Whoever You Like

You start as a warrior, wizard or survivor, each with one unique ability. Then the training wheels come off: 96 skills are open to everyone, regardless of where you began. A thief who picks up a few fire spells, a mage who swings a sword, a warrior who dabbles in stealth and traps: the game does not care, and different builds play out very differently. One thing to know before you commit: skills cannot be redone once chosen, so it pays to peek at what comes later on the skill page and plan a little ahead. Combat itself is real time with a pause button, so when a fight turns into a mob of orcs and things get hectic, you can stop, take stock of the battlefield and drink that health potion at your leisure.

Rivellon is not a loot piñata. Enemies do not respawn, secrets are placed by hand, and the world is stuffed with small, odd details: a key under a carpet that opens the chest in the next room, an ale keg you can actually fill your mug from, frogs and rats going about their business. Nearly everything can be investigated, traded, used or combined. Empty flasks plus colourful mushrooms equals potions; vile-smelling poison gets daubed on your blade or arrow tips. You can even move into a house, rearrange the furniture and store your findings where you see fit. The quests share that spirit, and many of them are genuinely funny, with flexible solutions: sometimes talking your way past an enemy works as well as fighting.